All the movement started when Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The Big 12 then decided to poach the AAC by grabbing UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.
The league swung and missed for some big name Power 5 programs to replace those schools but Boise State and San Diego State opted to stay put, and that same decision was made by Colorado State and Air Force as well.
That's not the type of reaction the AAC, who want to see the Power Five label shed in favor of a Power Six that would include them, was hoping for.
According to a report from Pete Thamel, the league is expecting six applications for expansion this week.
Those schools are FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice and UAB.
If we're being honest, none of those really move the needle like Boise State or San Diego State would have, but UTSA is on the upswing under Jeff Traylor and UAB has been a consistent winner under Bill Clark.
All six of those schools expected to apply are currently members of the 14-team Conference USA. That would leave C-USA with Western Kentucky, UTEP, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Marshall, Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion.
The expectation is that the six schools will be accepted into the AAC, and the conference will grow to a 14-team league, Thamel adds.
The expectation is that they will be accepted and the AAC will grow to a 14-team football league. (Also 14 teams in hoops.)
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 18, 2021