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Your 2016 AAC football guide, from UCF to Houston
It's time to work through the reigning best Group of 5 conference, team by team. This is Bill C's daily preview series, working its way through every 2016 team. Stay tuned!
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August 15, 2016
Navy's killing 2 dumb narratives
What to expect after the Midshipmen's best season in decades?
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August 15, 2016
Memphis has new expectations and a new coach
Head coach Mike Norvell takes over in Memphis, and thanks to his predecessor's success, he inherits a program with strong depth and higher expectations. If he has a quarterback, Norvell could engineer a nice first-year run.
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August 15, 2016
Temple still has massive upside
Under Matt Rhule, Temple went from 10 losses to 10 wins in just two years, and the Owls will have a shot at a second straight AAC East title if the offense grows more efficient and another defensive play-maker or two emerge.
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August 15, 2016
Houston's good. Houston was also lucky in 2015.
Thirteen wins raised the bar awfully high, and if the pointy football bounces differently in 2016, Houston could both improve its play and disappoint at the same time.
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May 9, 2016
Houston tops the crowded AAC's power rankings
Houston leads the way in the 2016 AAC football power rankings, but parity is a close second, and any number of teams could make a division title run with just a couple of breaks.
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May 3, 2016
Suddenly, USF football is good
In two months, USF went from listless to smoking hot, and head coach Willie Taggart went from life on the hot seat to interviewing for an SEC job. Is this the new normal, or will turnover in the trenches lead to post-breakthrough regression?
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April 29, 2016
Cincy is a wildcard, even by Tuberville standards
Cincinnati dealt with terrible luck, lost three close games, collapsed at the end of 2015, and lost some assistant coaches. Now Tommy Tuberville prepares for a season that features up to TEN tossup games. From 3-9 to 11-1, anything is possible.
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April 28, 2016
ECU fired a good coach in hope of higher ceilings
In an ambitious AAC, East Carolina fired a known quantity (and good dude) in search for a higher ceiling. And if Scottie Montgomery can make something of Ruffin McNeill's veterans (and fare better in close games), the search could bear fruit.
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April 27, 2016
UConn's finally improving. Now to score points!
In his second year as UConn head coach, Bob Diaco engineered massive defensive improvement and brought the Huskies to their first bowl in 5 years. Now comes the next test: making a habitually bad offense less of a liability.
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April 26, 2016
Tulsa's fun again! Now about that defense...
Tulsa was prolific and fun in Philip Montgomery's first year in charge, but the Golden Hurricane's defense was helpless against offenses with a pulse. How much that changes will determine Montgomery's ceiling, both in 2016 and beyond.
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April 25, 2016
SMU is going to be crazy-fun (and 4-8)
With a depth chart loaded with freshmen, SMU head coach Chad Morris still engineered improvement in Dallas. Now with actual experience, the Mustangs should improve, but the schedule should preclude a serious bowl run. That'll have to wait till 2017.
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April 22, 2016
A(nother) fresh start at Tulane
Tulane made a hell of a football hire in stealing well-regarded Willie Fritz away from Georgia Southern. But Fritz inherits a perpetual 3-9 program that hasn't been good on offense for more than a decade. How long might it take for a turnaround?
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April 21, 2016
Expect UCF to bounce back under Oregon's ex-OC
UCF fell from a top-10 finish to a winless season in just two years, but the Knights have a world of athletic potential and a new head coach who's speed-and-tempo identity could mesh well. Expect a four- or five-win rebound.