The ASUN-WAC football partnership has formally rebranded as the United Athletic Conference, it was announced on Monday.
The 2023 season for the United Athletic Conference will be the first for the partnership as a single entity. The conference now “…fully operates like a single-sport conference with an independent budget, policies and governing documents. The group will recognize its own league champion and at-large FCS playoffs automatic qualifier under a singular conference banner beginning with the 2023 football season.”
The United Athletic Conference will include nine football-playing schools in 2023 — Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, and Utah Tech. The conference will add the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2025 when the school begins play in football.
In December, the ASUN-WAC partnership, now known as the United Athletic Conference, released their football schedule for the 2023 season.
Due to existing non-conference agreements, each ASUN-WAC team will play a six-game conference football schedule in 2023. The league is currently building the 2024 schedule, which will include an eight-game conference slate for each institution.
The team with the best record in conference play (and who owns any applicable tiebreakers in the case of matching league records) will be declared the United Athletic Conference champion and FCS playoffs automatic qualifier.
The United Athletic Conference plans to reveal their official marks, website, and more information in the coming months.