Army joining AAC as football-only member in 2024

After nearly two decades of football independence, Army will return to a conference.

As reported by several outlets, including ESPN, the American Athletic Conference (AAC) voted to add the Black Knights as a football-only member in advance of the 2024 season. This keeps the total of football teams in the Group of Five conference at 14 as Army effectively replaces Southern Methodist University (SMU) next year. Along with Stanford and California (Berkeley) from the Pac-12, SMU will join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

For football, Army has been unaffiliated with a conference for most of its existence, but the Black Knights played in Conference USA from 1998 until 2004, when Army chose to go independent once again. While not as powerful of an independent program as the country's most famous one, Notre Dame, Army does hold a unique distinction of being part of the only game in town in late December for its annual tilt against Navy. CBS has broadcast the Army-Navy Game since 1996, and the contest usually marks the end of the college football regular season. Though both Army and Navy football will be in the AAC, their rivalry game will remain a non-conference affair.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic pointed out reasons why the Army-AAC partnership makes sense for both sides:

"The AAC’s ESPN contract through 2031-32 provides stability, though it’s still unclear at the moment whether Army’s home games will move to that deal or remain on CBS Sports Network through 2028, as part of a contract that was extended last year. The conference has schools with strong academic traditions like Tulane, Rice and, of course, Navy. The AAC also has a large footprint in Texas, where all three service academies recruit heavily for football. The 2023 Army roster includes 27 players from the Lone Star State."

Army's move into the AAC may not register as a major one in this latest wave of realignment, but it does leave one fewer space for programs that may have aspired to move into bigger conferences in hopes of making the soon-to-be expanded College Football Playoff. 

Does this mean that Army, a moderately successful football program in this day and age, will try to compete for upper-echelon recruits, conference championships and playoff positioning? That remains to be seen, especially because service academy players are required to serve at least five years in the military unless they are granted special waivers. Army does reap more financial benefits while retaining its traditional game with Navy.