The American Athletic Conference (AAC) will look significantly different in 2024 than two years ago. The conference lost some of its best programs, but it’s also been reloading with a few up-and-coming programs and could be adding more.
For years, the conference has been the best among the Group of Five leagues. Outside of the Power Five, AAC teams were frequently the best in the nation. Some AAC teams were notably better than Power Four counterparts.
Can the league maintain consistent success in 2024 and beyond? That will depend largely on the success of the league’s newest members.
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What Teams Are In The AAC?
Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA, and now Army are the 14 football teams in the AAC in 2024. The conference will feature just one division, with the top two teams meeting in the league title game in early December.
Teams Leaving The AAC
Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left the AAC for the Big 12 last year, while SMU is headed to the ACC this year. There’s no sugarcoating it, that’s a tough blow for the conference.
Cincinnati recently played in the College Football Playoff, becoming the first team outside the Power Five to make the four-team field. Houston is a solid football team, and the school’s men’s basketball program has been among the best in the nation. UCF’s recent football success rivals just about any other Group of Five team, and the Knights could fare well at the Power Four level. SMU won the AAC in 2023 before leaving the league in 2024.
Replacing them is arguably impossible, but that doesn’t mean the league isn’t trying to maintain its spot atop the Group of Five.
Teams Joining The AAC
The AAC added six teams from Conference USA in 2023, a huge loss for that league. Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA joined the AAC for the 2023 season. Army, formerly an independent program, was added for this upcoming season.
In the immediate future, UTSA looks like a major football addition. The Roadrunners should possess the offensive firepower to quickly compete for an AAC title.
FAU also brings significant immediate interest to the league, as former Texas head coach Tom Herman is leading the Owls. Herman was highly successful at Houston. Could FAU become a Group of Five power?
Other programs all offer potential, and a group of new coaches should make the incomers exciting.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.
