A 1991 NCAA rule change required athletic programs maintain all of their sports at the same division level by the 1993 season. In order to comply, many Division I programs with football teams at the Division II levels reclassified their programs to Division I-AA, resulting in a large number of teams departing Division II after the 1992 season.
After losing four of its core members to this requirement, the Western Football Conference was forced to dissolve before the season. Four of its members reclassified to Division I-AA while its remaining members either became Division II independents or dropped their football programs.