AAC Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference

After two decades of futility, Army has begun to reemerge as a mid-major independent to be reckoned with in college football. The Black Knights won 10 games in 2017, their best season since 1996. Jeff Monken has turned around fortunes in West Point so that they are sustainably trending upward. What, though, is the next step for a historic powerhouse with ambitions to return to some semblance of prominence?

Joining a conference would allow the Black Knights to solidify that growth curve. Army has attempted conference membership once before in its history. The Black Knights were members of Conference USA between 1998 and 2004. It was the beginning of a long stretch of obsolescence for Army, as they went 13-67 overall in seven seasons of C-USA membership.

For teams with a long history of independence, joining a league can prove tough to actually pull off. But there are some clear incentives for the Black Knights to leave behind independence and join the AAC. A failed first attempt at conference membership shouldn’t scare away Army from trying it again.

Their biggest rival, Navy, managed to successfully join the American Athletic Conference. The ability for the Midshipmen to integrate in and find their footing bodes well for another service academy to join the fold.