With many eyes focusing on the Air Force Falcons and what their future holds as a potential target in conference realignment, their murky future cleared up on Monday.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, Air Force is expected to remain in the Mountain West despite interest from the AAC.
“The Air Force Academy has committed to remaining in the Mountain West Conference,” Dellenger wrote. “Signing or expected to soon sign a new grant-of-rights deal with financial incentives.”
With the Pac-12 Conference sparking the conference realignment fire over the past few weeks, representatives from the American Athletic Conference entered the fold. With multiple AAC teams connected to the newly formed Pac-12, the AAC showed some interest in the possibility of adding Air Force from the Mountain West.
The idea of the Falcons jumping to the AAC stemmed from the possibility of joining the league with two service members in the conference, the Army and Navy, to make a trifecta of military-based football teams.
However, following an update from the AAC regarding the status of Tulane, Memphis, and USF, the 14 current members appear to be staying put. As seen in the past, the announcement doesn’t mean much until the grant-of-rights deal is announced.
With multiple members of the Mountain West electing to jump ship and join Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12, Air Force could still be on the move if things fall through with the MWC.
