Report: Army Eyed by AAC as SMU Replacement amid Conference Realignment Rumors

The American Athletic Conference is reportedly targeting Army as a replacement for SMU in football.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Army became the AAC's top choice to be its 14th member in football on Friday after a call involving member school presidents and athletic directors.

Per Thamel, the ACC announced Friday that it plans to add SMU, Stanford and California to the conference next season, leaving the American Athletic Conference with just 13 teams in football.

If Army does join the AAC, it will be for football only, which is the same arrangement that rival Navy has with the conference.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco is reportedly in conversations with Army athletic director Mike Buddie about the Black Knights joining the conference, although nothing is imminent yet.

Army was an independent in football for its entire existence until 1998 when it joined Conference USA. After seven seasons in C-USA, Army returned to independent status in 2005 and has remained there ever since.

Since there is no other conference possibly preventing Army from joining the AAC, the biggest hurdle may be the status of the iconic Army-Navy game.

Thamel noted that the need and desire to keep Army vs. Navy in its usual slot on the schedule, which is the weekend after the conference championship games, would likely require it to be a non-conference game even though Army and Navy would be in the same conference.

From 1997 to 2015, the Black Knights had a losing record in 18 out of 19 seasons, but they have enjoyed a program renaissance since then.

Over the past seven seasons, Army has finished .500 or better six times, playing in five bowl games during that stretch.

After going 9-3 in 2020 and 9-4 in 2021, Army dipped to 6-6 last season, but it ended the campaign on a high note, beating Navy for the second time in three years and the fifth time in seven years.

The Army-Navy game has clearly tilted back in the favor of the Black Knights on the heels of Navy winning the contest 14 years in a row from 2002 to 2015.

Army would be a solid addition to an AAC conference that already lost Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12 this season, and will lose SMU to the ACC next season.