United Athletic Conference

The United Athletic Conference (UAC), also known as The United, is an intercollegiate athletic conference formed in 2023 for the sport of football. Its members compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The lineup for the 2025 season includes institutions in the states of Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. The conference originated as a merger of the existing football leagues of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The UAC will become an all-sports conference in 2026, including eight former members of the WAC and ASUN.

United Athletic Conference

Formerly	WAC–ASUN Challenge (2021–2022) ASUN–WAC Football Conference (2022–2023)
Association	NCAA
Founded	July 1, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-07-01)
Commissioner	Brian Thornton (2022–2024) Jeff Bacon (2023–present)
Sports fielded	1 men's: 1 women's: 0
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS (football)
No. of teams	9 (8 in 2026)
Region	Southwestern United States Western United States Southern United States
Official website	uacfootball.com
Locations

History

2021 season as "AQ7"

After sponsoring major-college football (ultimately at the FBS level) from 1962 through 2012, the WAC suffered membership changes that transformed it into a non-football conference as of 2013, and it remained so for eight seasons. On January 14, 2021, the WAC announced the addition of five new members, all of which were already playing FCS football, and declared its intention to reinstate football as a conference sport at the FCS level.^[1] The new members included the "Texas Four" of Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, all from the Southland Conference, along with Southern Utah University, from the Big Sky Conference. Initially, all five planned to join the WAC in July 2022, but the entry of the Texas Four was moved up to July 2021 after the Southland expelled its departing members.^[2]

The same week that the WAC announced its plans to resume football, the Atlantic Sun Conference (then officially branded as the ASUN Conference) revealed plans to sponsor the sport for the first time, also at the FCS level. On January 29, 2021, the ASUN announced that it would be adding three football-playing schools: Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Central Arkansas, and former member Jacksonville State University.^[3]

Both the WAC and the ASUN thus fell short of the minimum six football-playing members needed for an automatic qualifier to the FCS postseason. On February 23, 2021, they announced a partnership in which the WAC's Texas Four would join the three incoming ASUN football members for at least the 2021 season, in what was called the ASUN–WAC (or WAC–ASUN) Challenge.^[4][5] The Challenge was abbreviated as the "AQ7", as the top finisher of the seven teams would be an automatic qualifier for the FCS postseason.^[6]

2022 season: AQ alliance renewed

For the 2022 season, the ASUN added former Big South members North Alabama and Kennesaw State, along with former Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay.^[7] Meanwhile, the WAC added Southland Conference member Incarnate Word, former Division II schools Tarleton State and Utah Tech, and non-football playing UT Arlington from the Sun Belt Conference,^[8] along with previously-announced Southern Utah. But these additions did not offset unexpected departures, and announcements of departures, that prevented both conferences from launching their own AQ-eligible football leagues in 2022. On November 5, 2021, it was reported that Jacksonville State of the ASUN and Sam Houston State of the WAC would be leaving the FCS ranks for Conference USA, effective in fall 2023.^[9] Then, on April 8, 2022, Lamar announced it was leaving the WAC after just one season to return to its former home, the Southland Conference.^[10][11] Finally, on June 24, 2022, Incarnate Word made a last-minute decision to stay in the Southland rather than join the WAC.^[12]

The net result left the WAC and ASUN each with six football-playing members, but the FBS transitions of Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State made them ineligible for the FCS postseason, and the WAC could not yet count Tarleton State and Utah Tech, both also ineligible because of their transitions from D2 to FCS. The mutual setbacks led the two conferences to renew their AQ alliance for the 2022 season with their eight remaining playoff-eligible members, five from the ASUN and three from the WAC. They kept separate football standings (with Jacksonville State eligible for the ASUN title and Sam Houston State eligible for the WAC title) but for playoff qualification purposes, only the joint ASUN-WAC Challenge standings mattered.

