Andrew Pace
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is divided into three divisions based on scholarship allocation, with each division consisting of several conferences for regional league competition. The American Conference (formerly the American Athletic Conference), also known as the American, is one such collegiate athletic conference featuring 13 full-member universities and 6 affiliate members. The American Conference has a rich history in basketball, with UConn winning three national championships as an American Conference member and 12 times overall under head coach Geno Auriemma since 1995. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, which competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I, holds two retroactively awarded national championships. The Ivy League, another well-known conference, traces its roots back to the formation of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League in 1901.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | The American Conference (formerly the American Athletic Conference), also known as the American |
| Type | Collegiate athletic conference |
| Location | United States |
| Members | 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities |
| Competition | Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |
| Football teams | Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) |
| Universities | Private and public research universities of various enrollment sizes |
| Regions | Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States |
| Predecessor | Original Big East Conference |
| Status | Inherited the status of the Big East Conference in the BCS's final season |
| Women's basketball | UConn has won three national championships as an American Conference member |
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The Fighting Irish
The team is currently coached by Micah Shrewsberry. Notable former players include Jack Cooley, Nikola Djogo, Martinas Geben, Dane Goodwin, and Jerian Grant.
There is also a separate basketball team called the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, which competes in NCAA Division II. This team has appeared in one NCAA Division I tournament, as well as 19 NCAA Division II tournaments.
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NCAA Division I
The American Conference (formerly the American Athletic Conference), also known as the American, is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in the NCAA's Division I. Its football teams compete in the FBS. Member universities represent a range of private and public research universities of various enrollment sizes located primarily in urban metropolitan areas in the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is another example of an NCAA Division I conference. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Fighting Irish have appeared in the NCAA tournament 37 times and have had 44 winning seasons at their home court, the Purcell Pavilion, since moving there in 1968.
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Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It was founded in 1979 by Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt, who wanted to create an east coast basketball-centric conference. The original members were Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut (UConn), Boston College (BC), and later Villanova and Pittsburgh.
The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991 when it began sponsoring football, adding Miami as a full member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia as football-only members. This unusual structure, with "football" and "non-football" schools, led to instability in the conference. In 1995, Rutgers and West Virginia became full members, and Notre Dame joined as a non-football member.
In 2012, seven non-FBS schools, known as the "Catholic 7", voted unanimously to separate from the football-playing schools. These schools—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova—were motivated by a desire to return to Gavitt's original basketball-focused vision and secure a more lucrative television deal. They retained the Big East name, basketball records, and the right to hold the conference's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Following the departure of the Catholic 7, three new schools—Butler, Creighton, and Xavier—joined the conference on its new launch date of July 1, 2013. UConn also "re-joined" the conference in 2020, becoming the only member with a varsity football team in Division I FBS. Today, the Big East Conference continues to be a prominent athletic conference, with a strong focus on basketball.
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FBS Independents
The number of FBS Independents has fluctuated over the years. In 2011, BYU left the Mountain West Conference to become an FBS Independent, increasing the ranks of independents. In 2013, the Western Athletic Conference dropped football, leading to New Mexico State and Idaho becoming independents. However, in 2014, these two schools rejoined as football-only members of the Sun Belt Conference. Navy also left the ranks of independents in 2015, joining the American Athletic Conference as a football-only member.
UMass became an FBS Independent in 2016, and in 2018, New Mexico State returned to independence after its membership in the Sun Belt Conference was not extended. Liberty, which transitioned from the Big South Conference, also joined the ranks of FBS Independents that year. UConn became an FBS Independent in 2020 after leaving the American Athletic Conference. The most recent changes occurred in 2023 when BYU joined the Big 12 Conference, and Liberty and New Mexico State joined Conference USA.
It's worth noting that Notre Dame, a notable FBS Independent, unsuccessfully attempted to join an athletic conference multiple times in the early 20th century, including the Big Ten in 1926, facing rejection due in part to anti-Catholicism. In 2021, Notre Dame's football program returned to independence, while the university maintained its other sports in the ACC.
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Ivy League
The Ivy League is an NCAA Division I athletic conference made up of eight private institutions of higher education in the United States. The conference is known for its highly competitive academic nature, with all its members being ranked among the top universities in the world. Ivy League schools are also well-regarded for their athletic programmes, with a strong presence in basketball.
The eight members of the Ivy League include some of the most prestigious universities in the world, such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Brown University, and Columbia University. These institutions are renowned for their academic excellence and selective admissions processes.
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Frequently asked questions
The NCAA, or the National Collegiate Athletic Association, is divided into three divisions based on scholarship allocation. Each division is made up of several conferences for regional league competition.
The ACC is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States, featuring 15 member universities. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Ivy League is an athletic conference made up of eight schools that was officially formed in 1954. However, its history can be traced back to the formation of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League in 1901.
The American Conference, formerly the American Athletic Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference featuring 13 full members and 6 affiliate members that compete in the NCAA Division I.
The Yankee Conference was formed in 1947 by four New England Conference members joining with other schools. It became a football-only league and was eventually taken over by the Atlantic 10 Conference.
