American Athletic Conference

American Athletic Conference
The American
Established May 31, 1979 (1979-05-31)[note 1]
Association NCAA
Division Division I
Subdivision FBS
Members 12
Sports fielded
  • 22
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 12
Region
Former names Big East (1979–2013)[note 2]
Headquarters Providence, Rhode Island
Commissioner Michael Aresco (since 2012)
Website www.theamerican.org
Locations

The American Athletic Conference (also known as The American and sometimes abbreviated AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 12 member universities and six associate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, with its football teams competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Member universities represent a range of private and public universities of various enrollment sizes located primarily in urban metropolitan areas in the Northeastern, Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States.[1][2]

The American's legal predecessor, the original Big East Conference, was considered one of the six collegiate power conferences of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era in college football, and The American inherited that status in the BCS's final season.[3] With the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014, The American became a "Group of Five" conference, which shares one automatic spot in the New Year's Six bowl games.[note 3][4]

The league is the product of substantial turmoil in the old Big East during the 2010–14 conference realignment period. It is one of two conferences to emerge from the all-sports Big East in 2013. While the other successor, which does not sponsor football, purchased the Big East Conference name, The American inherited the old Big East's structure and is that conference's legal successor. However, both conferences claim 1979 as their founding date, and the same history up to 2013.[5][6] The American is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, and led by Commissioner Michael Aresco.[2][7]

History

The Big East

The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 as a basketball conference and included the colleges of Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, and Syracuse, which in turn invited Connecticut (UConn), Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College to be members.[8][9] UConn and Boston College would accept the invitation, while Holy Cross soon thereafter declined the invitation, and Rutgers eventually declined and remained in the Atlantic 10 Conference (then known as the Eastern 8 Conference). Seton Hall was then invited as a replacement, and the conference started play with seven members.[9]

Villanova and Pittsburgh joined shortly thereafter under the leadership of the Big East's first commissioner, Dave Gavitt.[10][11][12]

The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991, when it began to sponsor football, adding Miami as a full member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia as football-only members.[13] Rutgers and West Virginia were offered full all-sports Big East membership in 1995, while Virginia Tech waited until 2000 for the same offer. Temple football was kicked out after the 2004 season, but rejoined in 2012 and intended to become a full Big East member in 2013.

The unusual structure of the Big East, with the "football" and "non-football" schools, led to instability in the conference.[14] The waves of defection and replacement brought about by the conference realignments of 2005 and the early 2010s revealed tension between the football-sponsoring and non-football schools that eventually led to the split of the conference in 2013.[15]

Realignment and reorganization

– All-sports member
– Full, non-football member
– Associate member (women's rowing)
– Associate member (football)
– Associate member (women's lacrosse)

The conference was reorganized following the tumultuous period of realignment that hobbled the Big East between 2010 and 2013. The Big East was one of the most severely impacted conferences during the most recent conference realignment period. In all, 14 member schools announced their departure for other conferences, and 15 other schools announced plans to join the conference (eight as all-sports members, and four for football only). Three of the latter group later backed out of their plans to join (one for all sports, and the other two for football only).

On December 15, 2012, the Big East's seven remaining non-FBS schools, all Catholic institutions consisting of DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova announced that they voted unanimously to leave the Big East Conference effective June 30, 2015.[16][17] The "Catholic 7", by leaving, were looking for a more lucrative television deal than the one they would receive by remaining with the football schools.[18] In March 2013, representatives of the Catholic 7 announced they would leave the conference effective June 30, 2013, retaining the Big East name, $10 million, and the right to hold the conference's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.[3][19]

Following the announcement of the departure of the Catholic 7 universities, the remaining ten football-playing members started the process of selecting a new name for the conference and choosing a new site to hold its basketball tournament.[20][21] Various names were considered, with the "America 12" conference reportedly one of the finalists until rejected by college presidents sensitive of adding a number to the end of the conference name.[22] On April 3, 2013, the conference announced that it had chosen a new name: American Athletic Conference.[1] The conference also revealed that it prefers the nickname "The American" because it was thought "AAC" would cause too much confusion with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[23]

Louisville and Rutgers spent one season in the renamed conference. On July 1, 2014, Louisville joined the ACC[24] and Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference.[25] On that same day, East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa joined The American for all sports, while Sacramento State and San Diego State joined as associate members for women's rowing.[26][27] Navy joined as an associate member in football on July 1, 2015.[26]