Merger as United Athletic Conference

ESPN reported on December 9, 2022, that the ASUN and WAC had agreed to form a new football-only conference to start play in 2024, with an initial nine-team lineup including Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama from the ASUN, and Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, and Utah Tech from the WAC.^[13] The ASUN's fifth AQ alliance participant from the 2022 season, Kennesaw State, was not included after announcing in mid-October that it would be following Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State to Conference USA, effective in fall 2024.^[14] Kennesaw ended up playing the 2023 season as an FCS independent.

The new football conference reportedly planned to move "from what is currently known as FCS football to what is currently known as FBS football at the earliest practicable date."^[15] On December 20, the ASUN and WAC confirmed their football merger, announcing that the new league would start to play in 2023 under the tentative name of "ASUN–WAC Football Conference." League members drafted a six-game schedule in 2023 and planned to start full round-robin play in 2024. Neither conference's official announcement of the football merger mentioned any plans to move to FBS.^[16][17]

The ASUN and WAC jointly announced on January 5, 2023, that the football conference had established a basic governing structure and had hired Oliver Luck as executive director.^[18] On April 17, 2023, the ASUN-WAC football partnership formally rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC).^[19] Later the same month, the NCAA denied the UAC's waiver request to be recognized as a single-sport FCS football conference.^[20] The UAC operated under its new name nevertheless, with the NCAA officially recognizing only the continuation of the ASUN-WAC partnership formed in 2021.

On September 8, 2023, the University of West Georgia announced it would transition from Division II and join the ASUN in 2024, with its football program joining the UAC.^[21] Non-football WAC member UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) also planned to add the sport at the FCS level and join the UAC for 2024,^[22][23] but on March 25, 2024 announced its football program would debut instead in the Southland Conference, UTRGV's new all-sports home as of 2024–25.^[24] Then, on May 29, 2024, Stephen F. Austin announced its intention to return to the Southland Conference, effective in fall 2024.^[25] Thus, for the 2024 season, the UAC remained a nine-team league, with eight continuing members plus West Georgia replacing Stephen F. Austin.

Move to an all-sports conference

On June 26, 2025, shortly after Utah Tech and Southern Utah announced that they would be leaving the WAC and UAC to join the Big Sky Conference for all sports including football, the WAC and ASUN announced that the three remaining members of the WAC (Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, and non-football UT Arlington) and the five football-playing members of the ASUN (Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and West Georgia) would become members of an all-sports version of the United Athletic Conference, effective July 1, 2026. The UAC would inherit the WAC's automatic qualifiers to NCAA championships, most importantly to the men's and women's Division I basketball tournament.^[26] The joint statement framed the demise of the WAC as a "strategic alliance" of the WAC and the ASUN, under which the WAC would "rebrand" as the UAC while the non-football-playing members of the ASUN^[a] continued to operate after July 1, 2026 as a non-football conference under the Atlantic Sun name. The "rebranding" tactic enabled the new all-sports UAC to avoid a new conference's customary waiting period to be eligible for NCAA automatic qualifiers. Plans called for the UAC and ASUN to operate as a "consortium" under ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon.^[27]

Utah Tech

Tarleton State

Abilene Christian

Southern Utah

Central Arkansas

Eastern Kentucky

North Alabama

Austin Peay

West Georgia

UT Arlington

Locations of United Athletic Conference members. Blue markers indicate football-only members that will become full members in 2026. Green markers indicate future non-football members as of 2026. Red markers indicated football-only members departing in 2026.

Member schools

Current football-only members

  Members becoming all-sports members of the UAC on July 1, 2026.
  Members departing for the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2026.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Primary conference
Abilene Christian University	Abilene, Texas	1906	2021	Private (Church of Christ)	6,219	Wildcats		WAC (UAC in 2026)
Austin Peay State University	Clarksville, Tennessee	1927	2022	Public	9,609	Governors		ASUN (UAC in 2026)
University of Central Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas	1907	2021		10,123	Bears
Eastern Kentucky University	Richmond, Kentucky	1874			13,984	Colonels
University of North Alabama	Florence, Alabama	1830	2022		11,056	Lions
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	2022	Public	14,330	Thunderbirds		WAC (Big Sky in 2026)
Tarleton State University	Stephenville, Texas	1899	2023	Public	13,995	Texans		WAC (UAC in 2026)
Utah Tech University	St. George, Utah	1911	2023	Public	12,556	Trailblazers		WAC (Big Sky in 2026)
University of West Georgia	Carrollton, Georgia	1906	2024	Public	14,394	Wolves		ASUN (UAC in 2026)

