Central Florida has been the class of The American since becoming a member a handful of seasons ago. You can’t go wrong backing them once again this upcoming season with Josh Heupel’s troops favored to win the conference at online sportsbooks a third straight season. They sealed the deal each the previous two times, but face an uphill climb in 2019-20 with McKenzie Milton not expected to take a single snap after suffering a gruesome leg injury at the tail end of last season that his body is still recuperating from. With that, the window is open – albeit ever so slightly – for another member of the AAC to swoop in and possibly unseat the Knights from their customary throne. Is this finally the season the Cincinnati Bearcats, Memphis Tigers or newly led Houston Cougars make some noise? With kick-off right around the corner, we’re about to find out!
ODDS TO WIN AAC
UCF +223
Memphis +251
Cincinnati +493
Houston +620
Temple +1011
South Florida +1267
Tulane +2932
SMU +3000
East Carolina +4500
Navy +4500
Tulsa +5000
Connecticut +12500
FAVORITE TO BACK: Cincinnati +493
Circle October 4 on your calendar! The Bearcats will be getting a huge shot at redemption when UCF pays Nippert Stadium a visit for a game that gets the ESPN treatment under the Friday Night Lights. Luke Fickell and his staff have done a phenomenal job rebuilding Cincy’s football program since taking hold of the reigns a few seasons back, but his kids have failed to rise to the occasion both times the Bearcats took the Knights on under his watch. Cincinnati won 11 games a season ago which included squeaking out a postseason win over Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl.
However, one of its two defeats occurred at Spectrum Stadium where it went up against the Knights with the AAC East title up for grabs. After scoring the game’s first points, they went on to get outscored 38-7 the rest of the way and found themselves on the wrong end of a 25-point beat down. That’s something that will no doubt stick in the craw of both Michael Warren and Desmond Ridder when they get a shot at redemption in front of the hometown faithful on that likely cold night to kick off the month of October.
UNDERDOG TO BACK: Tulane +2932
If defense wins championships and conference titles, then it’s Tulane that will make some “Green Waves” in the AAC this upcoming season with Willie Fritz’s kids possessing by far the best stop unit in the conference. We’re talking about a defense that conceded less than 28 points per game a season ago and returns by far the stingiest defensive front wall in both the West Division and conference overall. Tulane has already gotten some heavy action to win The American from likely sharp money with their odds now nearly cut in half after initially hitting betting sites’ betting board at 50-1.
For this big ticket to have any shot of cashing in, the offense is going to need to step up and show that it actually has a pulse after averaging fewer than 27 points per game. That job will now be new offensive coordinator Will Hall’s to deal with, and he’s got some nice pieces to plug into the equation in QB Justin McMillan, WRs Darnell Mooney and Jalen McCleskey to go along with a deep backfield anchored by 1,100 yard-rusher Darius Bradwell. The Green Wave is expected to play at a much faster pace under his watch after mimicking that of a snail the last few seasons. If the offense takes shape, be on the lookout for Tulane!
LONGSHOT TO BACK: East Carolina +4500
Now I don’t envision the Pirates pulling off a worst-to-first feat, but the line movement on their futures odds demands mention. The Pirates opened as the biggest dogs to win the American Athletic Conference at 250-1. With the regular season having already kicked off in Week 0, their return on investment now checks in at 45-1! The enormous line movement likely has everything to do with the program finally having a solid coach for the first time since Steve Logan led the team to numerous conference titles and bowl appearances throughout his 10-year stay in Greenville.
Mike Houston guided James Madison to a pair of NCAA FCS Championship appearances and took home one title before taking the gig at ECU. Though he’s taking over a program that’s won a grand total of 3 games each of the last three seasons and hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2015, the betting markets have pounded top rated sportsbooks with enough Pirates action to win the AAC that it must be mentioned. Though East Carolina is no doubt in rebuild mode, it gets Temple, Cincinnati and South Florida at home and gets SMU and Tulsa in cross-divisional play. If Houston is able to work his magic quickly and the Pirates somehow find a way to beat UCF in Orlando, those that got in on the Pirates at opening odds to win the AAC would have some serious skin in the game!
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