The conference formerly known as the Big East is now the American Athletic Conference, which will begin its first season in college football this year. About half of the conference was the Big East last season, while there are several new faces.
When trying to decide which team will come out on top and win it in 2013 though, the selection seems to be pretty easy according to oddsmakers. Below, get a rundown of the favorites and underdogs for the AAC in 2013.
The Louisville Cardinals are the big favorites to win the AAC this season, led of course by their Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The Cardinals rank No.10 in the preseason coaches poll, and return six starters on offense. But they also have almost their entire defense coming back, with nine returning starters. The key to the success for the Cardinals though will be on the arms and legs of Bridgewater. A BCS bowl is certainly a possiblity.
Cincinnati sits back behind Louisville, but is tied with Rutgers as the two teams next in line to challenge the Cardinals at the top of the AAC. They get eight starters back on offense, and six on defense. The Bearcats will get Louisville at home in the regular season finale on Thursday, December 5th in prime time, which has the potential to be huge.
The Scarlett Knights of Rutgers had one of the best defenses in the country last season, ranking 4th in the country surrendering just 14.2 points per game. But only four of those starters are returning so it could be a whole new deal this time around. Rutgers travels to Louisville in October on a Thursday night which will be a big one. Ending against USF at home will also be a critical game on the slate. The Scarlet Knights are definitely considered a contender.
UCF is one of the teams new to the AAC from Conference USA, and will try to make an impact in their first year. They are perceived by oddsmakers to be the last legit contender to challenge for a conference championship. The golden Knights lost some talent at a number of key positions on both offense and defense though. The team returns half the starters from a season ago.
The SMU Mustangs are a longshot to win the AAC in 2013, but then again stranger things have happened. They return the fewest starters of any team in the conference, with six on offense and just three on defense for a total of nine. Replacing running back Zach Line will be a big necessity. While in-conference games relate to the betting odds here, matchups early on on the road against Texas A&M and TCU could help better prepare SMU for the conference slate.
UConn is a Big East veteran team, but has found more success in basketball than football. The Huskies sit well back of the top-favorites to contend for the conference title. Their key stretch begins in the middle of October, with USF at home before back-to-back road games at Cincy and UCF. A home game on a Friday night in early November against Louisville will be big as well. They have a tough out-of-conference schedule as well, playing Michigan at home in September.
The South Florida Bulls have taken a few steps back over the last couple of years, and could find themselves even further behind with quarterback B.J. Daniels now gone. USF returns just 10 total starters. They do get Louisville and Cincy at home, but have that late season game at Rutgers. Even with Daniels last season, the Bulls had trouble scoring points, ranking 106th in the country. This will have to be a point of emphasis in 2013.
The Houston Cougars are also formerly of Conference USA and now merged with the Big East. The Cougars have nearly their entire offense back, with nine starters. This could prove to be pivotal. The schedule is favorable though, with Rutgers and Louisville on the road, followed by a home game against Cincy right after the game with the Cardinals. The Houston defense will be tested with the speedy teams they are not used to playing.
Memphis is a big underdog to win the AAC this season. This is a team that ranked near last in passing last season, and 88th in scoring. They have 13 starters returning, but not much is being made of it. The Tigers have the chance to get off to a good start out of the gate, but that first conference game on Oct. 5 against UCF at home will be telling.
Temple rounds things out in the AAC this season, all the way on the bottom of the odds. There aren’t many high hopes here despite the fact that they return 8 on offense and seven on defense. We will learn a lot about the Owls early, with a game against Notre Dame to start followed by a conference showdown with Houston. Temple ranked last in FBS in passing yards, which made them very one dimensional. It then doesn’t help that both the top-two running backs are gone either.