Jump to content

American Athletic Conference

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American Athletic Conference
FormerlyBig East (1979–2013)
AssociationNCAA
FoundedMay 31, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-05-31) (de jure)
July 1, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-07-01) (de facto) [note 1]
CommissionerTim Pernetti (since 2024)
Sports fielded
  • 21
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 12
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
No. of teams13 (full) + 6 (affiliate)
HeadquartersIrving, Texas
Official websitetheamerican.org Edit this at Wikidata
Locations
States with full members (blue) and affiliate members (red)States with full members (blue) and affiliate members (red)

The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and six affiliate member universities that compete in The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Member universities represent a range of private and public research universities of various enrollment sizes located primarily in urban metropolitan areas in the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States.[1][2]

The American's legal predecessor, the original Big East Conference, was considered one of the six collegiate power conferences of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era in college football, and The American inherited that status in the BCS's final season.[3] With the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014, The American became a "Group of Five" conference, which shares one automatic spot in the New Year's Six bowl games.[note 2][4]

The league is the product of substantial turmoil in The Old Big East during The 2010–14 conference realignment period. It is one of two conferences to emerge from the all-sports Big East in 2013. While the other successor, which does not sponsor football, purchased The Big East Conference name, The American inherited The Old Big East's structure and is that conference's legal successor.[5] However, both conferences claim 1979 as their founding date, and the same history up to 2013.[6][7] The American Athletic Conference is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and led by Commissioner Tim Pernetti, who replaced the retiring Mike Aresco[2][8] on June 1, 2024.[9][10]

History

[edit]

The Big East

[edit]

The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 as a basketball conference and included the colleges of Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, and Syracuse, which in turn invited Connecticut (UConn), Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College to be members.[11][12] UConn and Boston College would accept the invitation, while Holy Cross soon thereafter declined the invitation, and Rutgers eventually declined and remained in the Atlantic 10 Conference (then known as the Eastern 8 Conference). Seton Hall was then invited as a replacement and the conference started play with seven members.[12]

Villanova and Pittsburgh joined shortly thereafter under the leadership of the first Big East commissioner, Dave Gavitt.[13][14][15]

The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991, when it began to sponsor football, adding Miami as a full member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia as football-only members.[16] Rutgers and West Virginia were offered full all-sports membership in 1995, while Virginia Tech waited until 2000 for the same offer. Temple football was kicked out after the 2004 season, but rejoined in 2012 and intended to become a full member in 2013.

The unusual structure of the Big East, with the "football" and "non-football" schools, led to instability in the conference.[17] The waves of defection and replacement brought about by the conference realignments of 2005 and the early 2010s revealed tension between the football-sponsoring and non-football schools that eventually led to the split of the conference in 2013.[18]

Realignment and reorganization

[edit]
– All-sports member
– Full, non-football member
– Affiliate member (football)
– Affiliate member (other)
– Future affiliate member

The conference was reorganized following the tumultuous period of realignment that hobbled the Big East between 2010 and 2013. The Big East was one of the most severely impacted conferences during the early-2010s conference realignment period. In all, 14 member schools announced their departure for other conferences, and 15 other schools announced plans to join the conference (eight as all-sports members, and four for football only). Three of the latter group later backed out of their plans to join (one for all sports, and the other two for football only).

On December 15, 2012, the Big East's seven remaining non-FBS schools, all Catholic institutions consisting of DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova announced that they voted unanimously to leave the Big East Conference effective June 30, 2015.[19][20] The "Catholic 7", by leaving, were looking for a more lucrative television deal than the one they would receive by remaining with the football schools.[21] In March 2013, representatives of the Catholic 7 announced they would leave the conference effective June 30, 2013, retaining the Big East name, $10 million, and the right to hold the conference's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.[3][22]

Following the announcement of the departure of the Catholic 7 universities, the remaining ten football-playing members started the process of selecting a new name for the conference and choosing a new site to hold its basketball tournament.[23][24] Various names were considered, with the "America 12" conference reportedly one of the finalists until rejected by college presidents sensitive of adding a number to the end of the conference name.[25] On April 3, 2013, the conference announced that it had chosen a new name: American Athletic Conference.[1] The conference also revealed that it prefers the nickname "The American" because it was thought "AAC" would cause too much confusion with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[26]

Louisville and Rutgers spent one season in the newly renamed conference. On July 1, 2014, Louisville joined the ACC[27] and Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference.[28] On that same day, East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa joined The American for all sports, while Sacramento State and San Diego State joined as affiliate members for women's rowing.[29][30] Navy joined as an affiliate member in football on July 1, 2015.[29]

Addition of Wichita State

[edit]

For the next several years, The American did not discuss the addition of any new members. However, in March 2017, media reports indicated that the conference was seriously considering adding one or more new members specifically as basketball upgrades. Wichita State, Dayton, and VCU were reportedly considered, with Wichita State being seen as the strongest candidate.[31] By the end of that month, it was reported that talks between the American and Wichita State had advanced to the point that the two sides were discussing a timeline for membership, with the possibility of the Shockers joining as a full but non-football member as early as the 2017–18 school year. The report indicated that a final decision would be made in April.[32][33][34] The conference's board of directors voted unanimously on April 7 to add Wichita State effective in July 2017, making the Shockers the league's first full non-football member since the Big East split.[35]

Departure of UConn

[edit]

On June 21, 2019, a Boston-area sports news website, Digital Sports Desk, revealed that UConn was expected to announce by the end of the month that it would leave the American for the Big East Conference in 2020.[36] The story was picked up by multiple national media outlets the next day. The main issue that reportedly had to be resolved prior to any official announcement was the future of UConn football, as the Big East does not sponsor that sport, and sources indicated that the American had no interest in retaining UConn as a football-only member. Reportedly, American Athletic Conference insiders were not surprised by UConn's prospective move, as that school had been vigorously opposed to that league's most recently announced television deal.[37][38]

National media believed that should UConn leave the American, the conference's likeliest response would be to bring in two new schools—one for football only and a second in non-football sports, similar to the American's sequential additions of Navy and Wichita State. The most likely prospects for football-only membership were seen as Army (currently an FBS independent, with most of its other sports in the Patriot League), and Air Force (currently an all-sports member of the Mountain West Conference). Any of several schools could potentially fill the non-football slot, with Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports considering VCU to be "the most logical target there." Thamel dismissed the prospect of the American adding a new all-sports member, saying "there's no obvious candidate who could add value in both basketball and football."[37][38]

On June 24, 2019, it was reported that the Big East had formally approved an invitation for UConn to join the conference.[39] On June 26, 2019, the UConn Board of Trustees accepted the invitation.[40] On July 26, media reports indicated that UConn and The American had reached a buyout agreement that confirmed UConn's Big East arrival date as July 1, 2020, paying the American a $17 million exit fee.[41]

It was widely reported that UConn was "rejoining" the Big East, given that the Huskies would be reunited with many of the schools against which it played for three decades in the original Big East. Indeed, UConn was the last charter member of the old Big East still playing in The American.

Added stability

[edit]

The American took a number of steps to stabilize the conference after the departure of UConn. The first move was the addition of Old Dominion University as an affiliate member in women's lacrosse for the 2020–21 season. Old Dominion was previously added to The American for women's rowing beginning in the 2018–19 season.[42]

The American moved their headquarters from Providence, Rhode Island to Irving, Texas. This was a planned move, to better centralize the conference offices with the member schools. Irving is in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, which is also home to the headquarters of the Big 12 Conference, College Football Playoff, and the National Football Foundation.[43] The conference also moved the men's basketball tournament to the region, to be played at the new Dickies Arena until 2022.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some member schools have eliminated sports due to budget constraints. The University of Cincinnati eliminated its men's soccer program[44] while East Carolina University canceled men and women's swimming and diving teams and tennis teams.[45] Women's rowing member San Diego State University dropped that sport effective with the end of the 2020–21 season.[46]

Big 12 raid and subsequent invitations to the conference

[edit]

In late July 2021, founding Big 12 members Oklahoma and Texas jointly announced that they planned to leave the conference no later than 2025, and formally requested an invitation from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Shortly thereafter, The American became a peripheral player in this saga when the Big 12 sent a cease and desist letter to current broadcast partner ESPN, charging the network with conspiring to damage the league by luring Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, and also alleging that the network encouraged an unnamed conference to raid the Big 12 to pave the way for an earlier departure by Oklahoma and Texas. A later media report identified that other conference as The American. ESPN issued an official denial of the Big 12 charges, and officials from The American declined to comment.[47][48]

