AAC Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference

For a period in the late 1990s, Marshall was the preeminent mid-major in college football. The Thundering Herd moved their way up from the I-AA ranks in 1997 and promptly made a splash at the top level of the sport. The 1996 I-AA national champions promptly won 10 games in the MAC. Marshall followed that introduction up by going 12-1 their second season.

Then Bob Pruett’s team put together a 1999 season to remember. The Thundering Herd ran the table in the MAC, but could not break into the BCS hierarchy. Instead of reaching a major bowl game, Marshall played in its third of four straight Motor City Bowls. Instead of taking down a power-conference school, they knocked off BYU 21-3 to finish the year 13-0.

Marshall has been up and down since moving from the MAC to Conference USA in 2005. After a rough initial shift with four straight losing seasons, Marshall began to find its footing and move up the C-USA pecking order. Between 2013 and 2015, the Thundering Herd finished with 10 or more wins and won the 2014 league crown.

Marshall has the pedigree to bolster the AAC’s ranks. Previous C-USA champions like UCF, Houston, and Tulsa have strengthened the American’s roster of teams. The Thundering Herd have succeeded in previous realignments, and they could do so if the AAC comes calling.