What is the American Athletic Conference?
Q: What is the American Athletic Conference?
A: The American Athletic Conference (also known as "The American" or "AAC") is a big college sports conference in the United States. Its members play in NCAA Division I and compete in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Q: When was the Big East Conference started?
A: The Big East Conference was started in 1979 as a basketball-first league by a group of schools in the Eastern U.S. It added football in 1991.
Q: How did the Big East split into two conferences?
A: In July 2013, the Big East split into two conferences with seven schools that did not play FBS football leaving to form a new Big East Conference, while FBS schools that did not go to other conferences stayed in the old conference structure and began operating as The American Athletic Conference.
Q: Does Wichita State have a football team?
A: No, Wichita State does not have a football team. Of the 11 current full members of The American, only Wichita State does not have a football team.
Q: What happened during 2021's major conference realignment?
A: During 2021's major conference realignment when Big 12 mainstays Oklahoma and Texas announced they would move to Southeastern Conference no later than 2025, The American was heavily affected. The Big 12 responded by inviting Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to join their conference with an arrival date set for 2023; while The American raided Conference USA and invited six members of that conference to move to them in 2023—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
Q: Does either offshoot league recognize the history of original Big East?
A: Both leagues agree that only exception is football and women's rowing which are sponsored by The American but not by current Big East; therefore neither offshoot league recognizes history of original Big East for these two sports.
