AAU membership 'not a requirement' to join B1G in expansion, per report

AAU (American Association of Universities) membership is not a prerequisite to join the B1G in potential ongoing expansion, sources told Action Network’s Brett McMurphy Wednesday.

According to McMurphy, sources said AAU membership is a preference, but that academics are measured in several different ways.

The AAU, not to be confused with the youth basketball league, consists of over 65 universities in the United States and is committed to maintaining strong systems of academic research and education. As of 2023, Nebraska is the only B1G program that is not an AAU member.

This is relevant for a few reasons. For one, according to the report, Notre Dame and Miami recently joined the AAU, whereas Florida State and Clemson are not AAU members. All 4 are potential candidates for expansion.

McMurphy listed some more AAU members that are considered candidates as well:

AAU membership “not a requirement,” to join Big Ten, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. “Maybe (AAU status) is a preference, but solid academics are measured variety of ways,” source said. B1G’s 16-members, including USC & UCLA, are all AAU except Nebraska. NU was AAU member in 2010,…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 7, 2023

Conference expansion is not necessarily a guarantee, but as with USC and UCLA’s addition last year, a possibility at any moment as the conference works behind the scenes to grow its future alongside the SEC.