The AAC will have a big opportunity to prove itself this bowl season across the eight bowl games its member teams have qualified for.
The American Athletic Conference knew from its inception that it would be fighting an uphill battle for legitimacy.
In 2013, the first year of the conference's existence, five teams qualified for a bowl game but two of them--Louisville and Rutgers--were on their way out. The three bowl teams which would still be in the conference the following year posted a 1-2 record in their bowl games, with Central Florida's win over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl serving as the saving grace.