Future full members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Current conference
Abilene Christian University	Abilene, Texas	1906	2026[b]	Private (Church of Christ)	6,219	Wildcats		WAC
Austin Peay State University	Clarksville, Tennessee	1927	2026[c]	Public	9,609	Governors		ASUN
University of Central Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas	1907	2026[b]		10,123	Bears
Eastern Kentucky University	Richmond, Kentucky	1874			13,984	Colonels
University of North Alabama	Florence, Alabama	1830	2026[c]		11,056	Lions
Tarleton State University	Stephenville, Texas	1899	2026[d]		13,995	Texans		WAC
University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington, Texas	1895	2026		42,863	Mavericks
University of West Georgia	Carrollton, Georgia	1906	2026[e]		14,394	Wolves		ASUN

Former football-only members

Team	Location	Nickname	Joined[f]	Departed	Current Primary Conference	Current Football Conference
Jacksonville State University	Jacksonville, Alabama	Gamecocks	2021	2022[g]	CUSA
Kennesaw State University	Kennesaw, Georgia	Owls	2022	2023	CUSA
Lamar University	Beaumont, Texas	Cardinals	2021	2022	Southland
Sam Houston State University	Huntsville, Texas	Bearkats	2021	2022[g]	CUSA
Stephen F. Austin State University	Nacogdoches, Texas	Lumberjacks	2021	2024	Southland

Membership timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only)  Assoc. members (other sports)  Other Conference Other Conference

Sports sponsored

Men's sponsored sports by UAC schools

Member-by-member sponsorship of men's sports sponsored by UAC Schools. It has not been announced which sports will be sponsored by the UAC when it becomes an all-sports conference. The current conference affiliation is listed for each sport.

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total Sports
Abilene Christian	WAC	WAC	WAC	UAC	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	WAC	8
Austin Peay	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	UAC	ASUN	No	ASUN	No	No	6
Central Arkansas	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	UAC	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	8
Eastern Kentucky	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	UAC	ASUN	No	No	ASUN	ASUN	7
North Alabama	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	UAC	ASUN	No	ASUN	No	No	6
Tarleton	WAC	WAC	WAC	UAC	WAC	No	No	WAC	WAC	7
UT Arlington	WAC	WAC	WAC	No	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	WAC	7
West Georgia	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	UAC	ASUN	No	No	ASUN	ASUN	7
Totals	8	8	8	7	8	1	4	6	6	56

Women's sponsored sports by UAC schools

Member-by-member sponsorship of women's sports sponsored by UAC Schools. It has not been announced which sports will be sponsored by the UAC when it becomes an all-sports conference. The current conference affiliation is listed for each sport.

School	Basketball	Beach Volleyball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Stunt[h]	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball (Indoor)	Total UAC Sports
Abilene Christian	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	WAC	WAC	9
Austin Peay	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	11
Central Arkansas	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	Independent	No	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	10
Eastern Kentucky	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	No	No	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	9
North Alabama	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	No	No	ASUN	8
Tarleton	WAC	CUSA	WAC	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	WAC	WAC	10
UT Arlington	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	No	No	WAC	No	WAC	WAC	WAC	WAC	8
West Georgia	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	No	ASUN	ASUN	No[i]	No	ASUN	ASUN	ASUN	9
Totals	8	6	8	8	1	7	8	1	5	7	7	8	74

