Source: Six schools officially apply to join American Athletic Conference

[AZProgressive]

The American Athletic Conference has received applications from six schools hoping to join the conference, and the AAC is expected to send them each a formal letter by the end of the week detailing the terms of expansion, a source with knowledge of the process told ESPN on Tuesday.

Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice and UAB have each officially requested to join the AAC, a move that was first reported by Yahoo Sports on Monday. It's the first step in the realignment process, which is expected to move quickly this week after the university presidents and their general counsels have time to review the terms.

The AAC's desire to expand comes after Cincinnati, UCF and Houston decided this fall to eventually join the Big 12. UConn also left after the 2019 season. The addition of six more schools would expand the AAC to a 14-team conference in football and basketball while crippling Conference USA, where all of the schools currently call home.

According to the source, the earliest they could join the conference would be the 2023-24 season, but it depends on what the AAC works out with the schools that are leaving. AAC bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million buyout fee.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32432496/six-schools-officially-apply-join-american-athletic-conference?platform=amp

The Big 12, American, Conference USA, etc should work out a promotion/relegation type of system though that would screw up the other sports.

[AZProgressive]

1. Sun Belt, Conference USA considering adding teams amid AAC expansion

The Sun Belt and Conference USA are both exploring expansion possibilities as the American Athletic Conference appears poised to soon become a 14-team league, sources tell CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.

The Sun Belt is targeting Southern Miss, Marshall and Old Dominion from Conference USA along with FCS James Madison, as first reported by The Athletic's Chris Vannini.

Conference USA believes it can add James Madison and FBS independent Liberty inside of the next two weeks if details can be worked out, sources tell Dodd. Should C-USA succeed with those additions, it's believed Marshall and Old Dominion would be apt to stay in a nine-team league with C-USA only losing Southern Miss.

The battle for power is just the latest move in what has become a complicated series of realignments happening across the FBS landscape. The news comes on the same day that six Conference USA institutions applied for inclusion into the American Athletic Conference, leaving C-USA with only eight long-term members.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sun-belt-conference-usa-considering-adding-teams-amid-aac-expansion/amp/