AAC Football: How close is league to “Power Six” status after realignment?

AAC football is going to look fairly different in the coming years as the conference officially announced the addition of six programs following the departures of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.

From an outsider’s perspective, this is a good move for the league, adding some programs from Texas as well as Florida, Alabama, and North Carolina. This is good for expanding the footprint of the AAC, but these programs aren’t exactly game-changers.

AAC football has been calling itself part of a “Power Six” for years because it’s been the best league outside of the Power Five, but losing three perennial powers may change things. Will the six new schools return it back to “Power Six” status?

Let’s take a look at their backgrounds.

UAB has only been playing football since 1991 and the Blazers even got rid of the program a few years ago before reinstating it. They have an all-time record of 153-169-2 and have made four bowl games, winning one, and have won two Conference USA titles.

Charlotte has had a solid season but it has only had a football program since 2013. It’s 38-64 all time and has just one bowl appearance, but the program is trending in the right direction. Still, it’s a very new football program.

FAU, the former home of Lane Kiffin and current stomping ground of Willie Taggart, has had a football program since 2001. The Owls are 108-133 all time, have five bowl appearances and four wins, and have three conference titles with the latest coming in 2019.

North Texas has a more storied history than the rest as it’s been around for over 100 years. The Mean Green are 517-508-33 in their history, have 24 conference titles, and have a 2-8 record in 10 bowl appearances. This might actually be a really solid addition due to the long history, but unless Seth Littrell can turn things around, it means little currently.

Rice football has actually been around longer than North Texas by just one year. The Owls have had a program since 1912 while the Mean Green have been around since 1913. Rice has just a 466-589-32 all-time record, however, to go along with a 7-5 bowl record, and eight conference championships. This could be a quality addition.

And finally, UTSA is the only currently ranked team to join the AAC. The Roadrunners have been around since 2011 and are coming off just their second bowl appearance ever in 2020. They have an all-time record of 59-66 and are currently one of the hottest Group of Five teams in the nation.

Are these the six that will make AAC football part of a “Power Six”?

Is AAC football closer to “Power Six” status now?

Honestly, no. Losing Cincinnati (a true playoff threat), UCF (a former self-proclaimed national champ), and Houston (a perennial contender in the AAC) hurts a ton. Those three programs were why the conference considered itself part of a “Power Six” and now they are no longer there.

UAB, Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, and UTSA do expand the range of the conference, but they aren’t nearly at the same level as Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston. Those six new programs don’t even equal the strength of the three departures.

It’s still a good move for the league because it shows that it’s not going to just dissolve because three big dogs left, but unless the six newcomers somehow become Group of Five powers, it’s not going to make up for the losses.