The AAC recently announced that UCF, Cincinnati and Houston will be joining the Big 12 in the near future, leaving the conference with some massive holes to fill. Already, the league is looking into adding some other teams to bolster their ranks back up.
According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy and confirmed CBS Sports’ by Matt Norlander, the ACC is looking to the Mountain West to add new programs. Both reporters shared that Colorado State and Air Force are the likely targets, with McMurphy saying that an official announcement is possible as soon as next week.
Apparently, the two schools weren’t the AAC’s first choices, but might be what the conference ends up with. Norlander reported that San Diego State and Boise State were “courted” by the ACC but ultimately decided to not jump ship from the Mountain West.
Boise State is expected to wait for an invitation from the Big 12, who has interest in replacing Oklahoma and Texas, who started this latest realignment fiasco by announcing a jump to the SEC.
Most of the realignment rumors have been exactly that: rumors. However, the AAC reports seem to be gaining traction and the conference will want to add teams to replace the powerhouses that it’s losing.
Colorado State once was a regular Mountain West competitor in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, but hasn’t been able to repeat the same success in recent years. The Rams last made a bowl game in 2017.
Air Force has been a program on the rise in the past five seasons and just won 11 games a few years ago in 2019. The Falcons remain a steady force in the Mountain West and could an intriguing addition to the AAC.
Time will tell what Colorado State, Air Force and the AAC decide, but it looks like the realignment is far from over.