As the Pac-12 Conference eagerly searches for new members to add to the once-great league, on Monday, college sports fans received a new update to the expansion process.
Representatives from Memphis, Tulane, and USF released a post on social media, cementing their commitment to the future of the American Athletic Conference.
“We are the American Athletic Conference,” the release states. “A conference that prioritizes student-athlete welfare, has proud academic institutions, produces fierce competition at the highest level, and has outstanding linear and direct-to-consumer national media partners. Together, we are committed to continuing to build the American brand, exploring new opportunities for exposure and value, and developing innovative economic resources- all in service of our student-athletes.”
Prior to the announcement, news cycled ahead of Week 3 that the two remaining Pac-12 members, Oregon State and Washington State, agreed on a deal to add the likes of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State to help reform the league.
The interest in some of the AAC’s league members came from a report courtesy of TheAthletic’s Bruce Feldman, who stated that the collection of new Pac-12 teams were targeting Tulane and Memphis as possible expansion candidates to join the Pac-12.
“Sources tell me that the Pac-12 has some interest in Tulane and Memphis in the AAC,” Feldman said. “There’s a bunch of other schools they are also considering. Keep in mind, this is not going to be an automatic bid into the CFP, so we’ll see how much interest comes on the other side of this as the league reforms itself.”
“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interest to uphold our commitment to each other,” the release continued. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future the American way.”
With members of the AAC out of the picture for Pac-12 expansion, the former conference of champions will need to go back to the drawing board in order to finish off their future plans.
To get officially back on track, the league needs to reach eight members by 2026. To fill the next two spots, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd revealed that the remaining seven teams in the Mountain West Conference should be viewed as targets and not immune to realignment offers.
