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. The conference has also been recorded as Big East; those seasons count here too.
Next American Athletic gameArmy vs. Florida Atlantic · October 17, 2026 · CBSSN — Florida Atlantic takes it with a win.
72Reigns
270Belt 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 | 1 day | 0 | 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.