For the next several years, The American did not discuss the addition of any new members. However, in March 2017, media reports indicated that the conference was seriously considering adding one or more new members specifically as basketball upgrades. Wichita State, Dayton, and VCU were reportedly considered, with Wichita State being seen as the strongest candidate.[28] By the end of that month, it was reported that talks between the American and Wichita State had advanced to the point that the two sides were discussing a timeline for membership, with the possibility of the Shockers joining as a full but non-football member as early as the 2017–18 school year. The report indicated that a final decision would be made in April.[29][30][31] The conference's board of directors voted unanimously on April 7 to add Wichita State effective in July 2017, making the Shockers the league's first full non-football member since the Big East split.[32]

Commissioners

Name Term
Michael Aresco 2013–present[7]

Membership timeline

Navy MidshipmenWichita State ShockersTulsa Golden HurricaneTulane Green WaveEast Carolina PiratesUCF KnightsSMU MustangsMemphis TigersHouston CougarsSouth Florida BullsCincinnati BearcatsLouisville CardinalsTemple OwlsRutgers Scarlet KnightsConnecticut Huskies

Member universities

The conference currently has 12 full member institutions – and six associate members – in 13 states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The newest full member, Wichita State, is the only one that does not sponsor football.

Current members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedEnrollmentNicknameColors
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 1963 2013 66,183[33] Knights          
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 2005 44,783[34] Bearcats          
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 1881 1979[note 4] 32,182[35] Huskies          
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina 1907 2014 29,131[36] Pirates          
University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 2013 45,364[37] Cougars          
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee 1912 2013 21,521[38] Tigers          
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 1956 2005 49,591[39] Bulls          
Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas 1911 2013 11,789[40] Mustangs          
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884 1991, 2012[note 5] 40,240[41] Owls          
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 2014 13,581[42] Green Wave          
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 2014 4,433[43] Golden Hurricane               
Wichita State University[note 6] Wichita, Kansas 1895 2017 15,081[44] Shockers          

Associate members

Institution Location Founded Joined Enrollment Nickname Colors Sport Primary
Conference
University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 1853 2018 51,474 Gators           Women's lacrosse SEC
United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland 1845 2015 4,400 Midshipmen           Football Patriot League
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2018 24,375 Monarchs                Rowing C-USA
California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California 1947 2014 28,811 Hornets           Big Sky
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 2014 29,392 Aztecs           Mountain West
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 2018 12,686 Commodores           Women's lacrosse SEC


Former full members

Two full members have departed from the conference.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Nickname Colors Current
conference
Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey 1766 1991[note 7] 2014 Scarlet Knights      Big Ten
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 2005 Cardinals           ACC

Former associate members

One associate member has left the conference.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Nickname Colors Sport Primary
conference		 Conference in
Former AAC Sport
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 2013 2015 Wildcats           Rowing Big East CAA

Sports

The American currently sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Old Dominion, Sacramento State and San Diego State are associate members for women's rowing.[45] The newest conference sport of women's lacrosse, added for the 2018–19 school year, has six participating schools, with four full American members plus Florida and Vanderbilt as single-sport associates.[46]

Under NCAA rules reflecting the large number of male scholarship participants in football and attempting to address gender equity concerns (see also Title IX), each member institution is required to provide more women's varsity sports than men's.[note 8]

SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball
9
–
Basketball
12
12
Cross Country
10
12
Football
12
–
Golf
11
10
Lacrosse
–
6
Rowing
–
8
Soccer
8
10
Softball
–
8
Swimming & Diving
4
6
Tennis
10
12
Track and Field (Indoor)
9
12
Track and Field (Outdoor)
9
12
Volleyball
–
12

    Men's sponsored sports by school

    SchoolBaseballBasketballCross
    Country    		FootballGolfSoccerSwimming
    & Diving    		TennisTrack & Field
    (Indoor)    		Track & Field
    (Outdoor)    		Total
    CincinnatiGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tick9
    ConnecticutGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    East CarolinaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    HoustonGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tick7
    MemphisGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    South FloridaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    SMURed XGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed X6
    TempleRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickRed XRed X6
    TulaneGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick7
    TulsaRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick8
    UCFGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickRed XRed X6
    Wichita StateGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick7
    Associate Member
    Navy[note 9]Red XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    Totals91210121184109994

    Men's varsity sports not sponsored by The American which are played by conference schools:

    SchoolIce hockeyRifle[note 10]Rowing[note 11]
    ConnecticutHEARed XRed X
    MemphisRed XGARCRed X
    TempleRed XRed XIndependent

