Memphis, Tulane, USF announce commitment to AAC amid Pac-12 expansion attempt

An official decision from Memphis, Tulane and South Florida regarding a potential move to the Pac-12 has been made.

The three AAC programs have announced a commitment to the AAC, opting to remain with the conference over moving to the Pac-12. The Pac-12 has been trying to rebuild their brand, but they’ll have to look elsewhere, as it seems as if Memphis, Tulane and USF won’t be joining.

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We are the American Athletic Conference. pic.twitter.com/nuwCtF0dQz

— The American (@American_Conf) September 23, 2024

“We are the American Athletic Conference,” the statement between the trio of schools, along with UTSA, read. “A conference that prioritizes student-athlete welfare, has proud academic institutions, produces fierce competition at the highest level, and has outstanding linear and direct-to-consumer national media partners.

“Together, we are committed to continuing to build the American brand, exploring new opportunities for exposure and value, and developing innovative economic resources, all in service of our student-athletes.

“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interest to uphold our commitment to each other. Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”

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With Oregon State and Washington State already in-hand, the Pac-12 added Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. It would’ve been a huge boon to land Memphis, Tulane and South Florida, but it’s evident that won’t be the case.

Moving forward, it’s easy to see that the chief goal now for the Pac-12 is to continue adding members, as they look to return to their roots after being ravaged by the Big Ten and Big 12 last year.

“The interest in the Pac-12 as a brand, and the interest in the future conference that we’re going to create and build is very, very high across a lot of different stakeholders,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Goul recently told On3, via Pete Nakos. “Whether it’s potential media partners, whether it’s other corporate partners, institutions from other conferences, there’s just a lot of buzz and a lot of energy and a lot of interest in what we’re doing moving forward.”

Now, the elephant in the room for the Pac-12 is the fact that they need to add at least two more schools to reach the NCAA’s minimum to qualify as an FBS conference. The deadline to reach eight schools is July 2026. They might have to look elsewhere, with Memphis, Tulane and USF staying put.

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this article.