Western Athletic Conference (WAC)-(FCS)
Overview: To say that the inaugural season of the newly-rechristened Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is, for lack of a better word, "wacky", was an understatement.
One case in point was the fledgling FCS conference's first-ever champion in the then-defending national champion Sam Houston State University Bearkats. After winning the program's first-ever national championship on May 16, 2021, the Bearkats continued their unlikely unbeaten streak into the fall, winning up to 22 straight games (dating back to the final game of the 2019 season) before Montana State pulled off the stunning upset win over SHSU in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Sam Houston's season ended at 11-1 overall after the 42-19 loss to the eventual national runner-up Bobcats.
The only other WAC program to advance to postseason play last season was Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks finished second in WAC action behind longtime archrival Sam Houston after finishing 6-2 in conference games last fall en route to a final overall regular-season record of 8-3. In the FCS playoffs, SFA gave future WAC foe Incarnate Word all it could handle before falling in overtime, 35-28, in the first round. The Lumberjacks finished the season at 8-4 overall after losing to the Cardinals.
Speaking of the Cardinals, UIW (10-3 overall in 2021) will be one of two new teams to join the WAC in 2022, with (soon-to-be) former Big Sky Conference member Southern Utah (1-10 in 2021) also jumping into the mix this fall. On the other hand, Sam Houston State was declared ineligible for the WAC title due to the Bearkats' transition to the FBS level beginning this season, while Lamar will start its second and final season in the WAC before returning to the Southland Conference in 2023.
Even with just five FCS-playoff eligible teams taking the field this fall, expect SFA and UIW to be the two teams to compete for a place in postseason play when the postseason itself finally does rolls around in late November.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2022 season. The link (s) will appear in each blog post when the team's schedule is submitted. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and much more.
Abilene Christian
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