Football champions

2024 United Athletic Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Abilene Christian $^   7 – 1     9 – 5   No. 13 Tarleton State ^   6 – 2     10 – 4   No. 21 Eastern Kentucky ^   6 – 2     8 – 5   Southern Utah   6 – 2     7 – 5   Central Arkansas   3 – 5     6 – 6   Austin Peay   3 – 5     4 – 8   North Alabama   3 – 5     3 – 9   West Georgia*   1 – 7     4 – 7   Utah Tech   1 – 7     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2023 United Athletic Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 18 Austin Peay $^   6 – 0     9 – 3   Central Arkansas   4 – 2     7 – 4   Southern Utah   4 – 2     6 – 5   Eastern Kentucky   4 – 2     5 – 6   Tarleton State*   4 – 2     8 – 3   Abilene Christian   3 – 3     5 – 6   North Alabama   1 – 5     3 – 8   Utah Tech*   1 – 5     2 – 9   Stephen F. Austin   0 – 6     3 – 8   $ – Conference champion Note: Tarleton State and Utah Tech are ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transitions from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Eastern Kentucky $^   4 – 1     7 – 5   Central Arkansas   4 – 1     5 – 6   Austin Peay   3 – 1     7 – 4   Stephen F. Austin   2 – 1     6 – 5   Abilene Christian   1 – 1     7 – 4   Kennesaw State   1 – 3     5 – 6   Southern Utah   0 – 3     5 – 6   North Alabama   0 – 4     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Sam Houston $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   No. 21 Stephen F. Austin ^   4 – 2     8 – 4   Eastern Kentucky   4 – 2     7 – 4   Central Arkansas   3 – 3     5 – 6   Jacksonville State   3 – 3     5 – 6   Abilene Christian   1 – 5     5 – 6   Lamar   0 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Football conference champions

Year	Regular Season Champion	Record	FCS Championship Result
2023	Austin Peay	9–3	First Round loss
2024	Abilene Christian	9–5	Second Round loss

Facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball park	Capacity	Soccer stadium	Capacity	Softball park	Capacity
Abilene Christian	Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium	12,000	Moody Coliseum	3,600	Crutcher Scott Field	4,500	Elmer Gray Stadium	1,000	Poly Wells Field	1,000
Austin Peay	Fortera Stadium	10,000	F&M Bank Arena	5,500	Raymond C. Hand Park	777	Morgan Brothers Field	800	Cathi Maynard Park	200
Central Arkansas	Estes Stadium	10,000	Farris Center	6,000	Bear Stadium	1,000	Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex	1,000	Farris Field	500
Eastern Kentucky	Roy Kidd Stadium	20,000	Baptist Health Arena	6,500	Turkey Hughes Field	500	EKU Soccer Field	400	Gertrude Hood Field	400
North Alabama	Braly Municipal Stadium	14,215	Flowers Hall	3,900	Mike D. Lane Field	1,500	Bill Jones Athletic Complex	—	Hilda B. Anderson Softball Complex	—
Tarleton State	Memorial Stadium	24,000	EECU Center	8,000	Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex	750	Tarleton Soccer Complex	750	Tarleton Softball Complex	500
West Georgia	University Stadium	10,000	The Coliseum	6,469	Cole Field	500	University Soccer Field	250	University Softball Field	500
Departing football only-members
Southern Utah	Eccles Coliseum	8,500
Utah Tech	Greater Zion Stadium	10,500

Notes

1. More precisely, the ASUN members that do not play scholarship FCS football. Stetson plays non-scholarship FCS football in the Pioneer Football League, and Bellarmine plays the non-NCAA variant of sprint football.
2. Football-only member 2021-2026.
3. Football-only member 2022-2026.
4. Football-only member 2023-2026.
5. Football-only member 2024-2026.
6. The United Athletic Conference officially began in the 2023 season. The year joined reflects when the program joined the UAC or WAC-ASUN Challenge as a whole.
7. The ASUN Conference and Western Athletic Conference both held individual conference schedules (WAC 2021-22, ASUN 2022 only) which included schools that were ineligible for the FCS postseason due to D-II or FBS transitions.

   • Tarleton and Utah Tech transitioned from Division II and therefore played only in the WAC in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
   • Sam Houston and Jacksonville State began transitioning to FBS and therefore played in the WAC and ASUN, respectively, for the 2022 season.
8. Currently part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, but expected to become an official NCAA championship sport in 2026–27.
9. West Georgia will add stunt with no set timeline.