On September 3, Sports Illustrated reported that the Big 12 Conference was on the verge of inviting four schools— including American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.[49][50] Later that month, all three schools received and accepted membership offers on the date of the presidents' meeting, with the official announcement stating only that they would join the Big 12 no later than 2024–25.[51] On June 10, 2022, The American and the three departing schools announced a buyout agreement had been reached, confirming those schools' 2023 departure date.[52] At the time, it was possible that Cincinnati and UCF could remain in the conference as affiliate members for women's lacrosse and men's soccer, respectively, as the Big 12 does not sponsor those sports, though no formal announcement was made. UCF would later accept an offer of men's soccer membership from the Sun Belt Conference effective in 2023, aligning its men's soccer program with that of West Virginia, the only pre-2023 Big 12 member sponsoring men's soccer. Cincinnati would remain in The American as a women's lacrosse affiliate,[53] but left after the 2024 season when the Big 12 added that sport.[54]

Subsequent moves

[edit]

In late September 2021, several national media outlets reported that Mountain West Conference (MW) members Air Force and Colorado State had approached The American regarding a possible move to that league.[55] However, on October 1, the MW announced that its current membership would remain intact for the foreseeable future, removing its 12 football members (including football-only member Hawaiʻi) from the list of potential new members for The American. For its part, The American officially denied extending invitations to the two Colorado schools.[56]

Later that month on October 18, 2021, Yahoo Sports reported that The American was preparing to receive applications from six of the 14 members of Conference USACharlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. This would make The American a 14-full-member conference.[57] The next day, ESPN reported that all six schools had submitted applications, and that each would receive a formal letter by the end of that week (October 22) detailing the terms of conference expansion.[58] All six schools were accepted on October 21,[59] and the conference confirmed their 2023 entry date on June 16, 2022.[60]

Expansion in men's soccer and women's swimming and diving

[edit]

A series of further realignment moves centering on the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) led to The American's men's soccer league expanding earlier than planned. This sequence began in November 2021 when James Madison announced its departure from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA; since renamed the Coastal Athletic Association) to join the SBC in 2023.[61] The CAA responded by invoking a provision of its bylaws to ban JMU from further conference championship events.[a] The SBC responded by pushing JMU's entry forward to 2022.[62]

Soon after this, the other three CUSA members set to move to the SBC in 2023 (Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, with Marshall and ODU sponsoring men's soccer) announced that they would instead leave in 2022. Following a brief legal dispute, CUSA and the three schools reached a settlement that allowed those schools to join the SBC in 2022.[63] With three men's soccer schools now joining in 2022 instead of 2023, the SBC announced it would reinstate men's soccer at that time. The new full members were joined by three full SBC members and three new associate members. Coastal Carolina played the 2021 season in CUSA. The other two full SBC members, Georgia Southern and Georgia State, played in the MAC. The new associates were Kentucky and South Carolina, which had been single-sport CUSA members since 2005; and West Virginia, which had previously announced that it would move men's soccer from the Mid-American Conference to CUSA in 2022.[64][65]

CUSA was then left with only four men's soccer programs for 2022 (Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, and UAB), with all but FIU set to become full American members in 2023. The American accordingly brought all four schools in as new men's soccer members for 2022, with FIU remaining an affiliate after the others fully joined The American.[66]

Similar changes came to women's swimming & diving, again due in part to SBC expansion. Of the schools leaving CUSA for the SBC in 2022, Marshall and Old Dominion sponsor that sport, and incoming American members Florida Atlantic, North Texas, and Rice also sponsor the sport (although Rice fields swimmers only, with no divers). The American brought the aforementioned future full members, plus FIU, into its women's swimming & diving league. As with men's soccer, FIU remained a women's swimming & diving affiliate after the other schools fully joined The American.[66]

Departure of SMU

[edit]

On September 1, 2023, SMU accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2024–25 season.[67] With this the American was now down one team.

Army enlists

[edit]

On October 25, 2023, Army announced it would be joining the conference as a football-only member beginning in 2024, joining fellow service academy Navy. The annual Army–Navy Game, typically played at the conclusion of the regular season, will continue to be played annually as a non-conference game and will not count towards conference standings. However, it is possible for the two teams to meet a second time in a season in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, should they finish as the top two teams in the conference.[68]

Membership timeline

[edit]
NCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsArmy Black KnightsConference USAUTSA RoadrunnersConference USAUAB BlazersConference USARice OwlsConference USANorth Texas Mean GreenConference USAFlorida Atlantic OwlsConference USACharlotte 49ersMissouri Valley ConferenceWichita State ShockersNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsNavy MidshipmenConference USATulsa Golden HurricaneConference USATulane Green WaveConference USAEast Carolina PiratesTemple OwlsSouth Florida BullsMemphis TigersAtlantic Coast ConferenceSMU MustangsBig 12 ConferenceUCF KnightsBig 12 ConferenceHouston CougarsBig 12 ConferenceCincinnati BearcatsNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsBig East ConferenceConnecticut HuskiesBig Ten ConferenceRutgers Scarlet KnightsAtlantic Coast ConferenceLouisville Cardinals

Full members (all-sports) Full members (non-football) Affiliate members (football-only) Affiliate member (other sport) Other Conference Other Conference

Member universities

[edit]

The conference currently has 13 full member institutions – and six affiliate members – in 13 states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Wichita State is the only full member that does not sponsor football.

Current full members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)
Nickname Colors
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama 1969 2023 Public 21,923[69] $1,002[70] Blazers    
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina 1907 2014 28,028[71] $403[72] Pirates    
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961[73] 2023 30,171[74] $267[72] Owls    
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee 1912 2013 21,458[75] $341[72] Tigers    
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946[76] 2023 30,146[77] $316[72] 49ers    
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890[78] 46,940[79] $294[72] Mean Green    
Rice University Houston, Texas 1912[80] Private 7,124[81] $7,240[72] Owls    
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 1956 2013 Public 50,830[82] $638[72] Bulls    
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884 2013 State related 37,365[83] $839[72] Owls    
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 1969[84] 2023 Public 34,734[85] $287[86][b] Roadrunners      
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 2014 Private 14,472[87] $2,108[72] Green Wave    
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 3,769[88] $1,260[72] Golden Hurricane      
Wichita State University[c] Wichita, Kansas 1895 2017 Public 15,778[89] $331[72] Shockers    
Notes
  1. ^ Although the 2021 football season was then ongoing, James Madison remained eligible for, and ultimately shared, that season's CAA football title. The CAA football league, officially known as CAA Football, is a separate legal entity from the all-sports CAA, and the CAA Football bylaws lacked said provision.
  2. ^ This refers only to the endowment under direct institutional control. It does not include any funds UTSA receives from the state's Permanent University Fund as part of the University of Texas System.
  3. ^ Non-football member.

Affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors AAC
sport(s)
Primary
conference
Florida International University Westchester, Florida[a] 1965 2022 Public 58,064[90] Panthers     Men's soccer CUSA
Women's swimming & diving
James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia 1908 21,496 Dukes     Women's lacrosse Sun Belt
United States Military Academy
(Army)
West Point, New York 1802 2024 Federal
(Military)
4,294 Black Knights       Football Patriot
United States Naval Academy
(Navy)
Annapolis, Maryland 1845 2015 Federal
(Military)
4,400 Midshipmen     Football Patriot
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2020 Public 24,375 Monarchs       Women's lacrosse Sun Belt
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 2018 Private 12,686 Commodores     Women's lacrosse SEC
Notes
  1. ^ Mailing address is Miami.

Future affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Nickname Colors AAC
sport(s)
Primary
conference
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 2025 Public 26,000[91] Bears     Men's soccer MVC
(CUSA in 2025)

Former full members

[edit]

Seven full members have left the conference.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Current
conference
Southern Methodist University University Park, Texas[a] 1911 2013 2024 Private Mustangs     ACC
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida[b] 1963 2023 Public Knights     Big 12
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 Bearcats    
University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 Cougars    
Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey 1766 2014 Scarlet Knights   Big Ten
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 Cardinals     ACC
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 1881 2020 Huskies     Big East
FBS Independent (football)
  1. ^ Mailing address is Dallas.
  2. ^ The main UCF campus has an Orlando mailing address, but is located in unincorporated Orange County.

