The UAC covers the southwestern, western, and southern United States with member institutions located in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

On the same day, news broke that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a non-football-playing WAC member, had committed to creating an FCS football program by 2024.

However, UTRGV moved their athletics program, including football, from the WAC to the Southland in 2024 before they played a single game in the alliance.

Both the WAC and ASUN initially planned to have six playoff-eligible teams in 2022, but each lost such a member with the start of FBS transitions by Jacksonville State and Sam Houston.

On November 5, 2021, it was reported that New Mexico State (an FBS independent) and Sam Houston would be leaving the WAC for Conference USA in 2023.

Liberty University was also invited to CUSA for 2023, but had already competed as an FBS independent for some time and was not included in the ASUN's new football league.

[20][21] The ASUN and WAC jointly announced on January 5, 2023, that the football conference had established a basic governing structure and had hired Oliver Luck as executive director.