The American Athletic Conference was by far the best non-power conference of the early College Football Playoff era. Its best teams were nationally relevant. Many programs were on the rise, and so were the league’s coaches, who went on to Power Five jobs and then got replaced by coaches who often did the same.
Lately, things have not gone as well. The American lost its best teams to the Big 12, and the programs that backfilled those spots have yet to show anything. The hiring train of AAC coaches has slowed down, and the conference has moved backward while several non-power programs outside the league have ascended. The best program in the league, Memphis, is trying hard to get out.
The league literally renamed itself last week, going away from “AAC” and opting to just be called “the American.” As the league literally redefines itself, Godfrey joins Alex and Richard for a discussion of how the American got here and where it might be going over the next few years.
Welcome to RELAUNCH WEEK at SZD
If you haven’t already, this is a great time to become a paid subscriber and get this episode along with many other subscriber exclusives.
Already this week, we’ve published:
Monday: Our “Dead Letters” history special on Miami University, plus an extended interview for subscribers.
Tuesday: Richard’s talk with Coach Dan Casey about the schematic trends that will define this season. Hello, two-QB systems?
We’ll have episodes every day this week. Stick around!