Former affiliate members

[edit]

Six affiliate members have left the conference. Five other schools were affiliate members for one year before becoming full conference members.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Nickname Colors AAC
sport
Primary
conference
Conference
in former
AAC sport
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 2023[a] 2024 Bearcats     Women's lacrosse Big 12
University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 1853 2018 Gators     Women's lacrosse SEC Big 12
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961[73] 2022 2023 Owls     Men's soccer
Women's swimming & diving
American
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946[76] 49ers     Men's soccer
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890[78] Mean Green     Women's swimming & diving
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2020 2024 Monarchs       Women's rowing Sun Belt Big 12
Rice University Houston, Texas 1912[80] 2022 2023 Owls     Women's swimming[b] American
California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California 1947 2015 2024 Hornets     Women's rowing Big Sky WCC
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 2015 2021 Aztecs     Women's rowing Mountain West Discontinued
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama 1969 2022 2023 Blazers     Men's soccer American
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 2013 2015 Wildcats     Women's rowing Big East CAA
Notes
  1. ^ Measured from Cincinnati's departure from full membership.
  2. ^ Rice dropped diving from its women's aquatics program in 1991 and did not reinstate the discipline until 2024, after it had become a full conference member.

Sports

[edit]

The American currently sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. James Madison, Old Dominion, and Vanderbilt are affiliate members for women's lacrosse.[92][93][94]

Under NCAA rules reflecting the large number of male scholarship participants in football and attempting to address gender equity concerns (see also Title IX), each member institution is required to provide more women's varsity sports than men's.[note 3]

Sport Men's Women's
Baseball
10
Basketball
13
13
Cross Country
12
13
Football
14
-
Golf
11
11
Lacrosse
7
Soccer
8
11
Softball
10
Swimming & Diving
6
Tennis
11
13
Track and Field (Indoor)
9
13
Track and Field (Outdoor)
10
13
Volleyball
13

Men's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
School Baseball Basketball Cross
Country
Football Golf Soccer Tennis Track & Field
(Indoor)
Track & Field
(Outdoor)
Total
Charlotte Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes Yes 9
East Carolina Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No[b] Yes Yes 7
Florida Atlantic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes No No 7
Memphis Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
North Texas No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes 6
Rice Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes 8
South Florida Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Temple No[c] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 6
Tulane Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes 6
Tulsa No Yes Yes Yes No[d] Yes Yes Yes Yes 7
UAB Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes No No 6
UTSA Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes 8
Wichita State Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes 7
Affiliate members
Army[e] Yes 1
FIU Yes 1
Navy[e] Yes 1
Totals 10 13 12 12+2 11 7+1 11 9 10 95+3

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by The American which are played by conference schools:

School Sport Conference
Florida Atlantic Swimming & Diving ASUN
Memphis Rifle[f] GARC
Temple Rowing Independent
  1. ^ a b c Joined in 2022–23
  2. ^ ECU sponsored a men's tennis team until the 2019–20 season but discontinued the program after that year.[95]
  3. ^ Temple sponsored a baseball team during the 2014 season but discontinued the program after that year.[96]
  4. ^ Tulsa sponsored a men's golf team until the 2015–16 season but discontinued the program after that year.[97]
  5. ^ a b Army and Navy continue to field most of their other sports in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.
  6. ^ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Memphis fields a coed team, making it the only current or future American Conference member whose rifle team is open to men.

Women's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
School Basketball Cross
Country
Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming
& Diving
Tennis Track & Field
(Indoor)
Track & Field
(Outdoor)
Volleyball Total
Charlotte Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
East Carolina Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Florida Atlantic Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Memphis Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
North Texas Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Rice Yes Yes No[b] No Yes No Yes[a][c] Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
South Florida Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Temple Yes Yes No Yes Yes No[d] No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Tulane Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Tulsa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UAB Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
UTSA Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Wichita State Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Affiliate members
FIU Yes 1
James Madison Yes 1
Old Dominion Yes 2
Vanderbilt Yes 1
Totals 13 13 11 4+3 11 10 5+1 13 13 13 13 119+4

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by The American which are played by conference schools:

School Sport(s) Conference(s)
Florida Atlantic Beach volleyball CUSA[e]
Memphis Rifle[f] GARC
South Florida Sailing SAISA
Beach volleyball (beginning in 2025–26) TBD
Temple Fencing NIWFA
Field hockey Big East
Gymnastics EAGL
Rowing Independent (joining MAC in 2025–26)
Tulane Beach volleyball CUSA
Bowling CUSA[g]
Tulsa Rowing Big 12
UAB Beach volleyball CUSA[e]
Bowling MEAC
Rifle SoCon[h]
Wichita State Bowling CUSA[101]
  1. ^ a b c Joined in 2022–23
  2. ^ Rice will add women's golf in 2026–27.
  3. ^ Rice reinstated women's diving to its aquatics program in 2024–25 after an absence of more than 30 years.[98]
  4. ^ Temple sponsored a softball team during the 2014 season but discontinued the program after that year.[96]
  5. ^ a b FAU and UAB remain beach volleyball members of Conference USA after otherwise departing that conference.[99]
  6. ^ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Memphis fields a coed team.
  7. ^ Tulane's former bowling home of the Southland Bowling League merged into CUSA after the 2022–23 season. The new CUSA bowling league includes all of the final SBL members.[100]
  8. ^ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. UAB fields a coed team.

Conference champions

[edit]

Shared titles (ex: 2014 football, 2020 men's basketball) are counted as a full title for each co-champion.

Accurate as of June 14, 2023.

School Years in conference Number of titles Titles by sport Sports played
UCF† 2013–2023 46 Baseball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Women's basketball: 2 (1 regular season, 1 tournament)
Football: 4
Women's golf: 3
Women's rowing: 5
Men's soccer: 4 (3 regular season, 1 tournament)
Women's soccer: 5 (4 regular season, 1 tournament)
Softball: 6 (3 regular season, 3 tournament)
Men's tennis: 1
Women's tennis: 2
Women's track & field: 5 (3 indoor, 2 outdoor)
Volleyball: 8 (5 regular season, 3 tournament)
16:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Houston† 2013–2023 41 Baseball: 5 (3 regular season, 2 tournament)
Men's basketball: 6 (4 regular season, 2 tournament)
Football: 1
Men's golf: 1
Women's golf: 3
Women's swimming & diving: 7
Men's track & field: 13 (7 indoor, 6 outdoor)
Women's track & field: 4 (2 indoor, 2 outdoor)
Volleyball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
17:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's soccer
Softball
Women's swimming and diving
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
SMU 2013–2024 30 Men's basketball: 4 (2 regular season, 2 tournament)
Women's cross country: 2
Men's golf: 2
Women's golf: 1
Women's rowing: 3
Men's soccer: 5 (2 regular season, 3 tournament)
Men's swimming & diving: 3
Women's swimming & diving: 2
Men's tennis: 2
Women's tennis: 1
Women's track & field: 3 (1 indoor, 2 outdoor)
Volleyball: 2 (2 regular season, 0 tournament)
16:
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Men's swimming and diving
Women's swimming and diving
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Tulsa 2014–present 28 Men's basketball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Men's cross country: 9
Women's cross country: 6
Men's soccer: 5 (1 regular season, 4 tournament)
Softball: 4 (1 regular season, 3 tournament)
Women's tennis: 3
17:[a]
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf (until 2015–16)
Women's golf
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
South Florida 2013–present 27 Baseball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Women's basketball: 3 (2 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's golf: 5
Men's soccer: 2 (1 regular season, 1 tournament)
Women's soccer: 6 (3 regular season, 3 tournament)
Softball: 3 (3 regular season, 0 tournament)
Men's tennis: 5
Women's tennis: 2
18:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
UConn† 2013–2020 26 Baseball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's basketball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Women's basketball: 14 (7 regular season, 7 tournament)
Women's cross country: 1
Men's soccer: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Women's soccer: 4 (2 regular season, 2 tournament)
Men's track & field: 2 (1 indoor, 1 outdoor)
Women's track & field: 2 (2 indoor, 0 outdoor)
21:[b]
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's lacrosse (beginning in 2018–19)
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's swimming and diving
Women's swimming and diving
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Cincinnati† 2013–2023 17 Baseball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's basketball: 5 (3 regular season, 2 tournament)
Football: 3
Women's soccer: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's swimming & diving: 2
Men's track & field: 1 (1 indoor, 0 outdoor)
Women's track & field: 3 (1 indoor, 2 outdoor)
Volleyball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
18:[c]
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's lacrosse (beginning in 2018–19)
Men's soccer (until 2019–20)
Women's soccer
Men's swimming and diving
Women's swimming and diving
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
East Carolina 2014–present 13 Baseball: 8 (5 regular season, 3 tournament)
Women's basketball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's swimming & diving: 4
18:[d]
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's lacrosse (beginning in 2018–19)
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's swimming and diving (until 2019–20)
Women's swimming and diving (on hiatus in 2020–21)
Men's tennis (until 2019–20)
Women's tennis (on hiatus in 2020–21)
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Louisville† 2013–2014 9* Baseball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Men's basketball: 2 (1 regular season, 1 tournament), vacated
Men's cross country: 1
Women's golf: 1
Women's rowing: 1
Men's soccer: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Softball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's swimming & diving: 1
Women's swimming & diving: 1
Volleyball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
21:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's swimming and diving
Women's swimming and diving
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Memphis 2013–present 9 Men's basketball: 1 (0 regular season, 1 tournament)
Football: 2
Men's golf: 1
Women's soccer: 4 (1 regular season, 3 tournament)
Women's tennis: 1
18:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Wichita State 2017–present 9 Men's basketball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Women's cross country: 1
Softball: 3 (2 regular season, 1 tournament)
Men's track & field: 2 (0 indoor, 2 outdoor)
Women's track & field: 1 (0 indoor, 1 outdoor)
Volleyball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
15:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Men's golf
Women's golf
Softball
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Florida‡ 2018–present 7 Women's lacrosse: 7 (3 regular season, 4 tournament) 1:
Women's lacrosse
Tulane 2014–present 6 Baseball: 3 (1 regular season, 2 tournament)
Football: 1
Women's golf: 1
Men's tennis: 1
14:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Women's golf
Women's swimming and diving
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Charlotte 2023–present 5 Softball: 2 (1 regular season, 1 tournament)
Women's Track and Field: 1
Men's Soccer: 1
Men's tennis: 1
18:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Women's golf
Men's golf
Men's soccer
Women's Soccer
Women's Lacrosse
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Softball
Volleyball
FIU‡ 2022–present 2 Men's soccer: 2 (1 regular season, 1 tournament) 2:
Men's soccer
Women's swimming and diving
Temple 2013–present 2 Men's basketball: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament)
Football: 1
15:[e]
Baseball (until 2013–14)
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's lacrosse (beginning in 2018–19)
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball (until 2013–14)
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field (until 2013–14)
Men's outdoor track and field (until 2013–14)
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
James Madison‡ 2022–present 1 Women's lacrosse: 1 (1 regular season, 0 tournament) 1:
Women's lacrosse
Navy‡ 2015–present 0 1:
Football
Old Dominion‡ 2018–present 0 2:[f]
Women's lacrosse
Women's rowing (beginning in 2020–21)
Sacramento State‡ 2015–present 0 1:
Women's rowing
Vanderbilt‡ 2018–present 0 1:
Women's lacrosse
Rutgers† 2013–2014 0 19:
Baseball
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Football
Men's golf
Women's golf
Women's rowing
Men's soccer
Women's soccer
Softball
Women's swimming and diving
Women's tennis
Men's indoor track and field
Men's outdoor track and field
Women's indoor track and field
Women's outdoor track and field
Volleyball
San Diego State†‡ 2015–2021 0 1:
Women's rowing
Villanova†‡ 2013–2015 0 1
Women's rowing

