The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday that six schools from Conference USA have accepted invitations to join the AAC.
No timetable has been set Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA to move to the AAC, but ESPN reported that the 2023-24 season would be the earliest date.
The realignment will boost the AAC membership to 14 teams in football and basketball, while leaving C-USA with eight members.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome these six outstanding universities to the American Athletic Conference,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement. “This is a strategic expansion that accomplishes a number of goals as we take the conference into its second decade. We are adding excellent institutions that are established in major cities and have invested in competing at the highest level. We have enhanced geographical concentration which will especially help the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sports teams.”
The AAC is replacing Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, which were all accepted to join the Big 12 last month.
Conference USA rules call for a departure fee of around $3 million per school, according to Yahoo Sports.
–Field Level Media