    Women's sponsored sports by school

    SchoolBasketballCross
    Country    		GolfLacrosseRowingSoccerSoftballSwimming
    & Diving    		TennisTrack & Field
    (Indoor)    		Track & Field
    (Outdoor)    		VolleyballTotal
    CincinnatiGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    ConnecticutGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick11
    East CarolinaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick11
    HoustonGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    MemphisGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    South FloridaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    SMUGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    TempleGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick9
    TulaneGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick8
    TulsaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    UCFGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick10
    Wichita StateGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick8
    Associate Members
    FloridaRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    Old DominionRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    Sacramento StateRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    San Diego StateRed XRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    VanderbiltRed XRed XRed XGreen tickRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed XRed X1
    Totals12121068108612121212120

    Women's varsity sports not sponsored by The American which are played by conference schools:

    SchoolBeach
    Volleyball    		BowlingFencingField HockeyEquestrianGymnasticsIce hockeyRifle[note 10]Sailing
    Connecticut———Big East——Hockey East——
    Memphis———————GARC—
    South Florida————————SAISA
    SMU————Independent————
    Temple——NIWFABig East—Independent———
    TulaneIndependentSouthland———————

    NCAA team championships

    [48]

    Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including Division I FBS football titles, women's AIAW championships, equestrian titles, and retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles.

    School Total Men Women Co-ed Nickname Most successful sport (Titles)
    University of Connecticut 22 6 16 0 Huskies Women's basketball (11)
    University of Houston 17 17 0 0 Cougars Men's golf (16)
    Southern Methodist University 4 4 0 0 Mustangs Men's outdoor track & field (2)
    Temple University 3 1 2 0 Owls Women's lacrosse (2)
    University of Cincinnati 2 2 0 0 Bearcats Men's basketball (2)
    Tulane University 1 1 0 0 Green Wave Men's tennis (1)
    University of Tulsa 1 0 1 0 Golden Hurricane Women's golf (1)
    Wichita State University 1 1 0 0 Shockers Baseball (1)
    University of Central Florida 1 1 0 0 Knights Football (1)
    University of South Florida 0 0 0 0 Bulls n/a
    East Carolina University 0 0 0 0 Pirates n/a
    University of Memphis 0 0 0 0 Tigers n/a

    See also: List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships, List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships, and NCAA Division I FBS Conferences

    Football

    The conference began football during the 1991–92 season, and was a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series.[49] Previously conference opponents operated on a two-year cycle, as a home-and-home series.[50]

    West DivisionEast Division
    HoustonCincinnati
    MemphisConnecticut
    NavyEast Carolina
    SMUSouth Florida
    TulaneTemple
    TulsaUCF

    The conference previously did not have enough teams to form divisions, but now does after Navy joined the conference in 2015.[note 12] When Navy joined in 2015 and divisions were created, Navy was placed in the West division along with Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Teams play eight conference games a season. Since 2015, each team has played the other five teams in its own division, as well as three teams from the other division, operating in a four-year cycle ensuring that each school will play every conference opponent at home and on the road at least once in the four-year cycle.[51] The East and West division winners, determined by final conference record, meet in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, which is played at the home site of one of the division winners.

    Like the conference itself, football experienced much transition through its history – in fact it was the main force behind such departures and expansion. In 2003, the BCS announced that it would adjust the automatic bids granted to its six founding conferences based on results from 2004 to 2007. With the addition of Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida in 2005, the conference retained its BCS automatic-qualifying status. In 2007, South Florida rose to No. 2 in the BCS rankings, but finished No. 21 in the final poll. Cincinnati finished the 2009 regular season undefeated at 12–0, and ranked No. 3 in the final BCS standings, barely missing the opportunity to play for the BCS National Championship. The conference was 9–7 (.563) in BCS bowl games, the third highest winning percentage amongst the AQ conferences.

    All-time school and conference records

    As of Oct 13, 2018.

    Team Overall Conference The American
    Championships    		 National
    Championships
    WLTWin % WLWin %
    Tulsa 603 487 28.552 12 20.37500
    Navy 706 554 57.558 18 6.75001
    South Florida 145 105 0.580 24 16.60000
    UCF 249 209 1.544 53 35.60231
    Houston 433 360 15.545 27 13.67510
    East Carolina 429 394 11.521 11 21.34400
    Cincinnati 607 590 51.507 20 20.50010
    Connecticut 505 550 38.479 11 29.27500
    SMU 484 527 54.480 13 27.32503
    Memphis 465 507 33.479 25 15.62510
    Tulane 516 636 38.450 7 25.21900
    Temple 462 588 52.443 23 17.57510

    Conference champions

    The American Championship Game pits the Eastern Division representative against the Western Division representative in a game held following the conclusion of the regular season. The site of the Championship Game is the home stadium of the division champion with the best overall conference record. In the event that the two division champions are tied, then the head-to-head record shall be used as the tiebreaker. Prior to the 2015 season, when the conference split into two six-team divisions and created a conference championship game, The American awarded its championship to the team(s) with the best overall conference record.

