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Report: AAC to announce 6 new members
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Conference realignment is starting to take shape.
With Cincinnati, UCF and Houston set to leave the American Athletic Conference for the Big 12, the American is set to expand. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, Alabama-Birmingham and UTSA are all expected to join the league in 2023, and The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reports an announcement is coming Thursday.
Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB & UTSA will officially be announced as new members of the American on Thursday, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Schools plan to start play in AAC in 2023, sources said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 21, 2021
Conference realignment talk started in July when Texas and Oklahoma said they were planning to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The Big 12 had to fill those spots, which is why it turned to Cincinnati, UCF and Houston.
American commissioner Mike Aresco said he wanted to expand the league instead of just replacing the three schools. This means the AAC will be a 14-team league rather than the current 11-team model.
We’ve heard the last about conference realignment, though. It feels like it’s just getting started.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.