Never mind, BYU. Forget about it, Army.
At some point this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday, it’s expected UConn will confirm that its non-football sports will be leaving the American Athletic Conference and rejoining the Big East. It’s also expected that the AAC will not allow UConn to remain as a football-only member, creating a void for what would be an 11-team conference that would seemingly need to be filled.
Earlier this week, it was reported that current football independents Army and BYU would be the top candidates, if interested, to fill that void. Tuesday, however, the Cincinnati Enquirer, citing a source with close ties to the conference, is reporting that it’s likely the league won’t replace UConn and would instead move forward with 11 member institutions.
"[D]espite speculation among national media outlets about potential additions on the gridiron, there doesn’t appear to be a school that would agree to join and add value to the league,” the Enquirer wrote.
If the conference does stick with 11 schools, they would very likely eliminate the current two-division setup, setting the stage for the two highest-ranked schools to meet in the league championship game in late November/early December.