*- Does not include vacated championships

†- No longer a member of the AAC

‡- Affiliate member

  1. ^ Tulsa had 18 teams compete in AAC play from 2014–16 and 17 in all other years
  2. ^ UConn had 20 teams compete in AAC play from 2013–18 and 21 from 2018–20
  3. ^ Cincinnati had 19 teams compete in AAC play from 2018–20 and 18 in all other years
  4. ^ ECU had 19 teams compete in AAC play from 2014–18, 20 from 2018–20, 16 in 2020–21, and 18 in all other years
  5. ^ Temple had 17 teams compete in AAC play in 2013–14, 14 from 2014–18, and 15 in all other years
  6. ^ Old Dominion had 1 team compete in AAC play from 2018–20 and 2 in all other years

[102]

NCAA national championships

[edit]

No current American Conference member has won an NCAA team championship while a member of the conference. The only school to have won a fully recognized NCAA title while in The American, UConn, left for the Big East Conference in 2020. Several members have won national titles before joining The American. Another former member, SMU, won the 2023 equestrian title the year before it left for the ACC, but that sport does not yet have full NCAA recognition. Equestrian is recognized by the NCAA as part of its Emerging Sports for Women program, but championships are organized by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) instead of the NCAA.

Excluded from these lists are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including Division I FBS football titles, Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association titles, women's AIAW titles, NCEA titles, retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles, and ITA tennis titles.

Team championships won by current members

[edit]
School Total Men Women Co-ed Nickname Most successful sport (Titles)
University of North Texas 4 4 0 0 Mean Green Men's golf (4)
Temple University 3 1 2 0 Owls Women's lacrosse (2)
University of South Florida 1 0 1 0 Bulls Women's swimming (1)
Tulane University 1 1 0 0 Green Wave Men's tennis (1)
University of Tulsa 1 0 1 0 Golden Hurricane Women's golf (1)
Wichita State University 1 1 0 0 Shockers Baseball (1)
East Carolina University 0 0 0 0 Pirates N/A
Florida Atlantic University 0 0 0 0 Owls N/A
Rice University 1 1 0 0 Owls Baseball (1)
University of Alabama at Birmingham 0 0 0 0 Blazers N/A
University of Memphis 0 0 0 0 Tigers N/A
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 0 0 0 0 49ers N/A
University of Texas at San Antonio 0 0 0 0 Roadrunners N/A
Total 34 30 4 0

[103]

Team championships won as American Athletic Conference members

[edit]

Includes all titles won while a member of The American, whether or not the conference sponsored that sport at the time.

School Total Men Women Co-ed Nickname Most successful sport (Titles)
University of Connecticut (UConn) 7 1 6 0 Huskies Women's basketball, field hockey (3 each)
Total 7 1 6 0

Individual and relay championships by current members

[edit]
School Total Men Women Co-ed Nickname Most successful sport (Titles)
University of South Florida 21 9 10 2[a] Bulls Women's swimming (10)
Temple University 17 17 0 0 Owls Men's gymnastics (13)
Tulane University 14 14 0 0 Green Wave Men's tennis (10)
University of Memphis 6 5 0 1[b] Tigers Men's outdoor track & field (3)
East Carolina University 4 4 0 0 Pirates Men's swimming (4)
Wichita State University 3 3 0 0 Shockers Men's outdoor track & field (2)
University of Tulsa 2 1 1 0 Golden Hurricane Women's golf (1), Men's indoor track & field (1)
Total 256 182 71 3
  1. ^ Both won by Michelle Scarborough in rifle. While Scarborough is a woman, rifle is considered a co-ed sport by the NCAA.
  2. ^ Won by Beth Tidmore in rifle. While Tidmore is a woman, rifle is considered a co-ed sport by the NCAA.

[103]

Football

[edit]

The conference began football during the 1991–92 season, and it was a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series.[104] Previously, conference opponents operated on a two-year cycle, as a home-and-home series.[105]

The conference previously did not have enough teams to form divisions, but it now does after Navy joined the conference in 2015.[note 4] When Navy joined in 2015 and the conference's divisions were created, Navy was placed in the West division along with Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Teams play eight conference games a season. Since 2015, each team has played the other five teams in its own division, as well as three teams from the other division, operating in a four-year cycle ensuring that each school will play every conference opponent at home and on the road at least once in the four-year cycle.[106] At the end of each regular season, the East division winner and the West division winner, as determined by final conference record, meet in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, played at the home site of one of the division winners.

With the departure of UConn after the 2019 season, the divisions were affected by the reduction to an uneven number of teams. At the time, The American had no plan to add another team to rebalance divisions, so the conference eliminated the divisions. The championship game is now played by the two teams that achieved the best record in regular-season conference play. While The American has had 14 football members since 2023, it has not split into divisions for football.[107]

Like the conference itself, football experienced much transition through its history. In fact it was the main force behind such departures and expansion. In 2003, the BCS announced that it would adjust the automatic bids granted to its six founding conferences based on results from 2004 to 2007. With the addition of Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida in 2005, the conference retained its BCS automatic-qualifying status.

At one point, the 2007 South Florida Bulls football team was ranked No. 2 in the BCS rankings, but the team finished No. 21 in the final poll.

The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team finished the regular season undefeated at 12–0, and the team was ranked No. 3 in the final BCS standings, barely missing the opportunity to play for the BCS National Championship. The conference overall was 9–7 (.563) in BCS bowl games, the third highest winning percentage among the AQ conferences.

The 2017 UCF Knights football team, a member of the American, was undefeated, but the team was not invited to the College Football Playoff. The team earned the Group of Five's New Year's Six bowl bid and defeated Auburn in the Peach Bowl. The team claimed a national championship, which was recognized by the Colley Matrix, one of the NCAA-recognized selectors of the national champion in football.

Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team ever to appear in the top four of the CFP rankings at any point of the season, going on to become the only G5 team ever selected for the CFP in its four-team era.

All-time school and conference records

[edit]

As of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Conference wins and losses are since the formation of The American, inclusive of championship games.[clarification needed]

Team Overall Conference Bowl
Appearances
The American
Championships
W L T Win % W L Win %
Army 727 545 51 .569 0 0 10 0
Navy 738 600 57 .549 41 31 .569 24 0
Tulsa 647 534 27 .547 32 47 .405 23 0
UTSA 84 75 0 .528 7 1 .875 5 0
South Florida 168 154 0 .522 34 53 .391 11 0
East Carolina 460 454 12 .503 26 54 .325 16 0
North Texas 537 534 33 .501 3 5 .375 13 0
Memphis 533 537 33 .498 55 36 .604 15 1
UAB 172 187 2 .479 3 5 .375 6 0
Tulane 565 672 38 .458 35 47 .427 16 1
Temple 494 617 52 .447 40 49 .449 9 1
Florida Atlantic 122 155 0 .440 3 5 .375 5 0
Rice 492 652 32 .432 4 4 .500 13 0
Charlotte 45 86 0 .344 2 6 .250 1 0

Football champions

[edit]

The American Championship Game pits the top two teams in the conference standings in a game held following the conclusion of the regular season. The site of the Championship Game is the home stadium of the team with the best overall conference record, with a series of tiebreakers used if needed to determine the host or either of the participants. In its first two seasons, The American awarded its championship to the team(s) with the best overall conference record. The conference split into two six-team divisions for football and first played its championship game in 2015. Through the 2019 season, the championship game involved the winners of each division and was hosted by the division champion with the best conference record. After UConn's 2020 departure, the conference reverted to a single-table format. This format continues even after the expansion to 14 teams in 2023.

Record Ranking
Year Champions Conference Overall AP Coaches Bowl result Head coach
2013 UCF 8–0 12–1 #10 #12 W Fiesta Bowl 52–42 vs. Baylor George O'Leary
2014 UCF 7–1 9–4 N/A N/A L St. Petersburg Bowl 27–34 vs. NC State George O'Leary
Cincinnati 7–1 9–4 N/A N/A L Military Bowl 17–33 vs. Virginia Tech Tommy Tuberville
Memphis 7–1 10–3 #25 #25 W Miami Beach Bowl 55–48 vs. BYU Justin Fuente
2015 Houston 7–1 13–1 #8 #8 W Peach Bowl 38–24 vs. Florida State Tom Herman
2016 Temple 7–1 10–3 #23 #24 L Military Bowl 26–34 vs. Wake Forest Matt Rhule
2017 UCF 8–0 13–0 #6 #7 W Peach Bowl 34–27 vs. Auburn Scott Frost
2018 UCF 8–0 12–1 #11 #12 L Fiesta Bowl 32–40 vs. LSU Josh Heupel
2019 Memphis 7–1 12–2 #17 #17 L Cotton Bowl 39–53 vs. Penn State Mike Norvell
2020 Cincinnati 6–0 9–1 #6 #6 L Peach Bowl 21–24 vs. Georgia Luke Fickell
2021 Cincinnati 8–0 13–1 #4 #4 L Cotton Bowl 6–27 vs. Alabama^ Luke Fickell
2022 Tulane 7–1 12–2 #9 #9 W Cotton Bowl 46–45 vs. USC Willie Fritz
2023 SMU 8-0 11–3 #22 #24 L Fenway Bowl, 14–23 vs. Boston College Rhett Lashlee


Rivalries

[edit]

The American has many rivalries among its member schools, primarily in football. Some rivalries existed before the conference was established or began play in football. Recent conference realignments in 2005, 2013, and the early 2020s ended – or temporarily halted – many rivalries. Before their departure to other conferences, a number of former member schools held longtime rivalries within the conference.

Intra-conference rivalries

[edit]
Rivalry name Team 1 Team 2 Meetings Most Recent Meeting First meeting Record Current streak
Army–Navy Game[a] Army Navy 124 Army, 17–11 (2023) Navy, 24–0 (1890) 62–55–7 (Navy) 2 (Army)
Battle for the Bones Memphis UAB 16 Memphis, 45–21 (2023) Memphis, 28–7 (1997) 10–6 (UAB) 2 (Memphis)

Records as of week 13 2023 Season

  1. ^ Played as a non-conference game on the Saturday after the conference championship game.

Bowl games

[edit]

Following the 2013 season, the BCS era came to a close and was replaced by the College Football Playoff. Four teams play in two semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship.[108] Six bowl games — the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl — will rotate as hosts for the semifinal games, and host major bowls when they do not host semifinal games (access bowls).

With the birth of the College Football Playoff, The American lost its automatic qualifying status for one of the major bowls. Instead, one automatic qualifying spot is reserved for the highest ranked team from the "Group of Five" conferences – The American, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Sun Belt Conference.

Although the pick order usually corresponds to the conference standings, the bowls are not required to make their choices strictly according to the won-lost records; many factors influence bowl selections, especially the likely turnout of the team's fans. Picks are made after any applicable College Football Playoff selections. If a team is selected for one of the access bowls or playoff, the bowl with the No. 2 pick will have the first pick of the remaining teams in the conference.

American Athletic Conference bowl games[109]
Year Name Location Opposing conference
2020–25 Cotton, Peach, Fiesta, or Playoff[note 5] Arlington, Atlanta, Glendale, or Playoff Site CFP at-large
2020–25 Fenway Bowl Boston, Massachusetts ACC
2020–25 Military Bowl Annapolis, Maryland ACC
2020/22/24 Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii MWC
2021/23/25 Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas Big 12 or Army
2020–25 Cure Bowl Orlando, Florida Sun Belt
2020–25 Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Florida MAC or CUSA
2020–25 Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt or BYU
2020–25 Birmingham Bowl Birmingham, Alabama SEC
2020–25 Gasparilla Bowl Tampa, Florida SEC
2020–25 First Responder Bowl Dallas, Texas TBD
2020–25 Myrtle Beach Bowl Conway, South Carolina CUSA, MAC or Sun Belt
2020–25 New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque, New Mexico TBD

Head football coach compensation

[edit]

The total pay of head coaches includes university and non-university compensation. This includes base salary, income from contracts, foundation supplements, bonuses and media and radio pay.[110]

Conf.
Rank
University Head coach Salary[111]
1 Tulane University Willie Fritz $2,842,000
2 University of Texas - San Antonio Jeff Traylor $2,550,000
t-3 University of South Florida Alex Golesh $2,500,000
t-3 Temple University Stan Drayton $2,500,000
4 East Carolina University Mike Houston $2,355,804
t-5 University of Memphis Ryan Silverfield $1,900,000
t-5 University of Tulsa Kevin Wilson $1,900,000[112]
6 United States Naval Academy Brian Newberry $1,600,000
t-7 University of Alabama Birmingham Trent Dilfer $1,300,000
t-7 University of North Texas Eric Morris $1,300,000
8 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Biff Poggi $1,000,000
9 Rice University Mike Bloomgren $926,208
10 Florida Atlantic University Tom Herman $700,000

Records as of the end of the 2022 season

Conference individual honors

[edit]

Coaches and media of The American award individual honors at the end of each football season.[113]

Men's basketball

[edit]

In June 2013, it was announced that the inaugural men's basketball tournament would take place at FedExForum in Memphis.[114] FedExForum had previously hosted eight Conference USA basketball tournaments.

Even though the Big East Conference was meant to be a basketball-oriented conference, UConn, a member of The American, won the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (the first after the conferences split).

All-time school records by winning percentage

[edit]

This list goes through the 2022–23 season.

No. Team Records Win Pct. The American
Tournament
Championships
The American
Regular Season
Championships
Final Fours National
Championships
1 Memphis 1,387–685 .669 1 0 3 0
2 Temple 1,978–1,135 .635 0 1 2 1
3 UAB 913–536 .630 1 0 0 0
4 Wichita State 1,657–1,245 .571 0 1 2 0
5 Tulsa 1,498–1,225 .550 0 1 0 0
6 Charlotte 904–789 .534 0 0 1 0
7 UTSA 611–633 .491 0 0 0 0
8 Tulane 1,275–1,356 .485 0 0 0 0
9 North Texas 1,264–1,353 .483 0 0 0 0
10 South Florida 668–811 .452 0 0 0 0
11 Rice 1,178–1,504 .439 0 0 0 0
12 East Carolina 714–912 .439 0 0 0 0
13 Florida Atlantic 423–617 .407 0 0 1 0

Source[115]

American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball NCAA Bids

[edit]

This list goes through the 2023–24 season. Only current American Conference members are included. However, this list covers the entire histories of basketball at the listed institutions, not just their American Conference tenures.