    RecordRanking
    YearChampionsConferenceOverallAPCoaches'Bowl resultHead coach
    2013UCF8–012–1#10#12W Fiesta Bowl 52–42 vs. Baylor†George O'Leary
    2014 UCF7–19–4N/AN/AL St. Petersburg Bowl 27–34 vs. NC StateGeorge O'Leary
    Cincinnati7–19–4N/AN/AL Military Bowl 17–33 vs. Virginia TechTommy Tuberville
    Memphis7–110–3#25#25W Miami Beach Bowl 55–48 vs. BYUJustin Fuente
    2015Houston7–113–1#8#8W Peach Bowl 38–24 vs. Florida State†Tom Herman
    2016 Temple 7–1 10–3 #23 #24 L Military Bowl 26–34 vs Wake Forest Matt Rhule
    2017 UCF 8-0 13-0 #6 #7 W Peach Bowl 34–27 vs Auburn† Scott Frost

    Rivalries

    The American has many rivalries among its member schools, primarily in football. Some rivalries existed before the conference was established or began play in football. Recent conference realignment in 2005 and 2013 ended – or temporarily halted – many rivalries. Before their departure to other conferences, a number of former member schools held longtime rivalries within the conference.

    TeamsRivalry NameTrophyMeetingsBeganRecordSeries leaderCurrent Streak
    East Carolina–UCF——13199110-5-0East CarolinaUCF won 1
    Navy–SMU—Gansz Trophy1619309–7–0NavyNavy won 5
    Houston–SMUThe Burrito BowlBurrito Bowl31197520-10-1HoustonHouston won 3
    South Florida–UCFWar on I–4War on I-4 Trophy920056-3-0South FloridaUCF won 1
    Houston-TulsaThe RivalryThe Gazebo39195021-18-0HoustonTulsa won 1

    Bowl games

    Following the 2013 season, the BCS era came to a close and was replaced by the College Football Playoff. Four teams will play in two semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the new College Football Championship Game.[52] Six bowl games — the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl — will rotate as hosts for the semifinal games, and host major bowls when they do not host semifinal games (access bowls).

    With the birth of the College Football Playoff, The American lost its automatic qualifying status for one of the major bowls. Instead, one automatic qualifying spot is reserved for the highest ranked team from the "Group of Five" conferences – The American, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Sun Belt Conference.

    Although the pick order usually corresponds to the conference standings, the bowls are not required to make their choices strictly according to the won-lost records; many factors influence bowl selections, especially the likely turnout of the team's fans. Picks are made after any applicable College Football Playoff selections. If a team is selected for the one of the access bowls or playoff, the bowl with the No. 2 pick will have the first pick of the remaining teams in the conference.

    Year[53] Name Location Opposing Conference
    2014–19 Cotton, Peach, Fiesta, or Playoff[note 13] Dallas, Atlanta, Glendale, or Playoff Site CFP At-Large
    2014–19 Birmingham Bowl Birmingham, Alabama SEC
    2014–19 Gasparilla Bowl St. Petersburg, Florida ACC or C-USA
    2014–19 Frisco Bowl[lower-alpha 1] Frisco, Texas C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt, or BYU
    2014–19 Military Bowl Annapolis, Maryland ACC
    2014/16/17/19 Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas Big 12 or Army
    2016/18 Bahamas Bowl Nassau, Bahamas MAC or C-USA
    2015–19 Cure Bowl Orlando, Florida Sun Belt
    2015/17/19 Hawaiʻi Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii MWC or BYU
    2015/16/17/19 Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Florida MAC or C-USA
    2018–19 New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana MAC or Sun Belt
    2014–19 Liberty and Independence Bowls[lower-alpha 2] Memphis, Shreveport ACC or SEC (Backup Agreement)
    1. ↑ From 2014 through 2016, this bowl was the Miami Beach Bowl played in Miami, Florida.
    2. ↑ This group formerly included the Poinsettia Bowl, held in San Diego, but that game was discontinued after the 2016 season.

