FBS conference belt
The American Athletic Belt
A companion lineage restricted to American Athletic: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two American Athletic members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in American Athletic at the time. Caught it by beating Tulane on October 10, 2026. Defended it 2 more times since. The conference has also been recorded as Big East; those seasons count here too.
Next American Athletic gameArmy at Memphis · October 31, 2026 · ESPNU — Memphis takes it with a win.
72Reigns
272Belt Games
22Programs
Longest Reign
Miami — 2 yrs, 362 days
November 4, 2000 – November 1, 2003
Most Defenses, One Reign
Miami — 20
starting November 4, 2000
Most Reigns, All-Time
Syracuse — 8 separate reigns
22 American Athletic programs have held it
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh | August 31, 1991 – October 19, 1991 | 49 days | 1 | Established it (first game on record) | lost to Syracuse |
| 2 | Syracuse | October 19, 1991 – November 21, 1992 | 1 yr, 33 days | 10 | beat Pittsburgh 31–27 | lost to Miami |
| 3 | Miami | November 21, 1992 – November 20, 1993 | 364 days | 6 | beat Syracuse 16–10 | lost to West Virginia |
| 4 | West Virginia | November 20, 1993 – September 10, 1994 | 294 days | 1 | beat Miami 17–14 | lost to Rutgers |
| 5 | Rutgers | September 10, 1994 – September 17, 1994 | 7 days | 0 | beat West Virginia 17–12 | lost to Syracuse |
| 6 | Syracuse | September 17, 1994 – November 5, 1994 | 49 days | 3 | beat Rutgers 37–36 | lost to Miami |
| 7 | Miami | November 5, 1994 – September 23, 1995 | 322 days | 3 | beat Syracuse 27–6 | lost to Virginia Tech |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | September 23, 1995 – September 28, 1996 | 1 yr, 5 days | 7 | beat Miami 13–7 | lost to Syracuse |
| 9 | Syracuse | September 28, 1996 – November 30, 1996 | 63 days | 5 | beat Virginia Tech 52–21 | lost to Miami |
| 10 | Miami | November 30, 1996 – September 18, 1997 | 292 days | 0 | beat Syracuse 38–31 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 11 | Pittsburgh | September 18, 1997 – October 4, 1997 | 16 days | 0 | beat Miami 21–17 | lost to Temple |
| 12 | Temple | October 4, 1997 – October 18, 1997 | 14 days | 0 | beat Pittsburgh 17–13 | lost to Syracuse |
| 13 | Syracuse | October 18, 1997 – November 7, 1998 | 1 yr, 20 days | 7 | beat Temple 60–7 | lost to West Virginia |
| 14 | West Virginia | November 7, 1998 – September 25, 1999 | 322 days | 3 | beat Syracuse 35–28 | lost to Syracuse |
| 15 | Syracuse | September 25, 1999 – October 16, 1999 | 21 days | 1 | beat West Virginia 30–7 | lost to Virginia Tech |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | October 16, 1999 – November 4, 2000 | 1 yr, 19 days | 11 | beat Syracuse 62–0 | lost to Miami |
| 17 | Miami | November 4, 2000 – November 1, 2003 | 2 yrs, 362 days | 20 | beat Virginia Tech 41–21 | lost to Virginia Tech |
| 18 | Virginia Tech | November 1, 2003 – November 8, 2003 | 7 days | 0 | beat Miami 31–7 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | November 8, 2003 – November 15, 2003 | 7 days | 0 | beat Virginia Tech 31–28 | lost to West Virginia |
| 20 | West Virginia | November 15, 2003 – November 13, 2004 | 364 days | 6 | beat Pittsburgh 52–31 | lost to Boston College |
| 21 | Boston College | November 13, 2004 – November 27, 2004 | 14 days | 1 | beat West Virginia 36–17 | lost to Syracuse |
| 22 | Syracuse | November 27, 2004 – September 4, 2005 | 281 days | 0 | beat Boston College 43–17 | lost to West Virginia |
| 23 | West Virginia | September 4, 2005 – November 2, 2006 | 1 yr, 59 days | 8 | beat Syracuse 15–7 | lost to Louisville |
| 24 | Louisville | November 2, 2006 – November 9, 2006 | 7 days | 0 | beat West Virginia 44–34 | lost to Rutgers |
| 25 | Rutgers | November 9, 2006 – November 18, 2006 | 9 days | 0 | beat Louisville 28–25 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 26 | Cincinnati | November 18, 2006 – October 13, 2007 | 329 days | 2 | beat Rutgers 30–11 | lost to Louisville |
| 27 | Louisville | October 13, 2007 – October 19, 2007 | 6 days | 0 | beat Cincinnati 28–24 | lost to UConn |
| 28 | UConn | October 19, 2007 – November 10, 2007 | 22 days | 2 | beat Louisville 21–17 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 29 | Cincinnati | November 10, 2007 – November 17, 2007 | 7 days | 0 | beat UConn 27–3 | lost to West Virginia |
| 30 | West Virginia | November 17, 2007 – December 1, 2007 | 14 days | 1 | beat Cincinnati 28–23 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 31 | Pittsburgh | December 1, 2007 – October 25, 2008 | 329 days | 2 | beat West Virginia 13–9 | lost to Rutgers |
| 32 | Rutgers | October 25, 2008 – September 7, 2009 | 317 days | 3 | beat Pittsburgh 54–34 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 33 | Cincinnati | September 7, 2009 – October 22, 2010 | 1 yr, 45 days | 7 | beat Rutgers 47–15 | lost to South Florida |
