AAC schedule may lose power
Conference has 44 wins over Power 5 since its formation
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, UCF players and coaches stormed the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta celebrating the team’s monumental 34-27 win over Auburn in the January 2018 Peach Bowl.
The win capped a 13-0 season for the Knights while giving the American Athletic Conference another signature win over a Power 5 opponent.
The AAC has built a solid reputation for punching over its weight with 44 wins over Power 5 programs since the league was formed in 2015.
It’s helped the conference earn the top Group of 5 spot in the New Year’s Six Access bowl four out of the past five seasons.
But that streak could be in jeopardy this season as Power 5 leagues, also known as autonomous conferences, debate whether to drop nonconference games this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Big Ten and the Pac-12 already announced they were making the move, with the SEC, ACC and Big 12 stating they will wait a few weeks before deciding their plans.
The impact of playing a season without those nonconference games has crossed the minds of many in the AAC.
“It’s been a backburner issue right now because health and safety and whether we can play at all have been the bigger issues, along with, ‘Are we going to be able to play nonconference games?’ because those games mean a lot to us and a lot to the reputation of our conference,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told the Orlando Sentinel last week. “We’ve made our reputation in large part on those nonconference wins — those big wins against top teams — and the fact we play those games has meant a lot to our [Power 6] approach. “Losing those games is disappointing because you don’t have a chance to burnish the reputation of the conference and we’re in an unusual position where those games have [impacted] … how we’re perceived.”
The AAC lost one game due to the Big Ten’s decision, with Cincinnati’s game at Nebraska on Sept. 26 canceled. Meanwhile, Navy’s opener against Notre Dame, scheduled to take place in Ireland, will now be staged in Annapolis because of travel concerns.
Other games hanging in the balance include North
Carolina at UCF (Sept. 4); USF at Texas (Sept. 5); Temple at Miami (Sept. 5); UCF at Georgia Tech (Sept. 12); and TCU at SMU (Sept. 26).
The AAC finished last season with three teams ranked in the final College Football Playoff top-25 rankings — Memphis (17), Cincinnati (21) and Navy (23) — and some of the 2020 preseason rankings have as many as two teams ranked.
While the AAC prefers playing a full 12-game schedule, Aresco knows a decision could be out of the league’s hands. If so, there are contingencies in place, including several 10-game models.
“Our preference is to play 8-2 if we had to go to 10,” Aresco said of the proposal featuring eight conference games and two nonconference matchups. “If we can play 12 and make up the ones we’re losing, then all the better. It matters and we’ll have to weigh that.
“When you can play a TCU or a play a really good North Carolina team with Mack Brown or when you play a Texas, it means a lot to the conference.”
The College Football Playoff selection committee has said it would stick to its process heading into this postseason despite the unique challenges presented by the pandemic. It means bowl selections could be made as usual but without nonconference games available to bolster the AAC’s résumé.
Aresco knows a decision on valuable nonconference games will have to be made soon.
“There’s no question it is an issue that will have to be discussed as to what would position us for New Year’s Day,” Aresco said. “It’s been mentioned, and we’ve talked about it but not at length. We must consider it.
“Let’s hope we can keep some. If we can’t. we’ll point out to the CFP we’re a strong conference. Let’s hope we can play some of those games, but if we can’t we’ll adjust.”