AAC commissioner Mike Aresco on expansion: Big 12 has 'done what they accused us of doing'

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco laughed as he said it, even though he knows there’s nothing funny about what happened to his league this week.

“It’s ironic that the Big 12 appears to have done what they accused us of doing,” Aresco told The Commercial Appeal Thursday in reaction to the news that Cincinnati, UCF and Houston will be leaving the AAC and joining BYU in the Big 12’s expansion efforts.

He was referring to the cease-and-desist letter Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby sent to ESPN in July alleging the television network and another conference were engaging Big 12 schools in an attempt to lure them away in the wake of the SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma.

The AAC was reported to be the conference in question, an assertion Aresco has repeatedly denied, particularly now that the Big 12 is about to take at least three of his schools.

“I never take it personally, but in this particular case, I hadn’t contacted one single AD from the Big 12,” Aresco said. “We were looking to see how things would play out and seeing if there would be interest in us down the road. Those accusations were completely unfounded. It’s kind of an irony here that they’re talking about going after our schools.”

The AAC will now pursue its own expansion in response, Aresco confirmed, with 10 or 12 schools the most likely configuration for the league. Without Cincinnati, UCF and Houston, the AAC would only have eight members in football and basketball.

Aresco said the AAC hasn’t been officially notified by Cincinnati, UCF or Houston that they are seeking new league affiliation. But reports surfaced Wednesday that Cincinnati and UCF have sent in applications for Big 12 membership and Houston’s Board of Regents voted earlier this week to allow the university to formally pursue a new home for the university’s athletic programs.

Aresco indicated the league would be willing to negotiate on its bylaw that requires schools to give 27 months notice in order to leave for another conference. Schools are also required to pay a $10 million exit fee.

"Our remaining schools have competed extremely well with these schools that are leaving. These schools aren’t dynasties," Aresco said. "And any schools that we add — and there are schools interested in us who play football and basketball at a very high level — they’ll compete at the highest level in this league. The DNA of this league is not going to change."