The American Athletic Conference has officially invited six schools who sent in applications expressing their interest in joining the conference. Conference USA members Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA are the six known schools looking to formally join the conference.
American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco stated back in September that he would like to get the conference back to 10 or 12 schools. UConn's departure to the Big East in 2019 along Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston formally accepting invitations to the Big 12 in September has left a void in the AAC, putting it in a position of need for replenishment. The addition of these six would bring the total to 14 football members.
As previously mentioned, American Athletic Conference has marketed itself as being a part of the "Power 6" of college football and was looking towards future expansion. Rice University was covered very briefly. Neither Charlotte nor North Texas were mentioned. So let's take a deeper look at these three choices for expansion.
Rice:
Houston, Texas is home to the 4th largest population and 8th largest television market in the country. Rice replaces the University of Houston, who is departing the AAC for the Big 12 Conference. While Rice, a private school, is a much smaller school in comparison, it has made a few moves over the last decade to
Rice Stadium has had many looks since it hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974. The most current facelift, the $33 million Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center, opened its doors in 2016. With it came much needed upgrades and amenities that places it on par with other schools in the AAC. Despite not having more favorable results on the football field, Rice is still located in the fertile recruiting grounds of Houston, allowing the AAC to remain an active influence.
Charlotte:
Charlotte is one of the newest football programs at the FBS level, playing its inaugural season in 2013 as an FCS independent. In 2019, the 49ers had its first winning season while playing in its first bowl game. The football facilities are up-to-date, including Jerry Richardson Stadium. While the seating capacity of Jerry Richardson Stadium currently seats just north of 15,000, it was built with the idea of future expansion of a 40,000 seating capacity. The addition of Charlotte gives East Carolina an in-state competitor within the conference.
North Texas:
North Texas (UNT), the 6th largest enrollment population in Texas, has entered the expansion craze on a more positive note. The basketball program won the 2021 C-USA tournament and won an NCAA tournament game for the first time in school history. Under the leadership of head coach Seth Littrell, the Mean Green football program is coming off of its fourth Bowl appearance within the last 5 years.
UNT has also received recognition for its "Mean Green" efforts off the field. Apogee Stadium, opened in 2011, is the first newly constructed collegiate stadium to be LEED Platinum certified. Three wind turbines, usage of recyclable material, and low flow plumbing fixtures are just a few examples of the green energy reduction and sustainability efforts. The stadium seats a capacity of 30,000 with the ability to expand to 50,000, taking into account its growing enrollment and investment into academics, athletics, and research development.
In 2020, the AAC moved its league headquarters from Providence, Rhode Island to Irving, Texas. This move centralized more of the league's members and separates the league from the stigma of being the remnants of the old Big East conference.
With the emphasis on establishing its footprint in metropolitan areas and the fertile recruiting grounds of Texas, the American Athletic Conference achieved the main goal that it set out for: to build its own brand that can be a legitimate, sustainable power conference now and in the future.
Comments