Things are changing left and right when it comes to college athletics. Yes, NIL is always going to be at the forefront of conversations, but leave it to the American Athletic Conference to get everyone talking to start the new week.
Actually, we can no longer call it that. Wait, what? That's right, in some surprising news on Monday, it was announced that the AAC is going through a rebrand and it will now be known as the American Conference moving forward.
Shaping the future of college athletics with innovation, competition, grit and service.
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The AAC has gone through a rebrand and it will now be known as the American Conference
"A brand is more than a name," conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said in a statement via ESPN. "Over the past year, we stepped back, listened and involved our community. That's how real, lasting identity is built. We're not slick, we're strong. This brand defines who we are, service and mission -- driven institutions of higher learning with highly competitive athletics and deeply committed leaders."
The new name isn't the only change for the conference either, as 'Soar' the eagle has been revealed as the official new mascot as well. Things have been on the rise for the conference of late, with popular teams in both football and basketball continuing to impress.
This of course includes the great things going on with the University of Memphis both on the gridiron and on the hardwood. However, countless headlines are being written with Memphis offering up $200 million to try and join the Big 12 according to Ross Dellenger.
Yeah, that's pretty wild. Despite that, expansion for the Big 12 isn't expected at this time, meaning Memphis is going to have to keep on putting on a show in the American Athletic Conference - sorry, we mean the American Conference. It's surely going to take plenty of people some time to get used to that.