The five American Athletic Conference programs that make the best Pac-12 expansion targets

If the Pac-12 does stick together they have some viable options

The fate of the remaining Pac-12 programs is still up in the air and while a program like Stanford is confident in their chances with the ACC, it would be foolish to count out Oliver Luck. 

The father of the Stanford legend and former AD of West Virginia as well as commissioner of the XFL is currently tasked with figuring out the best options for the conference. A couple days ago he was doing his due diligence on expansion candidates from the American Athletic Conference and Mountain West conference, and was reportedly looking into 12 programs.

As it stands right now, if the Pac-12 does expand their best shot is to pluck schools from the American first since their buyout is cheaper and then wait until 2025 to add some Mountain West programs. While many of us have become familiar with the Mountain West programs, not enough has been said about the American programs.

So, here are the five programs from the American that stand out as the best candidates based on their market and academic ranking. Honorable mention goes to UTSA and Tulsa.

Memphis

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TV Market rank: No. 52

University Ranking: No. 263

We are long past the point of academics being a determining factor. Memphis brings a very competitive football program that has finished within the top-25 two times since 2017. Basketball wise they are one of the premier programs in the country and with Penny Hardaway at the helm would be a fantastic basketball addition when you consider the program's trajectory.  

Tulane

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TV Market rank: No. 50

University Ranking: No. 44

When Pac-12 expansion was first being discussed Tulane was viewed as being too far away, but now that the conference needs a complete rebuild they make a ton of sense. Their football program is trending upwards, and they reside in New Orleans, which the Pac-12 could take advantage of for conference title games if they wanted. 

Rice

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TV Market rank: No. 7

University Ranking: No. 15

This could be the definition of failing up, but luckily for Rice they reside in a top 10 market in the country. They also are one of the more prestigious universities in the country which while it shouldn't matter that much anymore, is a plus. If they do get the bump to the Pac-12, they may invest more in their program and also may have more success. 

USF

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TV Market rank: No. 13

University Ranking: No. 97

With Pac-12 expansion no longer really having the ability to worry about regionalism, landing USF gets them to stretch their footprint even further. While they have had some down years, we have seen this program have success in the past with top-25 finishes in 2016 and 2017. Market size is the name of the game in media rights deals, and having access to yet another large market helps in a major way.  

SMU

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TV Market rank: No. 6

University Ranking: No. 72

SMU to the Pac-12 was something that was likely going to happen had the conference only taken two teams. Outside of San Diego State they are the next best option for a plethora of reasons. They are in a huge market that is a recruiting hot bed, have a big support system of boosters, and are trending in the right direction on the football field.