The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington.
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) sponsored football and crowned a champion every year from 1962 to 2012. Once considered one of the best conferences in college football, steady attrition from 1999 to 2012 forced the WAC to drop football after fifty-one years.
Louis Matthew "Sonny" Lubick is a retired American football coach. He was the 15th head football coach at Colorado State University from 1993 to 2007. Lubick won or shared six Western Athletic Conference or Mountain West Conference titles, guided the program to nine bowl games and was named National Coach of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1994.
The VCU Rams are the athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The most successful teams have been the men's tennis and basketball teams, which have had success in their conference and on the regional and national stages. The school's colors are black and gold. The athletic director is Ed McLaughlin. The official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams.
The Wyoming Cowboys football program represents the University of Wyoming in college football. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and have won 14 conference titles. The head coach is Craig Bohl, who entered his first season in 2014.
The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno. The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1992 until 2012, when it left for the Mountain West alongside fellow WAC member Nevada.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada.
The Western Athletic Conference football championship game was a short-lived annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Western Athletic Conference (MW).
The Sacramento State Hornets is the team that represents California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, the capital city of the U.S. state of California, in intercollegiate athletics.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are composed of 16 teams representing Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in intercollegiate athletics. Stephen F. Austin teams participate in the Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), having joined that conference on July 1, 2021, leaving the Southland Conference. The football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for football as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC). As of the 2023–24 season, the women's bowling team competes as a single-sport member of Conference USA.
The Central Arkansas Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for University of Central Arkansas (UCA) located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), which will play its first season in 2023. For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and in 2022 it played in its full-time home of the ASUN Conference. Central Arkansas's first football team was fielded in 1908. The team plays its home games at the 12,000-seat Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, in his fifth year.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Jacksonville State University (JSU) located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Jacksonville State's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 24,000-seat Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds football program is a college football team that represents Southern Utah University (SUU). With a history dating back to 1963, SUU currently competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the United Athletic Conference.
The 1994 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the 98th year of football at CSU and the second under Sonny Lubick. The Rams played their home games at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. They finished the season 10–2, and 7–1 in the Western Athletic Conference. As champions of the WAC, they were invited to the 1994 Holiday Bowl, where they lost to the Michigan Wolverines.
The 1998 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University as a member of the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Sonny Lubick, the Rams compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing third in the WAC's Mountain Division. The team played home games at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. This season was Colorado State's last in the WAC before joining the newly-formed Mountain West Conference in 1999.
The 1997 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Lobos were led by sixth-year head coach Dennis Franchione, in his final year with the team, and played their home games at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They finished the regular season atop the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference with a 6–2 conference record, and lost to Colorado State in the 1997 WAC Championship Game. New Mexico was invited to the 1997 Insight.com Bowl, their first bowl game since 1961, where they lost to Arizona, 14–20.
The 2017 WAC men's soccer tournament was the 10th edition of the tournament. It determined the Western Athletic Conference's automatic berth into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The defending champions were the UNLV Rebels.
The 2018 WAC men's soccer tournament was the 11th edition of the tournament. It determined the Western Athletic Conference's automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
The 1996 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Sonny Lubick, the Rams compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the WAC's Mountain Division. Colorado State played home games at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The 1997 WAC Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 6, 1997, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. This was the 2nd and penultimate WAC Championship Game and determined the 1997 champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game featured the New Mexico Lobos, champions of the Mountain division, and the Colorado State Rams, champions of the Pacific division. Colorado State would win the game 41–13.
