Report: Army Added to AAC as Football-Only Member Starting with 2024-25 Season

Army football is going to join a conference for the first time in 20 years starting in the 2024-25 season.

Per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, American Athletic Conference presidents voted on Tuesday night to add the Black Knights as a football-only member.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network noted an official announcement from the AAC and Army is expected to come on Wednesday afternoon. Since both teams are in the same conference, he noted that Army and Navy could play in consecutive weeks going forward in the AAC Championship Game and the following week in what would be considered a non-conference game.

Army's move to the AAC for football has been expected. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said in a Sept. 28 interview with Dellenger that both sides were interested in teaming up and an official announcement could come in a "few weeks."

Dellenger highlighted some of the hurdles that had to be cleared before Army could be added to the conference:

"Army's television contract with CBS Sports Network extends through the 2028 season. The network owns all of the program's home games over that stretch. The AAC would begin controlling Army's home game broadcasting rights starting in 2029 unless the league or its broadcasting partner, ESPN, comes to a financial settlement with CBS Sports Network."

He also pointed out Army's status as an independent meant it could have to pay an exit fee of more than $35 million for the 80-plus games on its future schedule, but the program was working with college football scheduling consultant Dave Brown "to break free of the agreements or reschedule the games."

Army will be the seventh program added to the AAC since the start of the 2023-24 season. UAB, Florida Atlantic, UNC-Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA are all in their first year in the American Athletic Conference.

The Black Knights have been an independent in football since leaving Conference USA after the 2004 season. Notre Dame, Connecticut and Massachusetts will be the only remaining independents in FBS when Army is officially added to the AAC.