With College Football officially off and running, we had to sneak in one more conference preview before Week 1 brings the real action next Thursday. We will be looking into anther Group of 5 league, as we take a peek into the American Athletic Conference. Now the AAC lost the SMU Mustangs to the ACC, but they did officially welcome the Army Black Knights to stay at 14 teams in the conference. Before we dive in, be sure to take a look at all of our conference previews!
- ACC 2024 Preview
- SEC 2024 Preview
- Big Ten Preview
- Big 12 Preview
- Mountain West Preview
- MAC Conference Preview
While none of these teams necessarily have a chance at making the College Football playoff, we should still look at the odds to win te conference as a whole.
Odds to Win American Athletic Conference Championship
Can the Senior QB Henigan take the Tigers to the American Athletic Conference Championship?
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- Memphis +200
- Tulane +300
- UTSA +450
- South Florida +650
- Rice +1600
- East Carolina +1800
- UAB +2000
- North Texas +2500
- Army +2500
- Navy +2500
- Florida Atlantic +2800
- Tulsa +4000
- Charlotte +5000
- Temple +15000
While this conference is probably going to stay within the Top 4 teams on this list, one thing is certain. The Temple Owls will finish last, at least according to the Vegas odds. Nevertheless, we should examine this conference and see if there are any teams with some value on the board. While these top 4 teams might beat up on each other, we should take a look at their non conference schedules as well, in order to really determine who might have a chance at topping this league.
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AAC Team Previews: Big 4 Run the Conference
Can the Tigers make another run at the AAC Championship?
Memphis Tigers (+200)
The Tigers have plenty of returning starters on offense, including Senior QB Seth Henigan, three of his top 4 receivers from last season and TE Anthony Landphere. They added a couple of transfer running backs who should improve the ground game, but with only 2 returning linemen, they are heavily relying on transfers Trent Holler, Jaylen Nichols and Keydrell Lewis to protect their QB.
The problem with Memphis will certainly be their defense, who allowed over 30 PPG in American play last year. While they do have a new coordinator in Jordon Hankins, he will have an entirely new look on defense with just 4 returning starters. However, they did hit the portal and snag plenty of defenders who should make an impact all over the field. The Tigers will have to play #10 Florida State down in Tallahassee early in the year, plus, they play they other three giants in this conference all on the road.
Memphis has to play @ South Florida, @ UTSA, and @ Tulane to end the season. Not an easy schedule for the Tigers.
Can Hughes run all over the American Conference this season?
Tulane (+300)
While the QB situation in Tulane is up in the air, they will return starting RB Makhi Hughes who recorded almost 1,400 rushing yards last season. While Oregon transfer Ty Thompson and Junior Kai Horton will fight for the starting job, they will have a nice pair of Power 5 transfers to throw to. Mario Williams (USC) and Shazz Preston (LSU) pair up with Yulkeith Brown to catch passes from whomever is tossing them. With a new head coach and QB, I also worry about their schedule.
Tulane will certainly be battle tested as they head into American Conference play, as they host #18 Kansas State and play @ #16 Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. While these might be two losses on their record, I could see it propelling Tulane into a huge run in conference play. Tulane will host South Florida and Memphis, while avoiding UTSA until a potential American Athletic Conference Championship game.
Barnes rushed for 700 yards and 6 TDs last year, and only looks to improve from here
UTSA (+450)
The Roadrunners might have the most favorable schedule in the American Conference. Not only do they avoid both South Florida and Tulane, they get to host Memphis, which will easily be their toughest conference opponent. However, UTSA travels to Austin early in the season to face the Longhorns. Now, with a very soft schedule otherwise, I certainly like the Roadrunners to find a way into the conference championship, but winning it might be a different story.
UTSA will see a QB battle early in Colorado transfer Luke McCown (Son of Josh), and junior Eddie Lee Marburger. Either way, they have a great supporting cast in RB Kevorian Barnes and TE Oscar Cardenas. With 4 returning starters on the O-Line, I certainly see the Roadrunners being explosive offensively, and we know this team’s defense is solid. With six returning starters on a unit that allowed just 5 yards per snap to conference opponents, the Roadrunners will be rock solid in the American conference this year.
With the weak schedule, I see them making the AAC Championship game, and at +450, we would be in a great spot to hedge when that game finally happens.
Byrum Brown had nearly 3,300 passing yards and another 800 on the ground last season
South Florida (+650)
The Bulls will rely heavily on the offense to lead them to victory this year. South Florida improved their record by 6 games last season, including a dominating 45-0 bowl win over Syracuse. Quarterback Byrum Brown is back to lead the Bulls, and he has plenty of help around him. This offense averaged 35 points in conference games last season, and with 4 returning linemen, I see them having no problem scoring this year.
However, the defense may be an issue, even with 8 returning starters. South Florida allowed nearly 40 points per game last year in conference play, and against some explosive offenses in this lead, the Bulls might find themselves in plenty of shootouts. As for their schedule, they have to play #5 Alabama on the road early and they host #19 Miami two weeks later. South Florida will get to avoid UTSA, but they have a very tough stretch to end non-conference and start American play.
South Florida hosts #19 Miami, and then plays @ Tulane to start conference play. Following a bye week, they host Memphis, which could bring them to a 2-4 record if they don’t sneak out a win somehow. While the rest of their schedule should be smooth sailing, I’m not sure I have total trust in the Bulls just yet.
Final American Athletic Conference Predictions
- #1 Tulane
- #2 UTSA
- #3 Memphis
- #4 South Florida
- #5 Rice
- #6 East Carolina
- #7 Army
- #8 North Texas
- #9 Florida Atlantic
- #10 UAB
- #11 Tulsa
- #12 Navy
- #13 Charlotte
- #14 Temple
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For more NCAA Football action, check out these pages below.
- NCAA Football 2024 Preview
- ACC 2024 Preview
- SEC 2024 Preview
- Big Ten Preview
- Big 12 Preview
- NCAA Football Expert Picks
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