SUWANEE, Ga. -- In an announcement made today from conference headquarters, Texas Lutheran University has agreed to begin its football transition to the SCAC a year earlier, becoming the league's fifth football-playing institution beginning with the 2024 playing season.
As core members, Austin College, Centenary College, and McMurry University, along with affiliate member Lyon College, had each agreed to play football under the SCAC umbrella beginning in 2024. Texas Lutheran, which currently plays as a football-only affiliate with the American Southwest Conference, had previously committed to a 2025 start date in the SCAC but recently made a request to move that start date up one year.
"Texas Lutheran University is thankful for the opportunities that our affiliate membership in the ASC provided," said TLU Athletics Director Bill Miller. "The ASC is a very strong football conference. However, TLU is tremendously excited about playing SCAC Football. It is going to be great to have all our sports programs playing in the same conference once again. The SCAC has been a good fit for TLU."
"Texas Lutheran University is very pleased to have its football program return to the SCAC," said TLU President Debbie Cottrell. "The SCAC is a strong and high-quality conference, and a very good fit for our institution. I am excited to have all our NCAA-sponsored sports operate within one conference and know this will provide many benefits to our student athletes and to our athletic program overall."
Just over a year ago, the SCAC announced its plans to reinstate football as an officially-sponsored conference sport.
"Centenary College Athletics is a proud member of the SCAC and excited about the reintroduction of SCAC Football in 2024," said Centenary Director of Athletics and Recreation David Orr. Today's announcement of TLU rejoining SCAC football in 2024, one year early, is fantastic!".
Football was an officially sponsored sport of the conference from 1962 (when the league was formed as the College Athletic Conference) through the 2016 season. Texas Lutheran previously competed in the SCAC in football from 2013 to 2016 before joining the ASC as an affiliate. Texas Lutheran won three conference championships (2013-15) in the four years they were a member of the conference in football.
"I give a lot of credit to the football coaches and athletic directors at Austin College, Centenary, McMurry and Lyon for their willingness to adjust their schedules in order to bring Texas Lutheran aboard a season early," said SCAC commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "Once TLU expressed an interest in beginning their SCAC football journey in 2024, everyone was very excited to do what we could to accommodate their request."
As a five-member football league, the SCAC will play a double round robin schedule in 2024 with each team playing the other home and away for an eight-game conference schedule. Conference competition will begin the second weekend of the season (September 14).
The conference does not yet qualify for a NCAA Tournament berth but anticipates meeting the six-team minimum once Schreiner University brings football aboard, either in 2025 or 2026,
Next season's conference football schedule is as follows:
September 14
Centenary @ Texas Lutheran
Lyon @ McMurry
Austin College – Off
September 21
Texas Lutheran @ McMurry
Centenary @ Austin College
Lyon – Off
September 28
Texas Lutheran @ Lyon
McMurry @ Austin College
Centenary – Off
October 5
Austin College @ Texas Lutheran
Lyon @ Centenary
McMurry – Off
October 12
Austin College @ Lyon
McMurry @ Centenary
Texas Lutheran – Off
October 19
Texas Lutheran @ Austin College
Centenary @ Lyon
McMurry – Off
October 26
McMurry @ Texas Lutheran
Austin College @ Centenary
Lyon – Off
November 2
Lyon @ Texas Lutheran
Austin College @ McMurry
Centenary – Off
November 9
Texas Lutheran @ Centenary
McMurry @ Lyon
Austin College – Off
November 16
Lyon @ Austin College
Centenary @ McMurry
Texas Lutheran – Off
