Boise State football: 3 best post-Mountain West options
By John Scimeca
2. Replace UConn in the AAC
UConn was never a good fit for the American Athletic Conference, and they admitted as much in pulling out to rejoin the Big East in all sports except football. The Huskies’ football team will become an Independent this fall. Will the AAC continue with 11 teams, or will they earnestly seek a quality 12th member to balance out the divisions?
Pros: Boise State would add a competitive member to the league’s West Division and would compete against the likes of Memphis, SMU, and Houston. It’s not a geographically perfect fit, but it’s arguably the best Group of 5 league out there for the Broncos to join. The AAC routinely has ranked teams that are capable of competing with Power 5 programs, and Boise State would be among those teams as a conference member.
Cons: Conference game trips to Tulane, Central Florida, and East Carolina aren’t exactly a step up from Boise State’s current Mountain West lineup of opponents. In the long-term, would it help or hinder a program like Memphis or Cincinnati in reaching a New Year’s Six bowl to make a trip to the blue turf of Boise late in the fall?