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AAC announces intention to expand in anticipation of Big 12 additions
By Nick Schultz
Published:
The American Athletic Conference appears to be taking hit after hit in conference realignment.
Cincinnati has reportedly applied to join the Big 12, and now the AAC is waiting for exit notices from Houston and UCF, as well. But AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said he’s not worried about the future of the league.
In fact, he told Sports Illustrated the AAC is prepared to expand given the turnover.
“They said we couldnt [sic] officially be P6 but now what’s happening?” Aresco told Ross Dellinger. “(Our) teams are supporting the Big 12. It’s interesting irony.”
Once Oklahoma and Texas announced they wanted to leave the Big 12, conference realignment chatter picked up — and the American had plenty of potential replacements. It sure sounds like Aresco is going to do all he can to make sure the AAC is still a top-tier conference.
“The DNA in this league isn’t going to change,” Aresco told SI. “Our remaining schools have competed extremely well with the schools leaving. The schools leaving have had success, but they’re not dynasties. We’ll add schools and we’ll replenish and reconstitute.”
We’ll just have to wait and see how all this shakes out.
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.