aubiefifty 16,754 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Report: JSU set to join WAC for 1 year, then join A-Sun By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com 3 minutes Jacksonville State has officially left the Ohio Valley Conference, and will reportedly play in the WAC in 2021. (JSU athletics) Jacksonville State is among three schools that will join the newly re-constituted Western Athletic Conference in football in 2021, then head to the Atlantic Sun, according to report late Thursday. Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel is reporting that JSU, Eastern Kentucky and Central Arkansas will join the WAC as associate football-only members next season. All three will move to the ASUN in all sports except football in 2021-22, then join in football the following season, according to Thamel’s report. Jacksonville State has a Zoom press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, during which the school’s future conference affiliation is expected to be revealed. The Ohio Valley Conference announced on Friday morning that JSU and Eastern Kentucky were leaving the league (Central Arkansas is currently a member of the Southland Conference). On Jan. 14, the WAC announced plans to return as an FCS football conference in 2021. Five schools — Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin State and Southern Utah — would join the current WAC members to make up a 13-team conference. News of JSU’s departure for the ASUN trickled out earlier this week, when a FAQ page regarding the new conference was inadvertently leaked on the Eastern Kentucky athletic website (the post has since been removed). The post noted that JSU, EKU and UCA would join the ASUN effective July 1. Jacksonville State has been a member of the OVC since 2003. Long a Division II power in various sports, the Gamecocks moved to Division I as a member of the Southland Conference in 1996. Jacksonville State is expected to join an ASUN conference that will also include North Alabama, Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, among other schools. UNA moved up from Division II three years ago, and has been playing football as an affiliate member in the Big South Conference (but in the ASUN in most other sports) since 2019. Jacksonville State played an abbreviated fall football schedule in 2020 after the OVC elected to play in the spring. The Gamecocks went 3-1, including a victory over FBS member Florida International in late October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodford 3,655 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 With JSU would join us in the Big South Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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