By Danielle Daniels
There isn’t day that goes by in the Sports world that rumors are abound that teams are looking at switching conferences.
Last week it was officially announced that the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks will be leaving the United Athletic Conference and rejoining the Southland Conference effective this summer.
The Lumberjacks was a longtime member of the Southland Conference from 1987 until 2020. In that time SFA won four conference titles and qualified for the FCS playoffs seven times, appearing in the 1989 FCS national championship. Since the 2021 season, they’ve only qualified for the postseason one time.
In going back to the Southland, SFA will again see familiar opponents that they miss and have had rivalries with. The Memebership inclues Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas A&M-Commerce. Brand new program UTRGV aka University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley is set to make its debut in the Southland during the fall of 2024.
The Lumberjacks longest rivalry is with Northwestern State of Louisiana where they play for the “Chief Caddo” trophy annually. The series, which spans back to the 1920s, had been dormant for four seasons but was active again last season.
Stephen F. Austin will kick off its 2024 season on August 31 at home against NAIA North American Stallions from Stafford, Texas.
COMPILED FROM STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE, SOCIAL MEDIA, NEWS AND STAFF REPORTS
