Report: AAC shifts attention to 6 schools for potential realignment

The current cycle of conference realignment continues to spin forward with the AAC reportedly zeroing in on 6 potential programs to add.

This entire cycle was brought on initially by the decision of Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. Since that time, the Big 12 has made moves to replace those 2 powerhouses while the ACC, B1G and Pac-12 went the way of an “alliance.”

The AAC has been a different matter with previous reports indicating the conference made a run at some Mountain West programs. In the end, the Mountain West decided to stick together with the AAC still looking to expand.

As of Monday, Pete Thamel with Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the AAC has focused on 6 programs to potentially add. They are FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice, and UAB.

If accepted (as expected), the AAC will become a 14-team league:

The expectation is that they will be accepted and the AAC will grow to a 14-team football league. (Also 14 teams in hoops.)

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 18, 2021