Total bids Bids as
AAC member[a]
School Last bid Last R32 Last Sweet 16 Last Elite 8 Last Final 4 Last RU Last Championship
33 2 Temple 2019 2013 2001 2001 1958 1938[b]
28* 3 Memphis 2023 2022 2009 2008 2008 2008[c]
17 1 UAB 2024 2015 2004 1982
16 1 Tulsa 2016 2003 2000 2000
16 2 Wichita State 2021 2017 2015 2013 2013
11 0 Charlotte 2005 2001 1977 1977 1977
4 0 Rice 1970 1954 1942
4 0 North Texas 2021 2021
4 0 UTSA 2011
3 1 Florida Atlantic 2024 2023 2023 2023 2023
3 0 South Florida 2012 2012
3 0 Tulane 1995 1995
2 0 East Carolina 1993
  1. ^ Starting with the 2013–14 season, which The American considers as the start of its competitive history (as opposed to its institutional history), with the following exceptions:
    • East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa, whose first conference season was 2014–15.
    • Wichita State, whose first conference season was 2017–18.
    • Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA, whose first conference season was 2023–24.
  2. ^ Temple were the first NIT champions in 1938, one year before the inception of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls were retroactively recognized by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and the Helms Athletic Foundation as the national champion for the 1937–38 season.[116]
  3. ^ Memphis has vacated all of its victories from the 2007–08 season. These 38 wins are not included in Memphis's all-time record.[117]

Men's basketball champions

[edit]
Regular Season Tournament
Year Champions Record AP Coaches' Postseason Champions Record AP Coaches' Postseason
2013–14[a] Louisville 31–6 (15–3) #5 #9 Sweet 16 Louisville 31–6 #5 #9 Sweet 16
Cincinnati 27–7 (15–3) #15 #22 Round of 32
2014–15 SMU 27–7 (15–3) #18 NR Round of 64 SMU 27–7 #18 RV Round of 64
2015–16 Temple 21–12 (14–4) NR NR Round of 64 UConn 25–10 RV RV Round of 32
2016–17 SMU 30–4 (17–1) #11 #23 Round of 64 SMU 30–4 #11 #23 Round of 64
2017–18 Cincinnati 30–4 (16–2) #6 #12 Round of 32 Cincinnati 30–4 #6 #12 Round of 32
2018–19 Houston 33–4 (16–2) #11 #12 Sweet 16 Cincinnati 28–7 #22 #24 Round of 64
2019–20 Cincinnati 20–10 (13–5) NR NR Canceled[b] Canceled
Houston 23–8 (13–5) #22 #23
Tulsa 21–10 (13–5) NR NR
2020–21 Wichita State 16–6 (11–2) NR NR First 4 Houston 28–4 #6 #3 Final 4
2021–22 Houston 32–6 (15–3) #15 #7 Elite 8 Houston 32–6 #15 #7 Elite 8
2022–23 Houston 33–4 (17–1) #2 #6 Sweet 16 Memphis 26–9 #24 NR Round of 64
  1. ^ Does not include UConn's 2014 national title as an American Conference member.
  2. ^ 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Intra-conference Rivalries

[edit]

The American has many rivalries among its member schools, some of which existed before the conference was established. Recent conference realignment in 2005 and 2013 ended – or temporarily halted – many rivalries. Before their departure to other conferences, a number of former member schools held longtime rivalries within the conference.

Rivalry Name Team 1 Team 2 Meetings Most Recent Meeting First Meeting Record Current Streak
Battle for the Bones Memphis UAB 50 65–57, Memphis (2019) 53–51, Memphis (1984) 36–11 (Memphis) 2 (Memphis)
Tulsa–Wichita State Rivalry Tulsa Wichita State 140 81–63, Wichita State (2023) 32–30, Tulsa (1931) 77–63 (Wichita State) 3 (Wichita State)

Results as of the 2022–23 season.

Women's basketball

[edit]

In June 2013, it was announced that the inaugural women's basketball tournament would take place at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.[118] Women's basketball teams have played a total of 20 times in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship (since 1982), with UConn winning 11 national championships under head coach Geno Auriemma since 1995. Women's national championship tournaments prior to 1982 were run by the AIAW.

All-time school records by winning percentage

[edit]

This list goes through the 2016–17 season.[119]

No. Team Records Win Pct. The American
Tournament
Championships
The American
Regular Season
Championships
Final Fours National
Championships
1 Memphis 781–590[a] .570 0 0 0 0
2 Tulane 684–534 .562 0 0 0 0
3 Temple 806–653–3 .552 0 0 0 0
5 East Carolina 705–600 .540 1 0 0 0
6 South Florida 687–690 .499 1 1 0 0
7 Wichita State 571–647[b] .469 0 0 0 0
8 Tulsa 326–544 .375 0 0 0 0
  1. ^ Record since the 1972–73 season, considered by Memphis to be the start of its "modern era" of women's basketball.
  2. ^ Record since the 1976–77 season, considered by Wichita State to be the start of its "modern era" of Division I women's basketball.

Women's basketball champions

[edit]
Regular Season Tournament
Year Champions Record AP Coaches' Postseason Champions Record AP Coaches' Postseason
2013–14 UConn 40–0 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion UConn 40–0 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion
2014–15 UConn 38–1 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion UConn 38–1 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion
2015–16 UConn 38–0 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion UConn 38–0 (18–0) #1 #1 NCAA Champion
2016–17 UConn 36–1 (16–0) #1 #1 Final Four UConn 36–1 (16–0) #1 #1 Final Four
2017–18 UConn 36–1 (16–0) #1 #1 Final Four UConn 36–1 (16–0) #1 #1 Final Four
2018–19 UConn 35–3 (16–0) #2 #2 Final Four UConn 35–3 (16–0) #2 #3 Final Four
2019–20 UConn 28–3 (16–0) #5 #6 Canceled UConn 28–3 (16–0) #5 #6 Canceled[a]
2020–21 South Florida 19–4 (13–2) #19 #18 Round of 32 South Florida 19–4 (13–2) #19 #18 Round of 32
2021–22 UCF 26–4 (14–1) #24 #24 Round of 32 UCF 26–4 (14–1) #24 #24 Round of 32
2022–23 South Florida 27–7 (15–1) Round of 32 East Carolina 23–10 (11–5) Round of 64

Facilities

[edit]
School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity
Army Michie Stadium 30,000* Football-only member
Charlotte Jerry Richardson Stadium 15,300 Dale F. Halton Arena 9,105 Hayes Stadium 3,000
East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium 51,000 Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum 8,000 Clark-LeClair Stadium 5,000
Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium 29,571 Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena 3,161 FAU Baseball Stadium 2,000
Memphis Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium 30,000* FedExForum (men)
Elma Roane Fieldhouse (women)
18,119
2,565
FedExPark 2,000
Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 34,000 Football-only member
North Texas DATCU Stadium 30,850 UNT Coliseum 10,032 Non-baseball school
Rice Rice Stadium 47,000 Tudor Fieldhouse 5,208 Reckling Park 7,000
South Florida Raymond James Stadium 69,218 Yuengling Center 10,411 USF Baseball Stadium 3,211
Temple Lincoln Financial Field 68,532 Liacouras Center
McGonigle Hall (women)[a]
10,206
3,900
Non-baseball school
Tulane Yulman Stadium 30,000 Devlin Fieldhouse 4,100 Turchin Stadium 5,000
Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium 30,000 Reynolds Center 8,355 Non-baseball school
UAB Protective Stadium 47,100 Bartow Arena 8,508 Regions Field
Young Memorial Field
8,500
1,000
UTSA Alamodome 36,582[b] Convocation Center 4,080 Roadrunner Field 800
Wichita State Non-football member[c] Charles Koch Arena 10,506 Eck Stadium 7,851

Athletic department revenue by school

[edit]

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.

Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.

