CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – According to ESPN reporter Pete Thamel, ten schools have come to an agreement to form a new football-only conference with the stated goal of moving from FCS to FBS.
The conference would be made up of the remaining football members of the Atlantic Sun and WAC conferences.
The following WAC football members have signed on to join the newly formed FBS conference: Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Utah Tech, Southern Utah and Tarleton State. Meanwhile, the following Atlantic Sun football members are also set to join Austin Peay: Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas and North Alabama.
ESPN reports that the founding documents detail that the football programs are ready to make the jump from FCS to FBS at “the earliest practicable date,” which means the conference’s goal is to make the transition by 2024.
Before the FBS move is solidified, each FCS team will have to go through a formal transition process. However, Thamel reports that the schools have signed a “multi-party term sheet agreement” to commit to the new league.
According to Thamel’s sources, the new league is being built for greater certainty in scheduling and recruiting, a clear pathway to the highest levels of college football, an expected increase in revenue through a more lucrative broadcast contract and an expected increase in guarantee-game revenue because the games would count toward bowl eligibility if they became an FBS league.
UT Rio Grande Valley is slated to become the 10th member of the new FBS conference, but the conference doesn’t plan on stopping there. Thamel reported that they have a goal of exploring expansion opportunities and have been in contact with four other high-profile FCS football programs.
Thamel stated that sources with knowledge of the agreement are optimistic about a pathway.
Austin Peay had already planned to jump to the FBS by 2025, which was learned during a recent board of trustees meeting. Now, the Govs could very well be on the fast track to playing in the FBS by 2024.