AAC targets Air Force for expansion while Mountain West suffers member exodus to Pac-12

As Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports confirms, Air Force has become a target of the American Athletic Conference in the latest wave of conference realignment. By DoddThe AAC has shown interest in Air Force as well as Mountain West Conference program UNLV.

The news of the AAC’s interest in the Air Force comes one week after the Pac-12 officially announced that current members Oregon State and Washington State will be joined by Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State on July 1, 2026. The Pac-12 is still actively looking for a team to expand its ranks to eight teams.

Conversely, the loss of Air Force would put the Mountain West below the minimum number of eight teams needed to be recognized as a conference at the FBS level. The Mountain West would have two years after Air Force's departure to bolster its ranks and surpass the minimum requirement.

“The American Conference is a groundbreaking brand firmly rooted in grit and hard work, with high-performing and prestigious member institutions,” AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti said in a statement. “Over the past five months, we have prioritized pursuing any opportunity that increases value for our member institutions and student-athletes. Whether through private capital, naming rights, innovative partnerships or realignment, we have proactively evaluated each opportunity and are prepared to take action together to be at the forefront of success and sustainability.”

If Air Force moves from the MWC to the AAC, it would be the first time all three military academies have been united in the same conference. Navy gave up its independence and joined the American in 2015; Army is currently playing its first season in the AAC. Air Force played as an independent for most of its early history, but was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1980 to 1998 before becoming a founding member of the Mountain West in 1999.