The American Athletic Conference has made a power move, voting to expand their conference even further as conference realignment continues. Per reports, the AAC has voted to allow one of the nation’s most prestigious academies and football programs into their league as early as 2024.
Army to Join AAC in 2024
Per a report by Pete Thamel, AAC officials voted Army into the league as a football-only member. Thamel noted that the sides are working toward an entry date of 2024.
The Army Black Knights haven’t played as part of an affiliated conference since 2004 when they were a member of the Conference USA.
Army is one of the last four FBS independent teams and are led by Jeff Monken. They’ve successfully integrated a new-look triple-option offense and are one of the leaders of innovation on that front.
Army’s Rich History
Looking back at Army’s history, it’s clear how prestigious this program is.
MORE: Why would Army want to join the AAC?
The Black Knights claim their three national titles in a dominant run during a stretch of football that is almost unquestioned as one of the greatest runs in the sport’s early days.
Claimed National Titles:
- 1944
- 1945
- 1946
Their three Heisman winners include back-to-back winners in the 1940s:
- Doc Blanchard – 1945
- Glenn Davis – 1946
- Pete Dawkins – 1958
Army first took part in a college football game in 1890 and they have an all-time record of 723-541-51. There have been 37 consensus All-Americans from the Black Knights to boot.
AAC Teams in 2024
All summer long, conference realignment dominated the discussion around college football. The AAC was hit hard in the 2022-23 circuit as UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati jumped to the Big 12. SMU is leaving for the ACC in 2024, leaving a spot open for the conference to continue expansion.
MORE: Why would the AAC want Army?
The AAC will now comprise of the following teams for football only in 2024:
- Army
- Charlotte
- ECU
- FAU
- Memphis
- North Texas
- Navy
- South Florida
- Rice
- Temple
- Tulane
- Tulsa
- UAB
- UTSA