American Athletic Conference

American Athletic Conference
Name	American Athletic Conference
Established	2013
Association	NCAA
Division	NCAA Division I
Subdivision	FBS
Commissioner	Mike Aresco
Headquarters	Irving, Texas
Region	Southern United States
Members	14 (15 in 2024)
Sports	22
Mens	10
Womens	12
Website	theamerican.org

American Athletic Conference. The American Athletic Conference is a prominent NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision athletic conference, headquartered in Irving, Texas. Formed from the restructuring of the original Big East Conference, it began competition in the 2013–14 academic year under the leadership of Commissioner Mike Aresco. The conference sponsors competition in 22 sports and is known for its strong performance in men's basketball and access to prestigious bowl games like the Cotton Bowl Classic.

History

The conference's origins are directly tied to the 2013 NCAA conference realignment that fragmented the historic Big East Conference. Seven institutions—the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Houston, University of Louisville, University of South Florida, Southern Methodist University, and University of Central Florida—chose to retain the Big East's charter and Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying status, rebranding as the American Athletic Conference. The University of Tulsa, East Carolina University, and Tulane University joined shortly after, while University of Louisville and Rutgers University departed for the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten Conference, respectively. Further realignment saw the additions of Wichita State University for basketball and, most recently, six universities from Conference USA—including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of North Texas, and University of Texas at San Antonio—with plans for future membership from the Atlantic 10 Conference's University of the Pacific and the Western Athletic Conference's California State University, Sacramento.

Member institutions

The conference will feature 15 full member institutions beginning in the 2024–25 academic year. The full membership includes the University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Florida Atlantic University, University of North Texas, University of Texas at San Antonio, Rice University, University of Tulsa, Southern Methodist University, University of Memphis, University of South Florida, Tulane University, East Carolina University, Temple University, and Navy (which is a football-only member). Wichita State University is a member for all sports except football. Incoming members for 2024 include the University of the Pacific and California State University, Sacramento.

Sports sponsored

The conference sponsors championship competition in 22 sports, 10 for men and 12 for women. Men's sponsored sports include football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track & field. Women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball. The conference does not sponsor ice hockey or wrestling.

Conference championships

The conference annually determines champions in each sponsored sport, with several teams achieving significant national success. In football, the champion has earned a berth in a New Year's Six bowl on multiple occasions, such as the Cotton Bowl Classic and Peach Bowl. In men's basketball, teams like the University of Connecticut and the University of Houston have made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, with UConn winning the national championship in 2014 as a member. The conference also crowns champions in baseball, with programs like East Carolina University regularly competing in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

Facilities

Member institutions compete in notable on-campus venues. Prominent football stadiums include the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, Alamodome in San Antonio, and Gerald J. Ford Stadium at Southern Methodist University. Key basketball and multi-purpose arenas are the Liacouras Center at Temple University, Fogelman Arena at Tulane University, and the Charles Koch Arena at Wichita State University. Baseball is notably played at Clark-LeClair Stadium at East Carolina University and Cougar Field at the University of Houston.

Media coverage

The conference maintains a primary media rights agreement with ESPN, which broadcasts numerous events on its linear channels like ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, as well as its digital platform ESPN+. Select football games, including the conference championship, are also broadcast on ABC. Additional linear television exposure is provided through secondary agreements with CBS Sports Network, which often airs basketball and Olympic sports. The conference's digital network is hosted on the ESPN+ platform, streaming hundreds of events annually.

Category:NCAA Division I conferences Category:College athletic conferences in the United States Category:American Athletic Conference Category:Sports organizations established in 2013