    Head football coach compensation

    The total pay of head coaches includes university and non-university compensation. This includes base salary, income from contracts, foundation supplements, bonuses and media and radio pay.[54][55]

    Conf.
    Rank    		 University Head Coach Salary[54]
    1 University of Memphis Mike Norvell $2,600,000
    2 United States Naval Academy Ken Niumatalolo $2,163,000
    3 University of Cincinnati Luke Fickell $2,000,000
    4 University of Houston Major Applewhite $1,750,000
    5 University of Central Florida Josh Heupel† $1,700,000
    6 Tulane University Willie Fritz $1,629,000
    7 University of Tulsa Philip Montgomery $1,518,177
    8 East Carolina University Scottie Montgomery $1,102,500
    9 University of Connecticut Randy Edsall $1,100,000
    10 University of South Florida Charlie Strong $1,000,000
    11 Southern Methodist University Sonny Dykes† TBA
    12 Temple University Geoff Collins TBA
    • † New hire

    Conference individual honors

    Coaches and media of The American award individual honors at the end of each football season.[56]

    Men's basketball

    In June 2013, it was announced that the inaugural men's basketball tournament would take place at FedExForum in Memphis.[57] FedExForum had previously hosted eight Conference USA basketball tournaments.

    Even though the Big East Conference was meant to be a basketball-oriented conference, UConn, a member of The American, won the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament (the first after the conferences split).

    All-time school records by winning percentage

    This list goes through the 2016–17 season.

    No.TeamRecordsWin Pct.The American
    Tournament
    Championships    		The American
    Regular Season
    Championships    		Final FoursNational
    Championships
    1Temple1,840–933.6640121
    2Connecticut1,609–903.6411054
    3Memphis1,459–852.6310030
    4Cincinnati1,669–974.6311262
    5Houston1,165–805.5910050
    6Tulsa1,362–1,092.5550000
    7Wichita State1,456–1,186.5510020
    8UCF665–549.5480000
    9SMU1,314–1,192.5242210
    10Tulane1,166–1,191.4950000
    11East Carolina1,018–1,055.4910000
    12South Florida584–664.4680000

    Conference champions

    Regular SeasonTournament
    YearChampionsRecordAPCoaches'PostseasonChampionsRecordAPCoaches'Postseason
    2013–14[lower-alpha 1] Louisville[lower-alpha 2] 31–6 (15–3) #5 #9 NCAA Sweet Sixteen Louisville 31–6 #5 #9 NCAA Sweet Sixteen
    Cincinnati 27–7 (15–3) #15 #22 NCAA Second Round
    2014–15 SMU 27–7 (15–3) #18 RV NCAA First Round SMU 27–7 #18 RV NCAA First Round
    2015–16 Temple 21–12 (14–4) NR NR NCAA First Round Connecticut 25–10 (11–7) RV RV NCAA Second Round
    2016–17 SMU 30–4 (17–1) #12 #15 NCAA First Round SMU 30–4 #12 #15 NCAA First Round
    2017–18 Cincinnati 30–4 (16–2) #8 #8 NCAA Second Round Cincinnati 30–4 #8 #8 NCAA Second Round
    1. ↑ Connecticut, after being eliminated from the conference tournament, went on to become the national champions after beating Kentucky 60–54 in the title game.
    2. ↑ After Louisville basketball staffer Andre McGee was found to have paid a local madam to provide strippers and prostitutes to players and recruits from 2010 through 2014, the NCAA ordered all Louisville records from the 2010–11 through 2013–14 seasons to be vacated.[58]

    Women's basketball

    In June 2013, it was announced that the inaugural women's basketball tournament would take place at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.[59] Women's basketball teams have played a total of 20 times in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship (since 1982), with UConn winning 11 national championships under head coach Geno Auriemma since 1995. Women's national championship tournaments prior to 1982 were run by the AIAW.

    All-time school records by winning percentage

    This list goes through the 2016–17 season.[60]

    No.TeamRecordsWin Pct.The American
    Tournament
    Championships    		The American
    Regular Season
    Championships    		Final FoursNational
    Championships
    1Connecticut1,082–297.785441811
    2Memphis781–590[lower-alpha 1].5700000
    3Tulane684–534.5620000
    4Temple806–653–3.5520000
    5SMU630–534.5410000
    6East Carolina705–600.5400000
    7Houston650–603.5190000
    8Cincinnati636–628.5030000
    9South Florida604–649.4820000
    10UCF546–611.4720000
    11Wichita State571–647[lower-alpha 2].4690000
    12Tulsa326–544.3750000
    1. ↑ Record since the 1972–73 season, considered by Memphis to be the start of its "modern era" of women's basketball.
    2. ↑ Record since the 1976–77 season, considered by Wichita State to be the start of its "modern era" of Division I women's basketball.

