The Western Athletic Conference announced Thursday it will add the University of Texas-Arlington next summer, joining Denver in an expanded league.
With UTA joining the league on July 1, 2012, it will give the Denver-based conference 10 teams, seven with football programs.
“This is another very exciting day in the evolution in the new WAC,” commissioner Karl Benson said today in a teleconference.
The University of Denver will join the WAC on July 1, 2012.
“This did get us closer to our goal of getting a 12-team league, with a minimum of nine football teams,” Benson said, who added the goal for that would be the 2013-14 season.
Seattle University joined the WAC on June 16 as the ninth member. Benson said the league will focus on adding two schools “within the WAC footprint” that have football programs.
The WAC lost Boise State to the Mountain West for this fall, and then Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii to the MWC in 2012.
The 2012 WAC will have 10 members: Denver (non-football), Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Seattle (non-football), Texas State, Texas-Arlington (non-football), Texas-San Antonio and Utah State.
“The WAC needs to rededicate itself to basketball, especially on the men’s side,” Benson said. “Hopefully we can get back to the point where we are a multibid league and get NCAA Tournament revenue and have the success we’ve had in the past.”
