How Air Force could break college football realignment again

The college football world is still adjusting in the aftermath of the Pac-12’s dismantling in 2023.

Now with the once-thought defunct conference attempting a rebirth by poaching four Mountain West schools in 2026, another mad scramble by conferences to snag new members could unfold.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that the Air Force Academy, currently a member of the Mountain West, is being targeted by the American Athletic Conference (AAC) to join its ranks. If that move were to come to fruition, then the Mountain West would be under the eight-team minimum for NCAA conferences to be FBS eligible.

The Pac-12, currently consisting of two members — Washington State and Oregon State — is in a two-year grace period after it lost 10 members to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC this season.

The additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State would still leave it two members short of the minimum, meaning more moves are coming.

The AAC’s interest in a third service academy — Army and Navy are both current members — would indicate it’s bracing for further departures. Memphis and Tulane have been frequently mentioned as additional possibilities to join the Pac-12 and round out its ranks.

The biggest victim if that chaotic chain reaction were to be retriggered: the Mountain West.

It’s ironic because the Mountain West essentially threw the Pac-12 a lifeline after it was cannibalized by the other Power Conferences, signing a football scheduling agreement to keep the two remaining members involved as it attempted to recover.

Now that the deal is set to expire after only one season, the Pac-12 will suck the life force out of its ally to sustain its survival in this new college football landscape.

It’s unclear how far along talks are for Air Force to potentially join the AAC, but fans should brace themselves for the continued aftershocks of last year’s seismic conference realignment.