UAC Gets Ready For First Season

July 25, 2023 by CollegeFootballPoll.com Staff

The United Athletic Conference held its first media day in Arlington, Texas on July14. No preseason polling was undertaken of either the coaches or media, so there is no official preseason poll or all-conference team for the newly-formed conference.

The UAC was denied a wavier-request to be formally recognized by the NCAA as a single-sport conference in 2023, but the ASUN and WAC will still share an auto-bid. Rest assured, recognition of the new conference that will come.

The UAC executive director is Oliver Luck, the former NFL quarterback and father of former Stanford and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Oliver has also spent time as the athletic director at West Virginia, and a member of the College Football Playoff Committee. He also served the NCAA as executive vice president for regulatory affairs.

The league is made up of nine teams which were formerly either part of he WAC or the ASU conferences.

The pact was originally constituted in 2021 when it was dubbed the AQ7 because seven schools were involved and the purpose was to have an automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs . The participating schools were Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State, Abilene Christian and Lamar. Two of the seven members received FCS playoff slots with Sam Houston seeded No. 1 and Stephen F. Austin given an at-large entry. SFA lost 35-28 to UIW in the first round, while Sam Houston was upset 42-19 at home by Montana State in the quarterfinal round.

For 2022, that agreement wound up with 8 total members with 5 from the ASUN (Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Kennesaw State and North Alabama) and 3 from the WAC (Southern Utah, Stephen F Austin and Abilene Christian). Eastern Kentucky was the only member to advance to the FCS playoffs and were ousted at home in the first round by Gardner-Webb, 52-41.

Neither Sam Houston or Jacksonville State were eligible in 2022 as they entered a transition year out of the FCS and into the FBS for 2023. Kennesaw State is ineligible this season as the Owls will be moving to the FBS next year.

The 9 members of the UAC for 2023 are Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and Utah Tech. However, neither Tarleton State or Utah Tech are eligible for the UAC title or the FCS playoffs.

The conference will officially add Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the fall of 2025 when it begins sponsorship of football.