The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.
The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, which was founded in 1999. The majority of members were in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The conference office was located in Waco, Texas.
The teams that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision earn the right to compete in a series of post-season games called bowl games. As of 2024, there are 42 bowl games, and all are contractually obligated to offer bids to specific conferences, a situation known as a "tie-in". The "top" six bowl games in the nation select their teams as part of the College Football Playoff (CFP), which was put into place for a minimum of 12 years, beginning with the 2014 season. Prior to 2014, the top five games in the country were chosen under the system known as the Bowl Championship Series. The bowls outside of the CFP have individual contracts with the conferences to offer preferential bids to teams from those conferences. As long as teams are bowl eligible, they may be selected by these bowls to meet these contracts.
The Mineral Water Bowl was an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at Tiger Stadium. Throughout its long history, the game was sponsored by the Quarterback Club, a civic organization in Excelsior Springs. At the time of its demise, it was one of four Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with the Live United Texarkana Bowl, the Heritage Bowl, and the America's Crossroads Bowl.
Grant Garland Teaff is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University (1960–1965), Angelo State University (1969–1971), and Baylor University (1972–1992), compiling a career college football record of 170–151–8. In his 21 seasons as head coach of the Baylor Bears football team, Teaff's teams won two Southwest Conference titles and appeared in eight bowl games. His 128 wins are the most of any coach in the history of the program. Teaff was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2001.
The Kanza Bowl was an American NCAA Division II college football bowl game between teams from the Lone Star Conference (LSC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The game was played on the first Saturday of December from 2009 through 2012 in Topeka, Kansas. In 2010, it was rebranded as the Lower Inc. Kanza Bowl after being sponsored by local plumbing company Lower Inc.
The Angelo State Rams, also known as ASU Rams, are the athletic teams that represent Angelo State University, located in San Angelo, Texas, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) since the 1968–69 academic year. Prior to becoming a four-year institution, the Rams previously competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) until after the 1963–64 academic year. The women's teams are the Rambelles.
The Great American Conference (GAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellville, Arkansas. Athletic competition began play during the 2011–12 school year. Its twelve all-sports member schools are located in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South Central United States. The conference also has four men's soccer affiliate members, two in Kansas and two in Oklahoma.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team represents the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in college football. The team is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bronchos football program began in 1902 and has since compiled over 600 wins, two national championships, and 28 conference championships. As of 2022, the Bronchos are ranked fifth in NCAA Division II for wins. In 1962, the Bronchos went 11–0 on the season and defeated Lenoir–Rhyne University (NC) 28–13 in the Camellia Bowl to claim its first NAIA national championship. Twenty years later, Central Oklahoma defended its home turf and defeated Colorado Mesa University 14–11 in the NAIA national championship game to take its second title and finish the season with a 10–2 record. Despite its rich history in football, Central Oklahoma has struggled beginning in the late 2000s. In 2024, the program broke on a 21 year playoff drought. The Bronchos play their home games at Chad Richison Stadium, a 12,000-seat football stadium built in 1965, and remodeled in 2022. The Bronchos have enjoyed nine undefeated home seasons and are 6–1 in playoff games at Chad Richison Stadium.
The Live United Texarkana Bowl was an American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held at Razorback Stadium in Texarkana, Arkansas. The game was established in 2013 and played annually through 2023 with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2020 to 2023 the title sponsor was Farmers Bank & Trust.
Nick Bobeck is an American football coach, who formerly served as the head football coach at the University of Central Oklahoma, and Navarro College, a junior college in Texas. In 2008, Bobeck received the NJCAA Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bulldogs to a 10–1 record. Bobeck's team followed that up two years later with the 2010 NJCAA National Football Championship.
The East Texas A&M Lions football team is the college football program representing East Texas A&M University. The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC) in Division I FCS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to joining the Southland, they competed in the Lone Star Conference of Division II. The East Texas A&M football team plays its home games at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Commerce, Texas. On December 16, 2017, East Texas A&M won its first NCAA Division II national championship, by defeating West Florida, 37–27, in Kansas City. The Lions recorded a perfect record in 1934, won the NAIA National Championship in 1972, and have amassed a total of 24 LSC conference championships since joining as a charter member in 1931. On September 28, 2021, the university accepted an invitation from the Southland Conference, moving the university's athletics programs up to the NCAA Division I level. This ended a 90-year affiliation with the Lone Star Conference, as East Texas A&M was the last founding member remaining. The football team began competing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level starting with the 2022 season.
Colby Don Carthel is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, a position he has held since December 2018. Carthel served as the head football coach at Texas A&M University–Commerce from 2013 to 2018, leading the 2017 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team to an NCAA Division II Football Championship title. Prior to his time as head coach, he was the defensive coordinator under his father, Don Carthel, at West Texas A&M University, from 2006 to 2012. Carthel played football at Angelo State University, where he was an all-conference linebacker.
The Heritage Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held at Community National Bank & Trust Stadium in Corsicana, Texas. The game was established in 2017 by Antwone "Tony" Taulton. Since 2018 the bowl has operated under the non-profit Corsicana Area Foundation, and proceeds from the game go to local Corsicana and Navarro County charities. Initially called the Corsicana Bowl, the game was given its current name in 2019. Fun Town RV served as title sponsor from 2021–23. On May 31, 2024, Riot Platforms was named the presenting sponsor and the game rebranded as the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot.
The 2018 First Responder Bowl was a college football bowl game scheduled for December 26, 2018, at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. It was one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by Servpro, a franchisor of fire and water cleanup and restoration, the game was officially known as the Servpro First Responder Bowl. The ninth overall staging of the bowl, this was the first edition since being rebranded; its prior six editions were the Heart of Dallas Bowl, preceded by the TicketCity Bowl in its first two stagings.
The 2012 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team represented Abilene Christian University as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 2012 NCAA Division II football season. Led by first-year head coach Ken Collums, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the LSC. The team played home games at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas.
The 2012 McMurry War Hawks football team represented McMurry University in the 2012 NCAA Division II football season. The War Hawks, transitioning to Division II and Lone Star Conference (LSC) membership, competed as an independent and provisional Division II member. They played a mixed schedule of schools from the FCS, NAIA, and D-II. McMurry competed in the Division II postseason via the LSC's bid to the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.
The 1952 East Texas State Lions football team was an American football team that represented East Texas State Teachers College—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce–as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1952 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Milburn Smith, the Lions compiled an overall record of 11–0 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the LSC title. East Texas State was invited to the Tangerine Bowl, where the Lions beat Tennessee Tech.
NCAA Division II bowl games are American college football bowl games played annually among some of the highest-ranking NCAA Division II football teams not invited to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs. The games are officially recognized by the NCAA. They are held in December, and are most commonly scheduled on the first Saturday of the month, three weeks after the final games of the Division II football regular season.