The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2021–22 academic year.[120]

Institution 2021–22 Total Revenue from Athletics 2021–22 Total Expenses on Athletics
Temple University $67,128,393 $67,128,393
University of South Florida $62,288,596 $62,288,596
University of Memphis $56,896,042 $56,896,042
East Carolina University $52,643,839 $51,812,739
University of Tulsa $47,406,950 $47,406,950
University of North Texas $44,477,322 $44,222,541
Rice University $42,350,198 $42,350,198
University of Alabama at Birmingham $39,515,894 $39,515,894
University of Texas at San Antonio $37,604,241 $37,604,241
University of North Carolina at Charlotte $35,501,675 $33,615,643
Florida Atlantic University $34,737,083 $34,737,083
Tulane University $34,183,387 $34,183,387
Wichita State University
Non-football member
$26,887,822 $24,048,367

Academics

[edit]

Three of the current full member schools, Rice University, the University of South Florida and Tulane University, are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 71 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.[121][122] Seven current members are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Three of these seven schools are leaving for the Big 12 Conference in July 2023; however, four of the schools joining from Conference USA at that time are in this classification.[123] Member schools are also highly ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly, and Times Higher Education.

University Location Affiliation Carnegie[123] Endowment (millions)[124] USN Nat.[125] WM Nat.[126] AAU Member
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Public (UA System) Research (VH) $1,002 148 307 No
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida Public (SUSF) Research (H) $271 277 192 No
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina Public (UNC) Research (H) $164.1 217 171 No
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Public (THEC) Research (VH) $200.8 258 37 No
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina Public (UNC System) Research (H) $166.6 227 388 No
University of North Texas Denton, Texas Public (UNT System) Research (VH) $131.7 277 234 No
Rice University Houston, Texas Private Research (VH) $7,814 [127] 17 24 Yes
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida Public (SUSF) Research (VH) $690.0 97 51 Yes
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public (CSHE) Research (VH) $386.8 103 195 No
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas Public (UT System) Research (VH) $277.0 298 [128] 295 No
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana Private (non-sectarian) Research (VH) $1,183.9 41 100 Yes
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma Private (Presbyterian) Research (H) $1,015.5 143 164 No
Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas Public (KBOR) Research (H) $235.5 298 No

Broadcasting and media rights

[edit]

