Football 6/26/2025 9:01:00 AM Evan Nemec

WAC to Rebrand to UAC, Add Five New Members in 2026-27

Abilene Christian University (ACU) is pleased to welcome five full-time members to its conference, which will rebrand from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the United Athletic Conference (UAC), beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, West Georgia and Central Arkansas will officially join the UAC on July 1, 2026, alongside ACU, Tarleton State and UT Arlington. The rebranding of the WAC to the UAC will also take place in the summer of 2026.

The UAC and Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) are forming a groundbreaking, strategic alliance that will strengthen and provide long-term stability for both conferences. The alliance allows two similarly situated conferences to resolve many challenges at once: better aligning membership; reducing expenses; collectively leveraging assets such as media rights; providing members of both leagues with nonconference games against regional opponents; and situating both conferences for streamlined decision making.

The UAC and ASUN will remain separate conferences, maintain independent governance structures and offices, and have their own automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA postseason for conference champions. Each will consider limited expansion opportunities in the future.

ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon will serve as the executive director of the alliance between the UAC and ASUN. Bacon has served as executive director of the current UAC, a football-only conference consisting of nine teams from the WAC and ASUN. WAC commissioner Rebekah Ray will also assume a leadership role in the alliance.

All of ACU's 15 athletic programs will be housed in the UAC. In football, ACU will continue to compete with Tarleton State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Central Arkansas and West Georgia. All seven teams are current members of the football-only UAC, and competed against each other during the 2024 season. Football-playing members of the WAC and ASUN have competed in a formal partnership since 2021.

"This is a strong move for ACU, greatly benefiting the university, our fans and all of our student-athletes, coaches and athletics administration," said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president. "The United Athletic Conference and alliance with the ASUN reflect a commitment to excellence and innovation in an ever-changing college athletics landscape. Most importantly, this positions us well to continue developing student-athletes for lives of Christian service and leadership and competitive success."

"I want to extend my deepest thanks to President Schubert for his outstanding leadership and steady guidance through the ever-evolving landscape of college athletics," said Zack Lassiter, ACU vice president for athletics. "We are confident this new path best positions us for long-term success at the Division I level.

"The eight UAC members beginning in the 2026-27 athletic season are like-minded institutions, including two fellow Texas schools, reducing travel demands for our student-athletes during regular season play and maintaining our access to NCAA Championships in all sports. Our existing football partnership with these schools has already built strong relationships with these new conference peers, and we are excited to expand our competition to all our athletic programs."

ACU has been a member of the WAC since July 2021 and of the football-only UAC since its inception in 2023.

Click here to read the official announcement from the WAC and ASUN.

What They're Saying

"We are extremely excited about our transition to be a member of the UAC! This bold move positions our team to compete at a high level while aligning with dynamic institutions that share our competitive spirit and commitment to excellence. The geographic footprint of the UAC will provide a strong platform for recruiting, growth, postseason opportunities, and long term success for our student athletes." - Julie Goodenough, ACU women's basketball head coach

"We are excited about the next chapter for our athletic department and the opportunities to compete against some old rivals while establishing some new ones. We have a lot of momentum on campus and throughout our department. I'm grateful for our administration's commitment to athletics and we feel like we are positioned for success across the board." - Rick McCarty, ACU baseball head coach

"We are incredibly excited for the rebrand, and future membership of the UAC starting in 2026-27! This move represents a bold and strategic decision for our program, as it puts us in a competitive, forward-thinking conference. The UAC is a great fit for our vision and the culture we're building. This will not just have a positive impact for our team, but for our university and student-athletes. I'm grateful for our continued upward trajectory and can't wait to see what we accomplish next!" - Stephen Salas, ACU women's soccer head coach

WAC Membership, 2025-26

Abilene Christian	Abilene, TX
California Baptist	Riverside, CA
Southern Utah	Cedar City, UT
Tarleton State	Stephenville, TX
UT Arlington	Arlington, TX
Utah Tech	St. George, UT
Utah Valley	Orem, UT

Football-Only UAC Membership, 2025-26

Abilene Christian	Abilene, TX
Austin Peay	Clarksville, TN
Central Arkansas	Conway, AR
Eastern Kentucky	Richmond, KY
North Alabama	Florence, AL
Southern Utah	Cedar City, UT
Tarleton State	Stephenville, TX
Utah Tech	St. George, UT
West Georgia	Carrollton, GA

All-Sports UAC Membership, beginning 2026-27

Abilene Christian	Abilene, TX
Austin Peay	Clarksville, TN
Central Arkansas	Conway, AR
Eastern Kentucky	Richmond, KY
North Alabama	Florence, AL
Tarleton State	Stephenville, TX
UT Arlington (non-football)	Arlington, TX
West Georgia	Carrollton, GA

Print Friendly Version