    Conference champions

    Regular SeasonTournament
    YearChampionsRecordAPCoaches'PostseasonChampionsRecordAPCoaches'Postseason
    2013–14Connecticut40–0 (18–0)#1#1NCAA ChampionConnecticut40–0 (18–0)#1#1NCAA Champion
    2014–15Connecticut38–1 (18–0)#1#1NCAA ChampionConnecticut38–1 (18–0)#1#1NCAA Champion
    2015–16Connecticut38–0 (18–0)#1#1NCAA ChampionConnecticut38–0 (18–0)#1#1NCAA Champion
    2016–17Connecticut36–1 (16–0)#1#1Final FourConnecticut36–1 (16–0)#1#1Final Four
    2017–18Connecticut36–1 (16–0)#1#1Final FourConnecticut36–1 (16–0)#1#1Final Four

    Facilities

    InstitutionFootball stadiumCapacityBasketball arenaCapacityBaseball stadiumCapacity
    Cincinnati Nippert Stadium 40,000 Fifth Third Arena 13,176 Marge Schott Stadium 3,085
    Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field 42,704 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
    XL Center    		 10,167
    15,564    		 J. O. Christian Field 2,000
    East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium 50,000 Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum 8,000 Clark-LeClair Stadium 5,000
    Houston TDECU Stadium 40,000 Fertitta Center[lower-alpha 1] 8,479 Cougar Field 5,000
    Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 59,308 FedExForum (men)
    Elma Roane Fieldhouse (women)    		 18,119
    2,565    		 FedExPark 2,000
    South Florida Raymond James Stadium 65,908 Yuengling Center 10,411 USF Baseball Stadium 3,211
    SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium 32,000 Moody Coliseum 7,000 Non-baseball school
    Temple Lincoln Financial Field 68,532 Liacouras Center
    McGonigle Hall (women)[lower-alpha 2]    		 10,206
    3,900    		 Non-baseball school
    Tulane Yulman Stadium 30,000 Devlin Fieldhouse 4,100 Turchin Stadium 5,000
    Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium 30,000 Reynolds Center 8,355 Non-baseball school
    UCF Spectrum Stadium 45,323 CFE Arena 9,465 Jay Bergman Field 3,600
    Wichita State Non-football member[lower-alpha 3] Charles Koch Arena 10,506 Eck Stadium 7,851
    Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 34,000 Associate member
    1. ↑ Due to delays in the renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion, to be renamed Fertitta Center upon its reopening in December 2018, the men's and women's basketball teams will start their 2018–19 seasons at the Health and Physical Education Arena at Texas Southern University (capacity 8,100), where they played home games in 2017–18.[61]
    2. ↑ Temple splits its women's basketball schedule between McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center.
    3. ↑ Wichita State discontinued its football program following the 1986 season. The Shockers' football facility, Cessna Stadium (capacity 30,000) still stands. It is the home of the Shockers' track and field program and hosts football games for Wichita's Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.

    Academics

    One of the current full member schools, Tulane University, is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.[62] Seven members are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[63] Member schools are also highly ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly, and Times Higher Education.

    University Location Affiliation Carnegie[63] Endowment[64] USN Nat.[65] WM Nat.[66] URAP U.S.[67]
    University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Public (SUSF) Research (VH) $135,500,000 176 211 114
    University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Public (USO) Research (VH) $1,183,922,000 135 191 57
    University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut Public Research (VH) $436,900,000 60 81 94
    East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina Public (UNC) Doctoral $164,065,000 210 171 69
    University of Houston Houston, Texas Public (UH System) Research (VH) $789,700,000 194 68 104
    University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Public (TBR) Research (H) $200,750,000 RNP 37 188
    University of South Florida Tampa, Florida Public (SUSF) Research (VH) $447,000,000 159 78 72
    Southern Methodist University University Park, Texas Private (Methodist) Research (H) $1,466,258,000 56 260 164
    Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public (CSHE) Research (VH) $386,758,000 118 195 108
    Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana Private (non-sectarian) Research (VH) $1,183,924,000 39 100 112
    University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma Private (Presbyterian) Doctoral $1,015,474,000 86 164 297
    Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas Public (KBOR) Doctoral $235,500,000 RNP (Tier 2) 233 258

    Media

    As of 2014, The American has carriage agreements with the following broadcast and cable networks.[68][69][70]

    Television

    • ABC broadcasts select football games.
    • CBS broadcasts up to 12 appearances for men's and women's basketball games. CBS, under a separate contract with Navy that predated its association with The American for football, also carries select Navy neutral site football games, including all games against the U.S. Military Academy and select games against Notre Dame and Air Force.
    • CBS Sports Network broadcasts football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball.
    • ESPN broadcasts football, men's and women's basketball, across its networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, and ESPNU). ESPN broadcasts the men's and women's basketball tournament, and the football championship game.
    • Fox Sports Ohio broadcasts select men's basketball and football games for the University of Cincinnati.
    • SportsNet New York broadcasts select men's basketball, women's basketball, and football games for the University of Connecticut.
    • Cox Kansas broadcasts select basketball, baseball and volleyball games for Wichita State University.
    • Spectrum Sports broadcasts select basketball games for SMU.

