ATLANTA (Jan. 14, 2021) – Earlier today, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced the formation of an FCS league to begin play in 2021 and the addition of five new member-institutions. Over the past six months, Collegiate Consulting worked with each of the four Southland schools that joined the WAC (Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin). The projects entailed a comprehensive benchmarking analysis and conference realignment assessment.
During this process, Collegiate Consulting assessed sports sponsorship, travel considerations, conference competitiveness, institutional fit, athletic expenses (scholarships, operating budgets, staffing) and athletic sources of revenue. With current Texas members, Tarleton State University and the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley, Collegiate Consulting ascertained the WAC and a Texas-centric division would provide a viable solution for both institutions. Since the completion of our studies, all four of the institutions have received membership offers from the WAC.
Collegiate Consulting has previous experience with the institutions, having conducted a FBS Feasibility Study for Sam Houston State in 2012; an Operational Review and Strategic Plan for UTRGV in 2015 and Tarleton State’s Division I Feasibility Study in 2018.
The four schools have experienced significant success within the Southland Conference. Most notably, Stephen F. Austin has won 15 Southland women’s basketball tournaments since 1981. The four schools have a total of 12 Southland men’s basketball tournament championships since 1981. They also share eight baseball championships and five in softball.
Collegiate Consulting was founded in 2005, and since its inception, has worked with more than 550 institutions. In the past nine months, Collegiate Consulting has completed conference realignment projects for North Carolina A&T State University, Florida A&M University and assisted the ASUN with their recent expansion. Collegiate Consulting is a comprehensive solutions-based consulting company focused exclusively on the collegiate marketplace.