AAC members are diverse research universities, mostly located in urban areas across the Northeast, Midwest, and South. The conference evolved from the original Big East Conference, initially maintaining the Big East’s status as a power conference in college football’s Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

Since 2014, with the introduction of the College Football Playoff, the AAC has been part of the “Group of Five” conferences. This status gives the AAC a chance to compete for a spot in the prestigious New Year’s Six bowl games, though not the same automatic qualification as the Power Five conferences.