Does the American Athletic Conference make the Power Five a Power Six?

The American Athletic Conference schools have started wearing ‘Power Six’ decals on their helmets. Do they really bridge the Group of Five divide?

The American Athletic Conference was born out of the ashes of the Big East. The defection of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers put the American among the Group of Five. They might aspire to Power Five status, but do they measure up against the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12?

Recently the American has tried to sell itself as a “Power Six” conference. Its performance, however, leaves much to be desired. We can stare all day at the number of NFL Draft picks from the league relative to the Power Five. After all, the conference had more draft picks than the Big 12. But draft picks only measure a part of the story. And NFL success often tells little about actual college performance on the field.

The American has talked a big game, but has it really managed to back up that talk with its showings on the gridiron. Here are three reasons why the conference still has a ways to go before it can aspire to breaking the Power Five club and recreating the Power Six of the BCS era.

Here’s why the AAC doesn’t deserve to make the Power Five a Power Six.

3. The American is a diluted version of the Big East

It is important to remember that UCF was effectively a BCS Buster in the final year of the former system that reigned over FBS football for a decade and a half. The Big East enjoyed BCS status during its final season, it is true. But it was always recognized as a second-tier league even among the major conferences during the BCS era.

The conference entered the Bowl Championship Series in 1999 with members like Miami, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. None of those teams remain in the league. A conference that was already a laughingstock among the BCS six has seen most of its prominent programs move on to other leagues.

Among the Big East teams remaining, Cincinnati and Connecticut were the only one aside from UCF who reached a BCS game before the College Football Playoff era. None have been relevant since, with only UCF reaching a bowl game last year.