(Stats Perform) - The WAC appears back in football.

The Western Athletic Conference, which hasn't sponsored the sport since 2012, will have a rebirth on the FCS level, as part of an Jan. 14 announcement planned at NRG Stadium in Houston, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday.

The report said the new football conference will start in 2022 and include current WAC members Dixie State and Tarleton as well as Southern Utah moving over from the Big Sky Conference and Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin joining from the Southland Conference. Several other FCS or Division II programs could be added in the coming months, and the long-term goal of the league is to elevate football back to the FBS, where current WAC member New Mexico State plays as an independent, the report added.

Sam Houston State won 99 games during the 2010s decade - the second-most in the FCS to North Dakota State.

WAC football grew to be a national staple for 51 seasons from 1962 to 2012 with members including the likes of Air Force, Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Boise State, Hawaii, San Diego State and Wyoming.