New-look AAC releases ’23 football slate with 6 new schools

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The American Athletic Conference on Tuesday released its 2023 football schedule that includes the league’s six incoming teams.

Each of the 14 AAC teams will play eight conference games in a single-division format. The top two teams in the standings will play in the conference championship game on Dec. 2.

Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA all officially join the AAC on July 1. Their move from Conference USA will be completed at the same time that current AAC members Cincinnati, Houston and UCF depart for the Big 12 Conference.

Reigning AAC champion Tulane opens the season with four of its first five games at home. It opens at home on Sept. 2 against South Alabama, then hosts Southeastern Conference team Mississippi the next week.

The Green Wave were ranked ninth in the final AP Top 25 for the 2022 season after going 12-2, a 10-win improvement from the previous season that marked the best in major college football history. They capped it with a 46-45 win in the Cotton Bowl over Southern California after scoring 16 points in the final 4:07 of the New Year’s Six game.

Navy, also among the eight remaining AAC football schools, will open its season on Sept. 26 against Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland.

Among the other highlighted nonconference games for AAC teams, South Florida will host SEC powerhouse Alabama on Sept. 16. That is a week after league newcomer SMU plays at Oklahoma, which will be the final season in the Big 12 for the Sooners before they go to the SEC.

Teams from the American will play six games each from the SEC and Big 12, and four against the Big Ten.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25