Also, remember that the conference headquarters are in Texas now. This gives SMU incentive to stay and means there is a replacement already in the conference if the Mustangs do leave. That’s likely because of the looming threat of the Mountain West trying to poach a school like SMU from the AAC. In particular, there are three schools from Texas that could be coming to the AAC. Is There a Larger Strategy To This Move?Ī lot of people are going to notice that the only teams on their way are decidedly southern. Add that they’re in one of the best football cities in the South, Birmingham, and this is a great addition. They’re playing in a new stadium now and they’re one of the most consistent programs in C-USA. They’ve also come so extraordinarily far from having the program shut down a few years back. UAB is the school everyone knew was coming to the AAC. The investment is there, and this is the next step forward for them. Will Healy, for however long he’s there, is a good coach. CharlotteĬharlotte is a young football program, based in a major southern city, who has shown a desire to grow their program. They also have recent success in C-USA, and there is a model to win there. Just don’t tell anyone that Rice and Houston aren’t comparable football programs FAUįAU is going to be looked at as a replacement for UCF who has strong facilities, a nice stadium, and access to recruiting in South Florida. Mike Aresco and the AAC probably aren’t as worried about Rice’s academic standards as they are having a foothold in the city of Houston. This is a school that cares and is located in Texas, so this is likely a move based on geography. They’re also not in a major market in Denton, though Dallas is less than an hour south. They’ve had a few good seasons, but are down on their luck now. This is a very young program, with tons of potential. They’re based in the city of San Antonio, are building a strong fanbase, are making strides in terms of their facilities, and have a coach who has great relationships with high school coaches in Texas. The Roadrunners are obviously one of the best teams in C-USA this season. Here are the six schools reportedly joining the AAC, and what they individually bring to the table as football programs. Instead, let’s take a look at why these particular schools could be joining the AAC, what they bring to the table, and what it means for the other members and the conference as a whole. Multiple reporters have confirmed it, but after what was widely considered a sure thing where the AAC was supposed to poach from the Mountain West, who knows until the paperwork is official? Let’s also take out any non-football ramifications, as well as the C-USA point of view. Now, let’s take a second and assume that this report is accurate. That will bring the AAC to 14 schools in both sports as well. It’s also being reported that the AAC will accept all six of these schools as members in both football and basketball, at least. Those schools are UTSA, North Texas, Rice, FAU, Charlotte, and UAB. The 2023 conference schedule will be announced following the completion of the 2022 season.According to several different reports, there are six teams from Conference USA who will be applying to the American Athletic Conference this week. The top two teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. The American will not have a divisional format during the four-year cycle. It also provides all of our teams with annual access to the state of Texas and other important recruiting areas.” It reestablishes some longstanding geographic rivalries and provides a foundation for new rivalries to develop. It allows for all four-year student-athletes to play at all of our venues at least once during their careers. “Most important, it is a fair model that has the unanimous support of our athletic directors. “This scheduling model fulfills all of the objectives that we identified as we look forward to competition among our 14 outstanding teams,” said Aresco. Six matchups will be played annually in this cycle: North Texas-SMU, UAB-Memphis, Rice-UTSA, Charlotte-East Carolina, Florida Atlantic-South Florida and Navy-Temple. Each team will face the other 13 conference teams at least twice during the four-year cycle – once at home and once on the road. The schedule format calls for each team to play eight conference games each year. The 2023 season will be The American’s first with 14 football-playing institutions. The scheduling model was unanimously approved by The American’s athletic directors this week. IRVING, Texas – American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the four-year football scheduling model for conference games that will be in place for the 2023-26 seasons.
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