UACFOOTBALL -- The chase for the United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football Championship begins in earnest on Saturday as all four games on the ledger feature head-to-head conference battles. 

NOTEWORTHY
- In the latest FCS National Rankings, the UAC saw four teams landing in all the Top 25 list for the first time in league history... Tarleton State continues to be the UAC's highest ranking by holding down the No. 3 spot in both traditional polls (AFCA and StatsPerform), while West Georgia climbed to No. 16 in both listings. Austin Peay and Abilene Christian rounded out the group of ranked squads for the UAC, with the Govs claiming spots No. 21 (AFCA)/ No. 22 (StatsPerform) and the Wildcats earning No. 19 (StatsPerform)/ No. 23 (AFCA).

- Week 4 Recap: UWG moved to the top of the early conference standings with a thrilling last-second win, using a field goal as time expired to top Southern Utah on the road... APSU used an explosive offensive outing to claim its first UAC victory at home against Utah Tech... EKU featured a stingy defensive in a 27-7 decision over Nicholls State

- Saturday's slate of league clashes opens with one of two contests in the "Lone Star" state as North Alabama (1-3, 0-0 UAC) makes its season conference debut on the road at No. 19 Abilene Christian (2-3, 1-0 UAC)... The Wildcats are looking to rebound from a tough non-conference loss while the Lions return following a bye after a heartbreaking 2OT loss at No. 4 Illinois State

- In a situation happening more often, a pair of nationally-ranked UAC squads square off when No. 16 West Georgia (5-0, 1-0 UAC) vists No. 21 Austin Peay at "The Fort" in Clarksville, Tenn... The Wolves are riding a current six-game undefeated streak and have won their last two league games while the Govs, undefeated at home this season (2-0), hope to build on their strong outing last Saturday.

- Utah Tech (1-4, 0-1 UAC) makes its second straight cross-country journey with a trip to the "Natural State" for a match-up with Central Arkansas (1-4, 0-1 UAC) on "The Stripes" in Conway, Ark... Both teams are searching for their first league dub of the season

- No. 3 Tarleton State (5-0, 1-0 UAC) returns to action following a bye last week, welcoming rival Southern Utah (1-4, 0-1 UAC) to Stephenville, Texas... The T-Birds hope to shake-off the disappointment of a last second loss while the Texans look to extend their 50+ point scoring streak to four games 
 
- EKU (2-3, 0-1 UAC) enjoys a bye week following a dominating win over Nicholls State in Week 5

- 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