UACFOOTBALL -- For the third consecutive season, the chase for the United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football championship reached the final Saturday with multiple teams challenging for the crown. No. 5 Tarleton State and No. 17 Abilene Christian both hold control of their trophy-winning chances and will earn a share with a weekend win, while Southern Utah go also claim a piece of the title with a win and losses for TSU and ACU.

- Week 12 Recap: No. 5 Tarleton State exploded for 61 points in a shutout victory over North Alabama to stay in the hunt for a conference crown and Top 8 National Seed for the playoffs... No. 18 Abilene Christian secured a key road win by outlasting EKU for a single-score margin... Southern Utah rallied against Central Arkansas en route to winning a sixth straight contest... No 24 West Georgia wrapped up its second season of play at the DI level, blanking Utah at home in the "Peach State"... Austin Peay produced a dominating 30-16 non-conference win over Samford

NOTEWORTHY
- In the latest FCS National Rankings, the UAC saw five teams collecting votes in the national polls with the UAC's Texas twosome ranked in the Top 25... Tarleton State seized the No. 5 ranking in both polls (AFCA | Stats Perform) following a wire-to-wire win - In addition, the Texans were also listed No. 5 in the second and final in-season FCS Championship Committee ranking. Abilene Christian moved to No. 17 (AFCA), while maintaining the No. 18 position (Stats Perform). West Georgia stayed in the Top 25, climbing to No. 24 in the AFCA poll... The Wolves were joined by Austin Peay and Southern Utah earning votes in the polls

- Southern Utah (6-5, 5-2 UAC) looks to finish their final season of play in the UAC by earning a road win at North Alabama (2-9, 1-6 UAC)... With a win, the T-Birds would stay in the hunt for a share of the league championship, with help from other programs, as well as strengthen their case for an FCS Playoff bid... The game marks the final appearance by UNA at historic Braley Stadium in Florence, as the Lions will move into a new on-campus facility in 2026

- Utah Tech (2-9, 1-6 UAC) concludes its tenure in the UAC by hosting Eastern Kentucky (4-7, 2-5 UAC)... Both teams enter the meeting looking to snap two-game losing skids

- No. 17 Abilene Christian (7-4, 6-1 UAC) attempts to close the regular season with a four-game win streak with a trip to "The Stripes" at Central Arkansas (3-8, 2-5 UAC)...  ACU, the defending UAC Champions, can secure a share of a back-to-back crown and enhance their FCS Playoff bid resume... The Bears hope to end their campaign on a high note by snapping a four-game slide with a home finale win

- No. 5 Tarleton State (10-1, 6-1 UAC) welcomes Austin Peay (7-4, 4-3 UAC) for the regular season conclusion deep in the heart of Texas... The Texans bounced back last week following their first loss of the year and are positioned to claim a share of the conference championship and a likely first-round bye seeding in the upcoming FCS Playoffs with a win... The Govs hope to conclude the regular season with an eye-opening ranked road victory that could vault them into the FCS Playoff field

- No. 24 West Georgia posted victories in its final three contests and finished the season at 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the UAC

- For a third consecutive season the UAC had a member squad compete in Week 0 on national television as No. 8/10 Tarleton State blanked Portland State, 42-0, on ESPN2. The win marked the first shutout performance for an FCS team in Week 0 history... The league owns a 2-2 mark in Week 0 play

- Heading into the 2025 season, UAC lineups include a trio of players listed on national award watch lists with Tarleton State QB Victor Gabalis named to the Walter Payton Award list along with a pair of defensive standouts, Lando Brown of Southern Utah and Abilene Christian's Will Shaffer, part of the Buck Buchanan Award list... Gabalis (Offensive) and Shaffer (Defensive) were tabbed the preseason Player of the Year choices by the conference coaches.

- In its brief three-year history, UAC Football has already produced THREE FCS over FBS wins: TSU over Army, 30-27 2OT and APSU defeated MTSU, 34-14 this season | SUU topped UTEP, 27-24 OT in 2024... The UAC now boasts THREE wins over a ranked non-conference FCS foe: ACU over #23 SFA, 28-20 and UWG over #22 Nicholls, 34-10 this season | EKU defeated #16 SEMO, 41-38, in 2023... Additionally, the league owns a pair of FCS Playoff wins in 2024 by the Wildcats and Texans