The American Conference went beachside for its 2026 media days, shifting the occasion to the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, FL. The 14-team league, unaffected by convention realignment since 2024, is recent off considered one of its most profitable seasons in historical past. In 2025, the American champion produced its second-ever College Football Playoff participant, noticed three groups ranked within the ultimate AP Poll, had three groups attain 11 win or extra wins, and despatched a conference-record 9 groups to bowl video games.
Third-year American commissioner Tim Pernetti took the rostrum in St. Petersburg to weigh in on the state of the convention and opine on a few of the most urgent points in college soccer:
Protect College Sports Act
One of the most popular subjects in college soccer is the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan invoice proposed by Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell that may reshape a number of aspects of college athletics. The invoice, which is presently on the Senate ground, introduces adjustments together with elevated regulation on title, picture, likeness (NIL) agreements, a one-time switch coverage, restrictions on in-season head coach motion, and the prevention of huge superconferences.
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Like most convention commissioners at media days, Pernetti expressed help for the laws whereas acknowledging its imperfections.
“While this bill isn’t perfect, it addresses the core challenges facing the industry,” Pernetti mentioned. “It demands that NIL deals have a legitimate business purpose. I promise you this, that will put an end to these sham pay-for-play deals that are turning recruiting into this unchecked auction.”
But not like a few of his commissioner counterparts, Pernetti has been at the forefront of conversations within the nation’s capital, positioning himself to doubtlessly serve on a fee that oversees the way forward for college athletics. Pernetti credited Army and Navy’s membership within the American as his foot within the door in Washington, permitting him to raise his convention’s voice in high-profile discussions.
“Army and Navy being in our conferences has been great for us, but their engagement enabled me to create engagement in Washington, D.C., which got me in the room as part of these committees for college sports,” Pernetti mentioned. “Their national profile and the relationships they brought to the table has really enabled the American to get to the table, and now we’re in the group. So we have a national voice in all this change.”
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Pernetti is aware of his function in D.C. might be that of a disruptor, having completely different priorities than commissioners of different conferences such because the SEC or Big Ten. But he believes the American’s perspective is important to protect the way forward for college soccer as the game undergoes sweeping adjustments.
“The future of college sports has to work for every student-athlete across every sport, every school,” Pernetti mentioned. “This is why all this work in Washington, D.C. really matters right now. Over the last several months, I’ve been up the halls in D.C. more than Frank Underwood did in House of Cards. The American has a seat at the table. We have a national respected voice. And I’m really hoping to be part of President Trump’s commission to save college sports. At times, I’ve been the only non-autonomy commissioner in that room. I know this about me. I know my voice is not popular sometimes. That’s fine. We’re not trying to win a popularity contest. We’re trying to modernize the greatest sustainable path forward.”
College Football Playoff
To develop or to not develop? That is the query offered to each convention commissioner this summer season. After 10 years underneath the 4-team mannequin, the College Football Playoff has now accomplished two seasons with a 12-team bracket. However, some convention commissioners, together with the Big 12’s Brett Yormark, have referred to as for one more spherical of expansion past 12 groups. Other commissioners have avoided offering a definitive reply.
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Having seen the American profit from the earlier spherical of expansion to 12 groups, Pernetti advocated for an excellent bigger bracket, mentioning a possible 24-team mannequin a number of instances throughout his press convention.
“The American’s position has been clear and consistent from the start,” Pernetti mentioned. “We believe teams should have the opportunity to earn it on the field. And we’re supportive of an expanded playoff that provides more access for every conference.”
Pernetti understands that expansion to 24 isn’t a simple dialog. The College Football Playoff National Championship is slated to conclude later than ever this season on Jan. 25, and a 24-team playoff would inevitably prolong the game’s calendar later except different adjustments are made. Some of the first discussions involving expansion embrace the way forward for convention championship video games, and Pernetti acknowledges such components have to be thought-about whereas he advocates for a 24-team discipline.
“If you’re gonna double size of the field on a guaranteed basis, why wouldn’t you double the size of the field with a ‘group of six?’ 51 percent of institutions that play college football are there. So what can we do? Make sure we put the game center of the table and protect the game and what’s best for the game. There are a lot of things to consider. It’s easy to say we’re going to 24. Where the hell are we playing all these games? You have to think about the count, you have to think about the schedule, you have to think about the access, you have to think about championship games, you have to think about the economics of those championship games. To me, I always try to be the objective broker in the room, and you’ve gotta get your numbers right, but it’s important that we land in the right place.”
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Besides convention championships, one other potential casualty of College Football Playoff expansion is particularly near Pernetti. The Army-Navy Game, which though not counted as a convention recreation within the standings, is among the hallmarks of any season within the American Conference. Pernetti makes it his mission to make sure CFP expansion won’t infringe on America’s Game, which has historically been preserved as a standalone recreation through the second Saturday of December.
“I will protect and defend the Army-Navy Game as the commissioner of this league. It’s that important to the conference. It’s very important this matters. The flip-side of everything going on in the CFP room, they’re not rumors. We’ve been talking about expansion. We met in Denver. We had great conversations about all the scenarios. We don’t know what media rights might look like for an expanded playoff. We don’t know how the calendar is gonna work. But at the top of the pile for every commissioner in that room is, we have to make sure we properly situate the Army-Navy Game.”
The American’s Biggest Challenge
Every convention faces its personal distinctive challenges, however for the American, no challenge looms bigger than the switch portal. The convention’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year at the moment are at Oklahoma State. The Special Teams Player of the Year performs for Florida. And of the 16 First Team All-American Conference choices from final season presently on college rosters, solely 4 stay within the American.
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Pernetti hopes his league can see a extra secure future.
“The top of the mountain for us on issues in the American is the transfer portal,” Pernetti mentioned. “78 percent of our First and Second Team players in football transferred. Almost 300 over the last few years. Our coaches are doing an incredible job of developing talent. I want to keep them in the league longer. Anything that promotes more stability, still gives student-athletes the opportunity to transfer once without restrictions, but then beyond that, guardrails are important, because you know what happens? You lose on development and you don’t graduate. And that’s really our job, to make sure they deliver the education.”
The American offers with the troublesome actuality that success within the league is closely correlated with teaching and roster turnover. In addition to a mass exodus of all-conference expertise, the American noticed 4 of its premier head coaches — Jon Sumrall, Eric Morris, Alex Golesh, and Ryan Silverfield — employed away by different packages this offseason. As different packages proceed to poach the highest personnel within the American, Pernetti sends a reminder of that the well being of his convention advantages different conferences within the college soccer ecosystem.
“A healthy American Conference is good for college football, notably your autonomy conferences,” Pernetti mentioned. “They compete with us on the field. They build their rosters with our student-athletes. They hire our coaches as their future leaders. This is why it’s so important that we all work together in the future.”