    Internet

    See also

    Notes

    1. ↑ The American is the legal all-sports successor to the Big East Conference (1979–2013). The Big East was rebranded and reorganized as the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.
    2. ↑ The American is the legal successor to the Big East Conference (1979–2013) and retains its charter. The current Big East Conference purchased the "Big East" name during the 2013 conference breakup.
    3. ↑ The other conferences in the "Group of Five" are Conference USA (C-USA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
    4. ↑ Connecticut's football program did not join the conference until 2004.
    5. ↑ Temple was not a Big East football member between the 2005 and 2011 seasons, most of this time being spent in the Mid-American Conference. Temple joined as a football only member in 2012, and as an all-sports member in 2013.
    6. ↑ Non-football member.
    7. ↑ Rutgers joined the conference in 1991 as a football-only member, and joined in all-sports in 1995.
    8. ↑ Under NCAA Bylaw 20.9.4, all Division I schools are required to sponsor a minimum of seven men's and seven women's sports, or six men's and eight women's sports. Bylaw 20.9.7.1 imposes the latter requirement on FBS schools. FCS schools, under Bylaw 20.9.8.1, may use either requirement. Note that this does not explicitly require that a school sponsor two more women's sports than men's sports. See "2012–13 NCAA Division I Manual" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
    9. ↑ Navy continues to field most of its other sports in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.
    10. 1 2 Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other.
    11. ↑ The only category of rowing that the NCAA governs is women's heavyweight rowing. All men's rowing is governed by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.
    12. ↑ At the time Navy joined in football, the NCAA required 12 teams for a conference to conduct divisional play and stage a championship game that was exempt from the NCAA-imposed limit of 12 regular-season games. Starting with the 2016 season, a conference can conduct an "exempt" championship game with fewer than 12 members, as long as it either plays in two divisions or conducts a full round-robin schedule.
    13. ↑ If The American's champion is the highest ranked from among the "Group of Five" conferences, it will receive a bid to either the Cotton Bowl, the Peach Bowl, or the Fiesta Bowl. If the team is ranked in the top four at the end of the regular season, it will take part in the College Football Playoff.

