AAC Articles
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has talked about strength of schedule playing an important role in their final rankings and teams are really paying attention on that front judging by the burgeoning number of terrific non-...
Bryan Fischer
2 weeks ago
It was a great 2016 for the American Athletic Conference (AAC), as Temple, Navy, USF and Houston all had fantastic seasons. Granted, this success didn't carry over to bowl games with three of those four teams losing.
But that success...
Matt Josephs
3 weeks ago
All college football teams have one player who, if he steps up and performs to or even above his potential, could be the catalyst for a magical season. The teams in the Group of 5 conferences (American Athletic, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West,...
J.P. Scott
1 month ago
East Carolina head coach Scottie Montgomery’s debut got off to a great start with back-to-back wins. Unfortunately that was followed by five straight losses as the Pirates would win only one more game and finished 3-9 and tied for last place...
Athlon Sports
1 month ago
A familiar face is back in Storrs, as Randy Edsall returns for his second stint as Connecticut’s head coach. Edsall left UConn for Maryland after leading the Huskies to a share of the Big East title and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl in 2010 and...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Tulane went 4-8 in head coach Willie Fritz’ first season and the Green Wave should be even better this fall now that everyone has had a full year together. This should especially be the case on offense, as Fritz is hoping for better execution...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
A 4-8 finish led to Tommy Tuberville resigning as Cincinnati’s head coach and the Bearcats hiring Luke Fickell as his replacement. Fickell worked under Jim Tressel and then Urban Meyer at Ohio State and is looking to re-energize a program...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
SMU more than doubled its win total (from two to five) in head coach Chad Morris’ second season, but back-to-back losses at the end ruined a shot at a bowl game. The Mustangs are aiming for at least six wins this fall and the offense has a...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
It’s a new beginning for Temple, with former Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins taking over as head coach for the departed Matt Rhule. But the changes go beyond the coaching staff, as only eight total starters return, resulting in...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
UCF went 6-7 in head coach Scott Frost’s debut, which is impressive considering he took over a team that didn’t win a single game in 2015. What Frost and the Knights do for an encore likely depends on the progress the offense makes....
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
A Heisman Trophy winner with unfinished business? That’s the situation Lamar Jackson finds himself in this season. Jackson had one of the most statistically dominant campaigns in college football history, but a late slump left him and his...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Tulsa blew the doors off others’ expectations last season, going 10-3 in head coach Philip Montgomery’s second season. Unfortunately, a lot of firepower from one of the nation’s most productive offenses has to be replaced. The...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
After two successful seasons under Tom Herman, it’s up to former offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to maintain Houston's upward trajectory. Applewhite has plenty of pieces returning on offense, but he’ll have a new quarterback...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Navy won nine games last season and played in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game but it was losses to Air Force and Army that defined the Midshipmen’s campaign. The focus for head coach Ken Niumatalolo is recapturing the...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Memphis has played in three straight bowls as Mike Norvell maintained the success the Tigers had under previous head coach Justin Fuente. Now in his second season, Norvell has 14 starters returning and an eye on a potential American Athletic...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
It goes without saying that you need a good quarterback in order to be a successful college football team. While it may not wholly determine a team’s success each season if they have a quality signal-caller behind center, one doesn’t...
Bryan Fischer
2 months ago
It goes without saying that you need a good quarterback in order to be a successful college football team. While it may not wholly determine a team’s success each season if they have a quality signal-caller behind center, one doesn’t...
Bryan Fischer
2 months ago
In recent weeks we've seen some of last season's top quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft, while others set out preparing for the college football season ahead. To help you better understand this year's...
Juan Jose Rodriguez
2 months ago
Led by dynamic senior quarterback Quinton Flowers, USF is Athlon’s projected top team from the American Athletic Conference and from the Group of 5 leagues. Flowers will have to handle more of the workload on offense after the departure of...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
The Willie Taggart run with South Florida was a solid one with steady growth within the program. New head coach Charlie Strong is now stepping in to take charge and do what he can to take the Bulls one step closer to a conference championship. With...
Kevin McGuire
5 months ago
For better or worse, college football's Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in team sports, drawing hype and controversy from the beginning of the season till the end. Lamar Jackson won it last year, but that didn’t...
Matt Fortuna
6 months ago
Clemson will enter the 2017 season as college football's reigning national champion, but it’s the Tigers’ division rival, Florida State, along with — dare we say — Clemson’s national title game rival, Alabama,...
Matt Fortuna
7 months ago
Let the hype begin. Alabama and Florida State figure to be atop most preseason college football rankings for 2017, and luckily for us, they will get to settle that distinction on the field during the sport’s opening weekend. Not a bad...
Matt Fortuna
7 months ago
It’s here. After one long and entertaining season, we’re finally down to just one last college football game. While the national title game is always a must-watch affair, this year’s edition is one of the most unique meetings in...
Bryan Fischer
7 months ago
The race for the national title is down to four as the College Football Playoff semifinal games are set. As fun as Alabama against Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Clemson vs. Ohio State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl are, the one-on-...
Bryan Fischer
7 months ago