Fri, Sep 2, 2022 

IRVING, Texas – American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco has issued the following statement following today’s announcement by the College Football Playoff Board of Managers.

On behalf of Tulane President Michael Fitts, Chair of the American Athletic Conference Board of Directors, and SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Turner, The American’s College Football Playoff Board of Managers representative, we are extremely pleased with the playoff expansion announced today.

We have been staunch proponents of the 12-team playoff model, including the six highest-ranked conference champions, since it was initially proposed by the College Football Playoff Working Group last June, and I am happy to see that the CFP Board of Managers unanimously supported this model.

This format will provide for memorable postseason experiences for many student-athletes and will annually reward those teams that have earned the right to compete for the National Championship. It is a merit-based format that recognizes the value of conference championships while simultaneously allowing at-large access for six deserving teams.

I applaud the Board of Managers for acting in the best interest of college football, and I want to thank Gerald Turner for his important and outstanding contributions to the Board’s deliberations. I look forward to working on the details with my fellow commissioners as we look to implement this format.

COURTESY AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COMMUNICATIONS