| 34 | South Florida | October 22, 2010 – November 20, 2010 | 29 days | 2 | beat Cincinnati 38–30 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 35 | Pittsburgh | November 20, 2010 – November 26, 2010 | 6 days | 0 | beat South Florida 17–10 | lost to West Virginia |
| 36 | West Virginia | November 26, 2010 – October 21, 2011 | 329 days | 2 | beat Pittsburgh 35–10 | lost to Syracuse |
| 37 | Syracuse | October 21, 2011 – October 29, 2011 | 8 days | 0 | beat West Virginia 49–23 | lost to Louisville |
| 38 | Louisville | October 29, 2011 – November 12, 2011 | 14 days | 1 | beat Syracuse 27–10 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 39 | Pittsburgh | November 12, 2011 – November 25, 2011 | 13 days | 0 | beat Louisville 21–14 | lost to West Virginia |
| 40 | West Virginia | November 25, 2011 – January 4, 2012 | 40 days | 1 | beat Pittsburgh 21–20 | vacated — left American Athletic before the 2012 season |
| 41 | Pittsburgh | January 5, 2012 – September 6, 2012 | 245 days | 0 | reverted after West Virginia left American Athletic | lost to Cincinnati |
| 42 | Cincinnati | September 6, 2012 – October 26, 2012 | 50 days | 0 | beat Pittsburgh 34–10 | lost to Louisville |
| 43 | Louisville | October 26, 2012 – November 10, 2012 | 15 days | 1 | beat Cincinnati 34–31 | lost to Syracuse |
| 44 | Syracuse | November 10, 2012 – December 29, 2012 | 49 days | 1 | beat Louisville 45–26 | vacated — left American Athletic before the 2013 season |
| 45 | Louisville | December 30, 2012 – October 18, 2013 | 292 days | 2 | reverted after Syracuse left American Athletic | lost to UCF |
| 46 | UCF | October 18, 2013 – November 1, 2014 | 1 yr, 14 days | 9 | beat Louisville 38–35 | lost to UConn |
| 47 | UConn | November 1, 2014 – November 22, 2014 | 21 days | 0 | beat UCF 37–29 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 48 | Cincinnati | November 22, 2014 – September 12, 2015 | 294 days | 2 | beat UConn 41–0 | lost to Temple |
| 49 | Temple | September 12, 2015 – November 14, 2015 | 63 days | 4 | beat Cincinnati 34–26 | lost to South Florida |
| 50 | South Florida | November 14, 2015 – October 21, 2016 | 342 days | 5 | beat Temple 44–23 | lost to Temple |
| 51 | Temple | October 21, 2016 – September 21, 2017 | 335 days | 5 | beat South Florida 46–30 | lost to South Florida |
| 52 | South Florida | September 21, 2017 – October 28, 2017 | 37 days | 3 | beat Temple 43–7 | lost to Houston |
| 53 | Houston | October 28, 2017 – November 18, 2017 | 21 days | 1 | beat South Florida 28–24 | lost to Tulane |
| 54 | Tulane | November 18, 2017 – November 25, 2017 | 7 days | 0 | beat Houston 20–17 | lost to SMU |
| 55 | SMU | November 25, 2017 – October 6, 2018 | 315 days | 1 | beat Tulane 41–38 | lost to UCF |
| 56 | UCF | October 6, 2018 – October 4, 2019 | 363 days | 8 | beat SMU 48–20 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 57 | Cincinnati | October 4, 2019 – November 29, 2019 | 56 days | 6 | beat UCF 27–24 | lost to Memphis |
| 58 | Memphis | November 29, 2019 – October 3, 2020 | 309 days | 1 | beat Cincinnati 34–24 | lost to SMU |
| 59 | SMU | October 3, 2020 – October 24, 2020 | 21 days | 1 | beat Memphis 30–27 | lost to Cincinnati |
| 60 | Cincinnati | October 24, 2020 – October 29, 2022 | 2 yrs, 5 days | 17 | beat SMU 42–13 | lost to UCF |
| 61 | UCF | October 29, 2022 – November 19, 2022 | 21 days | 2 | beat Cincinnati 25–21 | lost to Navy |
| 62 | Navy | November 19, 2022 – September 14, 2023 | 299 days | 0 | beat UCF 17–14 | lost to Memphis |
| 63 | Memphis | September 14, 2023 – October 13, 2023 | 29 days | 0 | beat Navy 28–24 | lost to Tulane |
| 64 | Tulane | October 13, 2023 – December 2, 2023 | 50 days | 6 | beat Memphis 31–21 | lost to SMU |
| 65 | SMU | December 2, 2023 – December 28, 2023 | 26 days | 0 | beat Tulane 26–14 | vacated — left American Athletic before the 2024 season |
| 66 | Tulane | December 29, 2023 – November 28, 2024 | 335 days | 7 | reverted after SMU left American Athletic | lost to Memphis |
| 67 | Memphis | November 28, 2024 – October 18, 2025 | 324 days | 2 | beat Tulane 34–24 | lost to UAB |
| 68 | UAB | October 18, 2025 – November 8, 2025 | 21 days | 0 | beat Memphis 31–24 | lost to Rice |
| 69 | Rice | November 8, 2025 – November 22, 2025 | 14 days | 0 | beat UAB 24–17 | lost to North Texas |
| 70 | North Texas | November 22, 2025 – December 5, 2025 | 13 days | 1 | beat Rice 56–24 | lost to Tulane |
| 71 | Tulane | December 5, 2025 – October 10, 2026 | 309 days | 0 | beat North Texas 34–21 | lost to Army |
| 72 | Army | October 10, 2026 – Present | 21 days | 2 | beat Tulane 20–17 | — present — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in American Athletic keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.