    References

    1. 1 2 "New Name in College Sports – Current BIG EAST Enters New Era as 'American Athletic Conference'". April 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
    2. 1 2 Katz, Andy (March 15, 2013). "What's next for the 'old Big East'". ESPN. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
    3. 1 2 McMurphy, Brett (March 1, 2013). "Catholic 7 to keep 'Big East' name for new league next season, according to sources". ESPN. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
    4. ↑ Mandel, Stewart (November 12, 2012). "Big East, rest of 'Group of Five' score win with six-bowl decision". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
    5. ↑ "The American Athletic Conference - About the American Athletic Conference". February 9, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    6. ↑ "Big East Conference - BIG EAST Conference History". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    7. 1 2 Russo, Ralph (March 8, 2013). "Big East completes official split of football, basketball". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
    8. ↑ Blaudschun, Mark (March 8, 2013). "Naming original Big East was simple". AJerseyGuy.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    9. 1 2 Crouthamel, Jake (December 8, 2000). "A Big East History and Retrospective, Part 1". SUAthletics.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    10. ↑ Sarah Maslin Nir (September 17, 2011). "Dave Gavitt, the Big East's Founder, Dies at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    11. ↑ "Big East, Villanova Make It Official". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. March 13, 1980. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    12. ↑ Hanley, Richard F (November 19, 1981). "Pittsburgh To Join Big East". Record-Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    13. ↑ "Big East Football Timeline". Philadelphia Inquirer. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    14. ↑ Thamel, Pete (May 7, 2012). "Commissioner John Marinatto Steps Down Amid Big East's Instability". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    15. ↑ "Big East 'unwilling' to meet terms". ESPN. January 3, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
    16. ↑ Katz, Andy; McMurphy, Brett (December 11, 2012). "Big East fate vexes Catholic schools". ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
    17. ↑ "Seven schools leaving Big East". ESPN. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
    18. ↑ Rovell, Darren (January 6, 2013). "Sources: 'Catholic 7' eyes big TV deal". ESPN. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
    19. ↑ Harten, David (March 5, 2013). "Catholic 7 has framework to keep Big East name, MSG as tourney site". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
    20. ↑ Blaudschun, Mark (March 6, 2013). "Big East, Catholic 7 ready to make split official". AJerseyGuy.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
    21. ↑ "Report: $100M for football schools". ESPN. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
    22. ↑ Former Big East to be named American Athletic Conference. ESPN (April 4, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
    23. ↑ Wolken, Dan (May 29, 2013). "American Athletic Conference unveils its primary logos". USA Today. Beyond the challenge of avoiding something that looked corporate, the league also couldn't build the logo around an acronym. From the very beginning, the conference office has been adamant that it wants to be known as The American instead of the AAC to avoid confusion with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
    24. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
    25. ↑ Rutgers Scarlet Knights accept invitation to join Big Ten as Board of Governors gives go-ahead to athletic director Tim Pernetti. NY Daily News (November 19, 2012). Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
    26. 1 2 "At a glance: Latest wave of conference realignment". USA Today. June 29, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
    27. ↑ "The American adds Associate Members for Women's Rowing" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
    28. ↑ Dodd, Dennis (March 3, 2017). "Wichita State getting 'serious evaluation' to join American Athletic Conference". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
    29. ↑ Thamel, Pete (March 31, 2017). "Sources: Wichita State in talks to join AAC as soon as 2017–18". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
    30. ↑ "Source: Wichita St. eyes 2017 move to AAC". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
    31. ↑ "AAC Is Preparing For Wichita State To Join League In 2017–18". www.fanragsports.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
    32. ↑ "Wichita State to Become Member of American Athletic Conference" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
    33. ↑ "UCF Facts 2017-2018 - University of Central Florida - Orlando, FL". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    34. ↑ "UC Facts". University of Cincinnati. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    35. ↑ https://uconn.edu/content/uploads/2018/02/2018-Fact-Sheet-University-of-Connecticut.pdf
    36. ↑ "Record Enrollment". www.ecu.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    37. ↑ https://www.uh.edu/ir/reports/facts-at-a-glance/facts-at-a-glance.pdf
    38. ↑ "UofM Facts at a Glance - About UofM - The University of Memphis". www.memphis.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    39. ↑ http://www.usf.edu/ods/documents/system-facts/usf-system-facts-2016-17.pdf
    40. ↑ "StudentEnrollment2017 - SMU". www.smu.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    41. ↑ http://www.temple.edu/ira/documents/data-analysis/Fact-Book/TU_Fact_Book_2017-2018.pdf
    42. ↑ "Facts and Figures - Tulane University". tulane.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    43. ↑ "TU Fast Facts - The University of Tulsa". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    44. ↑ http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/depttoolsmemberfiles/opa/BIPM/Enrollment_Fall_Census_OPAweb.pdf
    45. ↑ The Official Site of The American Athletic Conference – Sponsored Sports. American Athletic Conference. Retrieved on June 10, 2014.
    46. ↑ "American Athletic Conference to Sponsor Women's Lacrosse Beginning in 2019" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
    47. ↑ "New Southland Bowling League Established". Southland Conference. January 20, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
    48. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf
    49. ↑ "BCS Chronology". bcsfootball.org. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
    50. ↑ Myerberg, Paul (November 13, 2012). "Big East announces divisions, adds conference title game". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
    51. ↑ "American Announces Football Schedule Format for 2015–18". USA Today. December 18, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
    52. ↑ Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013). "Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff". USA Today. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
    53. ↑ "American Bowl Lineup 2014–19". sidearm sports. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
    54. 1 2 "Salaries & Contracts". Coaches Hot Seat. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
    55. ↑ "USA TODAY Sports". USA TODAY Sports. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    56. ↑ American Athletic Conference (December 11, 2013). "American Athletic Conference Announces 2013 Postseason Football Honors". Retrieved December 31, 2013.
    57. ↑ "American Athletic Conference picks Memphis to host league's 1st men's basketball tournament". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
    58. ↑ Schlabach, Mark (February 20, 2017). "NCAA denies Louisville's appeal, rules Cardinals must vacate 2013 national title". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
    59. ↑ "AAC tournament host site picked". ESPN. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
    60. ↑ "NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Records Through 2012–13" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
    61. ↑ Duarte, Joseph (March 4, 2018). "UH will begin next season at H&PE Arena while Fertitta Center is being finished". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
    62. ↑ "AAU Member Institutions and Years of Admission". Association of American Universities. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
    63. 1 2 "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
    64. ↑ "National Association of College and University Business Officers" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business. 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
    65. ↑ "Best College Rankings and Lists". U.S. News & World Report. 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    66. ↑ "Washington Monthly College Guide 2016 National Universities". Washington Monthly. 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
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    68. ↑ "American Athletic Conference on TV". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
    69. ↑ "CBS Sports Network Lands Rights to American Athletic Conference". CBS Sports. August 21, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
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