[WAC] In the game of musical chairs that has swept college athletics, no conference has been hit harder than the Western Athletic Conference, which will loseseven of its 10 members after the 2012-13 year and drop football. One consequence to its makeover is that it will likely add men’s soccer as a conference sport in 2014. At least two incoming schools,Utah Valley and Chicago State, will launch men’s programs in 2014.
In the case of Utah Valley, it will become the first NCAA Division I men’s program in Utah.
In 2012, theWAC added Denver, Seattle, UT-Arlington, UTSA and Texas State to replace withdrawing members Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada.
Of the five schools added in 2012, all but Seattle will leavein 2013 along with Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Utah State. Idaho will leave in 2014.
In 2013, CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Utah Valley and Texas-Pan American will join theconference, while Chicago State replace Idaho a year later.
New Mexico State is the WAC’s only pre-2012 member that is currently committed to being around in 2014, though the Aggies havereportedly seeking a new conference.
Of the seven WAC schools, Texas-Pan American and New Mexico State will be the only schools without men’s soccer in 2014, though plans were recentlyannounced for the merger of Texas-Pan American and Texas-Brownsville (which has an NAIA soccer program).
The new WAC will put in jeopardy the future of the MPSF as a soccer conference.Besides Seattle and CSU Bakersfield finding a soccer home in the WAC, New Mexico will join Conference USA and Denver will move to the Summit League, leaving four programs needing to find new homes:Air Force, Houston Baptist, San Jose State and UNLV.
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