AAC expansion 2023: Which teams are in the American Athletic Conference this year?

The American Atlantic Conference (AAC) will have a new look in the upcoming 2023 season. The conference is witnessing the departure of some of its top programs, yet it is also striving to replenish its lineup with a selection of promising new programs.

The AAC Commissioner, Mike Aresco, made an announcement in June 2022 stating that the conference would be welcoming six new members into its alliance. This development followed the transition of three of its biggest members to the Big 12 conference.

For an extended period of time, the conference has consistently stood out as the premier league among the Group of Five conferences. Excluding the Power Five conferences, AAC teams often held the distinction of being among the top teams in the country.

However, that is set for a significant change in the upcoming season. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA are joining the conference in an expansion and are set to officially become a member of the conference on July 1, 2023.

Colleges exiting the Conference

Three colleges will be making their way out of the conference on the first day of July. Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are ending their days as members of the conference to join the Big 12. There's no denying that this is a significant setback for the AAC.

Cincinnati achieved a notable feat by participating in the College Football Playoff in 2021 where it played against Alabama. This made the program the first team outside the Power Five conferences to secure a spot in the four-team field.

Houston boasts a strong football team, and their men's basketball program is currently recognized as one of the top programs in the nation. UCF has also experienced remarkable success in football in recent years, comparable to that of many teams in the Group of Five.

The AAC is undoubtedly facing the loss of three exceptional football programs. While replacing them might be considered a daunting task, it doesn't imply that the league is not making efforts to retain its position as the leading conference among the Group of Five in 2023.

The new look of the AAC

With six college programs joining the existing nine in the conference, the AAC is set to have 15 members in 2023. Although it will have a total of 15 members, it will compete as a 14-team league in football, men's and women's basketball, and other sports.

The new look of the conference will include the following teams: East Carolina, Memphis, Navy (football only), South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, Wichita State (basketball and Olympic Sports only), Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA.

For football, the conference will adopt a single-division structure, where all teams compete together. At the end of the regular season, the top two teams in the conference standings will face each other in the league title game in early December.