In March 2019, the conference announced a $1 billion, 12-year media rights deal with ESPN, under which the majority of AAC content will be aired on ESPN properties. Selected basketball games were sub-licensed to CBS Sports until 2022, and most Army and Navy home football games will take place on CBS Sports until 2027 and 2028, respectively, as both schools had a previous deal with CBS prior to joining The American. Content not aired on linear television will be exclusive to ESPN's subscription package ESPN+, but a larger number of events (including at least 40 football games and 65 men's basketball games per-season, including the conference semi-finals and championship) will air on ABC and ESPN's linear networks than under the previous contract.[129][130][131] Over 1,000 conference sporting events are aired on ESPN+ per year, including every baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball game hosted by a conference member (unless that game is being broadcast on one of ESPN's other networks).[132] The conference golf, rowing, swimming and diving, and track and field championships are also aired on ESPN+.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Temple splits its women's basketball schedule between McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center.
  2. ^ Normal capacity for UTSA games; expandable to 64,000.
  3. ^ Wichita State discontinued its football program following the 1986 season. The Shockers' football facility, Cessna Stadium (capacity 30,000) still stands. It is the home of the Shockers' track and field program and hosts football games for Wichita's Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.
  1. ^ The American is the legal all-sports successor to the Big East Conference (1979–2013). The Big East was rebranded and reorganizes as the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.
  2. ^ The other conferences in the "Group of Five" are Conference USA (C-USA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
  3. ^ Under NCAA Bylaw 20.9.4, all Division I schools are required to sponsor a minimum of seven men's and seven women's sports, or six men's and eight women's sports. Bylaw 20.9.7.1 imposes the latter requirement on FBS schools. FCS schools, under Bylaw 20.9.8.1, may use either requirement. This does not explicitly require that a school sponsor two more women's sports than men's sports. See "2012–13 NCAA Division I Manual" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  4. ^ At the time Navy joined in football, the NCAA required 12 teams for a conference in order to conduct divisional play and stage a championship game that was exempt from the NCAA-imposed limit of 12 regular-season games. Effective with the 2016 season, a conference was allowed to conduct an "exempt" championship game with fewer than 12 members, as long as the conference either plays in two divisions or conducts a full round-robin schedule. Since the 2022 season, all FBS conferences have had full freedom to select the participants in their championship games, regardless of organization or scheduling.
  5. ^ If The American's champion is the highest ranked from among the "Group of Five" conferences, it will receive a bid to either the Cotton Bowl, the Peach Bowl, or the Fiesta Bowl. If the team is ranked in the top four at the end of the regular season, it will take part in the College Football Playoff.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "New Name in College Sports – Current BIG EAST Enters New Era as 'American Athletic Conference'". April 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Katz, Andy (March 15, 2013). "What's next for the 'old Big East'". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  3. ^ a b McMurphy, Brett (March 1, 2013). "Catholic 7 to keep 'Big East' name for new league next season, according to sources". ESPN. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  4. ^ Mandel, Stewart (November 12, 2012). "Big East, rest of 'Group of Five' score win with six-bowl decision". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Grant, Ethan. "Big East Will Change Name to American Athletic Conference". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "The American Athletic Conference - About the American Athletic Conference". February 9, 2014. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  7. ^ "Big East Conference - BIG EAST Conference History". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  8. ^ Russo, Ralph (March 8, 2013). "Big East completes official split of football, basketball". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  9. ^ "Commissioner Mike Aresco Announces Retirement" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. December 7, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  10. ^ "Tim Pernetti Named Second Commissioner of the American Athletic Conference" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. April 3, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Blaudschun, Mark (March 8, 2013). "Naming original Big East was simple". AJerseyGuy.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Crouthamel, Jake (December 8, 2000). "A Big East History and Retrospective, Part 1". SUAthletics.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  13. ^ Sarah Maslin Nir (September 17, 2011). "Dave Gavitt, the Big East's Founder, Dies at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  14. ^ "Big East, Villanova Make It Official". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. March 13, 1980. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  15. ^ Hanley, Richard F (November 19, 1981). "Pittsburgh To Join Big East". Record-Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  16. ^ "Big East Football Timeline". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  17. ^ Thamel, Pete (May 7, 2012). "Commissioner John Marinatto Steps Down Amid Big East's Instability". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  18. ^ "Big East 'unwilling' to meet terms". ESPN. January 3, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  19. ^ Katz, Andy; McMurphy, Brett (December 11, 2012). "Big East fate vexes Catholic schools". ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  20. ^ "Seven schools leaving Big East". ESPN. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  21. ^ Rovell, Darren (January 6, 2013). "Sources: 'Catholic 7' eyes big TV deal". ESPN. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  22. ^ Harten, David (March 5, 2013). "Catholic 7 has framework to keep Big East name, MSG as tourney site". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  23. ^ Blaudschun, Mark (March 6, 2013). "Big East, Catholic 7 ready to make split official". AJerseyGuy.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  24. ^ "Report: $100M for football schools". ESPN. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  25. ^ Former Big East to be named American Athletic Conference. ESPN (April 4, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
  26. ^ Wolken, Dan (May 29, 2013). "American Athletic Conference unveils its primary logos". USA Today. Beyond the challenge of avoiding something that looked corporate, the league also couldn't build the logo around an acronym. From the very beginning, the conference office has been adamant that it wants to be known as The American instead of the AAC to avoid confusion with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
  27. ^ "ACC Extends Formal Invitation for Membership to the University of Louisville - the Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference". Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  28. ^ Rutgers Scarlet Knights accept invitation to join Big Ten as Board of Governors gives go-ahead to athletic director Tim Pernetti. NY Daily News (November 19, 2012). Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
  29. ^ a b "At a glance: Latest wave of conference realignment". USA Today. June 29, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  30. ^ "The American adds Associate Members for Women's Rowing" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  31. ^ Dodd, Dennis (March 3, 2017). "Wichita State getting 'serious evaluation' to join American Athletic Conference". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  32. ^ Thamel, Pete (March 31, 2017). "Sources: Wichita State in talks to join AAC as soon as 2017–18". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  33. ^ "Source: Wichita St. eyes 2017 move to AAC". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  34. ^ "AAC Is Preparing For Wichita State To Join League In 2017–18". www.fanragsports.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  35. ^ "Wichita State to Become Member of American Athletic Conference" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  36. ^ "UConn to Return to Big East". Digital Sports Desk. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  37. ^ a b Borzello, Jeff; Schlabach, Mark (June 22, 2019). "Sources: UConn expected to rejoin Big East". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  38. ^ a b Thamel, Pete (June 22, 2019). "Sources: UConn move to the Big East inevitable". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  39. ^ Fornelli, Tom; Norlander, Matt; Parrish, Gary (June 24, 2019). "Big East presidents approve UConn's invitation to join conference; football program's future remains uncertain". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  40. ^ Dauster, Rob (June 26, 2019). "It's official: UConn is back in the Big East". CollegeBasketballTalk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  41. ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 26, 2019). "UConn leaving AAC in '20, will owe $17M exit fee". ESPN. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  42. ^ "American Athletic Conference Adds Old Dominion as an Affiliate Member in Women's Lacrosse". American Athletic Conference. April 16, 2020. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  43. ^ Swanger, Ben (May 21, 2020). "American Athletic Conference Moving HQ From Rhode Island to Irving". D Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  44. ^ "UC Discontinues Men's Soccer Program". GoBearcats. April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  45. ^ Adelson, Andrea (May 21, 2020). "East Carolina eliminates swimming and diving, tennis program". ESPN. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  46. ^ "Open Letter to the San Diego State University Community" (Press release). San Diego State Aztecs. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  47. ^ Baer, Jack (July 28, 2021). "Big 12 accuses ESPN of encouraging its schools to leave conference in cease-and-desist letter". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  48. ^ Jackson, Wilton (July 28, 2021). "Big 12 Accuses ESPN of Destabilizing Conference, Issues Cease and Desist". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  49. ^ Dellenger, Ross; Forde, Pat (September 3, 2021). "Sources: Big 12 Could Add Four New Members By End of Next Week". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  50. ^ Dinich, Heather; Rittenberg, Adam (September 3, 2021). "BYU, Houston, UCF, Cincinnati planning to submit applications to Big 12 next week, sources confirm". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  51. ^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  52. ^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  53. ^ "About The American: Sponsored Sports". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  54. ^ "Big 12 to Add Beach Volleyball & Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  55. ^ Jackson, Wilton (September 28, 2021). "Report: Colorado State, Air Force Latest College Football Programs Eyeing Move to AAC". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  56. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (October 1, 2021). "Mountain West Conference says it will stay intact; American Athletic Conference denies offering invitations". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  57. ^ Thamel, Pete (October 18, 2021). "Sources: The AAC is close to massive 6-school expansion to reshape conference". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  58. ^ Dinich, Heather (October 19, 2021). "Source: Six schools officially apply to join American Athletic Conference". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  59. ^ "Source: American Athletic Conference Announces the Addition of Six Universities" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  60. ^ "American Announces Entrance Agreements With Incoming Members for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  61. ^ "JMU to the Sun Belt: Frequently Asked Questions". James Madison Dukes. November 6, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  62. ^ "James Madison to Compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022-2023" (Press release). James Madison Dukes. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  63. ^ Thamel, Pete (March 29, 2022). "Move of Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss from Conference USA to Sun Belt now complete". ESPN. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  64. ^ "West Virginia Added as C-USA Soccer Member for 2022" (Press release). Conference USA. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  65. ^ "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  66. ^ a b "American Announces Affiliate Members in Men's Soccer and Women's Swimming and Diving" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  67. ^ "SMU Joins The ACC". SMU Athletics. August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  68. ^ Crosby, Jack (October 25, 2023). "Army to join AAC in 2024 as football-only member as conference tabs Black Knights to replace SMU". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  69. ^ "UAB - Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Analysis - Enrollment". Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  70. ^ "Thanks a billion: The Campaign for UAB surpasses $1 billion". November 28, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  71. ^ "ECU by the Numbers". East Carolina University. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  72. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "2023 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments". National Association of College and University Business Officers. February 15, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  73. ^ a b "FAU Accepts Invite to The American" (Press release). FAU Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  74. ^ "Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis". Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  75. ^ "UofM Facts at a Glance - About UofM - The University of Memphis". www.memphis.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  76. ^ a b "UNC Charlotte Accepts Invitation to American Athletic Conference" (Press release). UNC Charlotte Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  77. ^ "UNIVERSITY PROFILE". admissions.uncc.edu. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  78. ^ a b "UNT Accepted as Member of the American Athletic Conference" (Press release). UNT Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  79. ^ "With nearly 47,000 students, UNT is the top choice for career readiness in Texas". news.unt.edu.
  80. ^ a b "Rice Accepts Invitation to Join the American Athletic Conference" (Press release). Rice Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  81. ^ "Rice University : Rice University Office of Institutional Research". www.oir.rice.edu. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  82. ^ "USF system facts: 2020-21" (PDF).
  83. ^ "Institutional Research and Assessment" (PDF).
  84. ^ "UTSA to join American Athletic Conference" (Press release). UTSA Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  85. ^ "UTSA welcomes record number of freshmen, celebrates more fall milestones". September 29, 2021.
  86. ^ "Endowment Report 2022/23" (PDF). The University of Texas at San Antonio. January 11, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  87. ^ "Facts and Figures | tulane".
  88. ^ "TU Fast Facts - The University of Tulsa". Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  89. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  90. ^ "Office of Planning & Institutional Research - Quick Facts". Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
  91. ^ "Missouri State University system sets another fall enrollment record". September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017.
  92. ^ "American Athletic Conference to Sponsor Women's Lacrosse Beginning in 2019" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  93. ^ "ODU Lacrosse to Join the American Athletic Conference" (Press release). Old Dominion University Athletics. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  94. ^ "American Adds James Madison University as Affiliate Member in Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  95. ^ "East Carolina cuts swimming and diving, tennis". ESPN.com. May 21, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  96. ^ a b Snyder, Susan (December 6, 2013). "Temple to drop 7 sports, including baseball, rowing". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  97. ^ Writer, KELLY HINES World Sports (March 25, 2016). "Derrick Gragg on eliminating TU men's golf: 'This is the last thing you want to do'". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  98. ^ "Rice Athletics to Add Women's Diving in 2024" (Press release). Rice Owls. January 30, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  99. ^ "BVB: C-USA Adds TCU, Tarleton State and Missouri State as Affiliate Members for Beach Volleyball" (Press release). Conference USA. May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023. The addition of TCU, Tarleton State and Missouri State increases current league membership to nine schools for the 2023-24 season, as the Horned Frogs, Texans and Bears join FIU, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Tulane, UAB and UTEP as members of Conference USA beach volleyball.
  100. ^ "Conference USA to Add Bowling for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  101. ^ "BOWL: Wichita State Joins CUSA as an Affiliate Member for Bowling" (Press release). Conference USA. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  102. ^ "All-Time American Athletic Conference Champions". theamerican.org. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  103. ^ a b "Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  104. ^ "BCS Chronology". bcsfootball.org. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  105. ^ Myerberg, Paul (November 13, 2012). "Big East announces divisions, adds conference title game". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  106. ^ "American Announces Football Schedule Format for 2015–18". USA Today. December 18, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  107. ^ "American Announces Football Scheduling Model for 2023-26 Seasons" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  108. ^ Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013). "Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff". USA Today. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  109. ^ "American Bowl Lineup 2014–19". sidearm sports. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  110. ^ "College Football Head Coach Salaries". Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  111. ^ "Highest Paid College Football Coaches & Salaries - USA TODAY". sports.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  112. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  113. ^ American Athletic Conference (December 11, 2013). "American Athletic Conference Announces 2013 Postseason Football Honors". Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  114. ^ "American Athletic Conference picks Memphis to host league's 1st men's basketball tournament". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
  115. ^ "School Index". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  116. ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 546. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  117. ^ [1]. ESPN, 2010-03-22.
  118. ^ "AAC tournament host site picked". ESPN. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  119. ^ "NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Records Through 2012–13" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  120. ^ "Equity in Athletics Data Analysis". U.S. Department of Education.
  121. ^ "AAU Member Institutions and Years of Admission". Association of American Universities. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  122. ^ "Six Leading Research Universities Join the Association of American Universities" (Press release). Association of American Universities. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  123. ^ a b "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  124. ^ "National Association of College and University Business Officers" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  125. ^ "Best College Rankings and Lists". U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  126. ^ "Washington Monthly College Guide 2016 National Universities". Washington Monthly. 2016. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  127. ^ As of June 30, 2020 U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  128. ^ "U.S. News Best College Rankings 2017". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  129. ^ "ESPN signs 12-year, $1 billion deal with AAC, moves lots of games to ESPN+". Awful Announcing. March 19, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  130. ^ "AAC, ESPN Agree To 12-Year Media-Rights Deal Worth $1B". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  131. ^ Murschel, Matt (April 28, 2019). "AAC leader Mike Aresco touts new media rights deal, addresses ESPN+ criticism". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  132. ^ "Television Information". theamerican.org. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
[edit]