As the musical chairs game that has become conference realignment marches on, everyone is positioning themselves for the next, big move. And that’s certainly true with the AAC, where teams have been poached for the Big 12 and ACC, and more want to make their move, too.
Most recently, at AAC Media Days, new Memphis head coach Charles Huff was asked about how he perceives the transient nature of the AAC coaching realm. Huff responded, “I’m in the best situation possible. I’m in a vehicle that has the resources, the platform, the opportunity to continue to grow. So hopefully, I’ll be standing here, one more, two more, three more years, and then I’ll be standing in the Power 4 Conference, with the same logo on, with the same people, with the same President, the same AD and some of the same players, because I’m standing in a vehicle that can do that… I feel really good, not only about tomorrow, and fall camp, and this season, but for the next 10 years.”
Memphis has been a member of the AAC since 2014 and has five double-digit win seasons during that stretch, while finishing atop the league three times, with their 2019 Cotton Bowl appearance being the apex during this run.
Is Memphis a Big 12 Target?
Memphis has been on the Big 12’s list for 10 years, since the league was exploring expansion under Bob Bowlsby. Geographically, it’s a natural fit. But it just hasn’t risen to the point where it was a better option than UCF, Houston or Cincinnati. The Memphis TV market is smaller than each of those three, and while Memphis football has had success, its success did not rise to the level of any of those three programs in recent years.
Memphis has, unfortunately, become a place to succeed and then take a Power 4 job. Look at, most recently, Ryan Silverfield, who just took over at Arkansas, and then prior to him, Mike Norvell, at Florida State.
I am not sold on the Big 12 needed to add a Memphis, at this point in time. However, with the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, if Memphis proves it has NIL resources that can make it competitive at the highest level, then, as a Big 12 guy, I’d be open to the conversation.
