2016 American Athletic Conference football season was the 25th NCAA Division I FBS football season of the American Athletic Conference ( The American ) . The season was the third since the breakup of the former Big East Conference , and the third season with the College Football Playoff in place . The American was considered a member of the " Group of Five " ( G5 ) with Conference USA , the Mid-American Conference , Mountain West Conference , and the Sun Belt Conference . Whereas under the previous system the champion of the conference was guaranteed an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game , the highest-ranked champion member of the G5 received a bid to one of the six major bowls
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2016 American Athletic Conference football season