Sources: Army set to join the American Athletic Conference

Army will become a football-only member of the AAC next season, joining rival Navy in the same conference

America’s team will now be a part of the American Athletic Conference.

Army’s football program is expected to join the AAC for the 2024-25 season, sources told The Inside Zone, as conference presidents voted to accept the institution in. The Black Knights’ decision came after several months of talks between the school and the conference, which both had to sort out numerous logistical issues, from Army getting out of game contracts as an independent program, to resolving television rights issues. Yahoo! Sports first reported the vote.

Army has had a deal with CBS Sports that is scheduled to air every Black Knights home game through 2028. The AAC’s TV deal is with ESPN through 2031-32.

Although Army and Navy are now in the same conference — the formerly independent Midshipmen joined the AAC in 2015 — the rivals’ annual football game will continue to be played as a nonconference game the week after conference championship weekend.

Should Army and Navy both make the AAC championship game, the programs would face off for the conference title and again the following week in the traditional Army-Navy game, although the league title game would not have the branding or distinction that would come with the Army-Navy game that would be played the following week at a neutral site on CBS.