WAC hit by conference realignment … once again

Another day in conference realignment, another chance for the Western Athletic Conference to implode.

Feels like déjà vu to tell you the truth.

The WAC can’t hold on to the teams it brought in via the Great WACSpansion of the late 2010s and early portion of the 2020s, or any of the teams that it brought up from the non-Division-I ranks.

On Thursday morning, Matt Brown confirmed some reports in his Extra Points Newsletter (go subscribe; Matt does awesome work) that the Big West is set to formally vote on the idea of inviting Cal Baptist and Utah Valley, and that Southern Utah is looking for a way out of the conference.

Brown confirmed reports from early February that the Big West was looking toward the WAC schools after losing UC Davis and Hawaii to the new-look Mountain West.

Brown noted a key distinction in voting on the teams versus actually inviting. Per Brown, the Big West seems more enthusiastic about inviting Utah Valley — a departure from the league’s Cali-centric membership — and that there could be reservations about Cal Baptist, which could be because of its status as a private, non UC school.

Utah Valley was added to the conference in 2013, while Cal Baptist joined in 2018.

Southern Utah, and potentially Utah Tech, could be on the move to the Summit League, per a report as well as partial members.

Southern Utah bolted from the Big Sky in 2022, while Utah Tech joined in 2020.

The WAC had the makings of an honest-to-god good mid-major league helmed by New Mexico State (Conference USA), Grand Canyon (Mountain West), Abilene Christian (WAC still!), Utah Valley (Big West) and Cal Baptist (Big West).

Now, the WAC looks a little empty in the coming years.

The WAC only has the following teams as members, for now at least: Tarleton State, UT Arlington and Abilene Christian — three Texas schools. ACU was one of the founding members of “historic” WACSpansion.

I am genuinely flabbergasted about where the conference goes from here if the moves pan out. The WAC has been decimated a number of time since its inception in 1962, and it has tried to rebuild itself over and over.

From starting off with current BYU, Arizona and Arizona State, to former Hawaii, Boise State and Idaho, and to whatever the last amalgamation looked, the WAC has take on different identities the past 60 years.

But that identity is nonexistent, or at the least, unclear what it might be.

Maybe, and I am sorry to write this, it might be time to let the dream go.