Mike Aresco to retire: AAC’s only commissioner led transition from Big East, fought for ‘Power Six’ brand

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco is retiring from his place on May 31, 2024, after greater than a decade. Aresco has presided over the convention since its remaining season because the Big East in 2012.

As simply the Big East’s fourth commissioner, Aresco was tasked with overseeing a interval of heavy transition. After a number of key faculties left for energy convention alternatives, the league was restructured into the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013. 

Under his watch, the AAC emerged because the preeminent non-autonomy convention. The league produced 4 New Year’s Six bowl winners, six ladies’s Final Four groups and two males’s Final Four groups. In 2021, Cincinnati turned the only Group of Five group to make the College Football Playoff in its four-team existence. He has lengthy been probably the most vocal critic of the “Power Five” moniker, even going as far to function “Power Six” branding throughout the AAC. 

“It has been the supreme privilege of my long career in sports to have had the opportunity to lead this great conference from its reinvention in 2013, and to represent its outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators,” Aresco mentioned in a press release. “I am grateful to the Board of Directors for giving me this opportunity to serve … there have also been some disappointments and difficulties along the way, most notably, the P5-G5 divide, realignment, College Football Playoff access for our deserving teams and some competitive heartbreak in big games. But these have not affected in any way my enthusiasm in leading this terrific and resilient conference or my optimism for its long-term future.” 

Membership retention has arguably been probably the most tough job for Aresco. In September 2021, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF all introduced plans to be a part of the Big 12. Just this 12 months, SMU introduced a transfer (with Cal and Stanford from the Pac-12) to the ACC. Aresco moved quick, including six faculties from Conference USA that started competitors in 2023. Army joins the fold subsequent 12 months. 

Aresco’s departure is simply the most recent among the many 11 managers of the College Football Playoff. Including Aresco, seven of the ten FBS commissioners may have flipped since 2020. The Big Ten has transitioned twice, the truth is, from Jim Delaney to Kevin Warren to Tony Petitti. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who sits on the CFP Management Committee, can be retiring. The committee is charged with all of the day-to-day operations of the College Football Playoff, together with the main points and logistics of increasing the 12-team area. 

Prior to his work as a convention commissioner, Aresco spent years as a key tv government in faculty athletics. The chief of faculty sports activities programming at CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network helped the community purchase unique NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament rights. Aresco beforehand managed faculty sports activities rights at ESPN.