2014 American Athletic Conference Projections

Houston Cougars 11-1 (8-0)

In their first year in the American Athletic Conference, the Houston Cougars won 8 games. Now in 2014, the Cougars are looking to win their first conference championship since 2006 and they have a squad that can do it.

Houston sophomore quarterback John O’Korn is coming off of a year in which he threw 28 touchdown passes and he begins the 2014 season as a favorite to be named as the AAC Player of the Year. O’Korn will have the luxury of throwing junior wide receiver Deontay Greenberry and senior wide receiver Daniel Spencer who are two of the best in the conference.

The season begins tonight for the Cougars when they UTSA. But you can circle December 6 on your calender as that will be the day when Houston will travel to meet Cincinnati in a game that could decide the AAC Champion.

East Carolina Pirates 9-3 (7-1)

After 17 years in Conference USA, the East Carolina Pirates are beginning a new chapter in the American Athletic Conference and in 2014 they should be a major player there. Ruffin McNeil is entering his fifth season as the head football coach at East Carolina and his Pirates have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation.

Last year East Carolina was 25th in the country in total offense and you can expect more of the same in 2014 with senior quarterback Shane Carden leading the way. Carden passed for more than 4,000 yards last season and three 33 touchdown passes and he will be in the running to the AAC’s Player of the Year for the upcoming season. You can also expect Carden to be connecting with senior wide receiver Justin Hardy on many occasions as Hardy should be a first-team All-AAC performer in 2014.

The Pirates have a tough non-conference schedule that includes road games against South Carolina and Virginia Tech. But East Carolina does not play Houston this season and they could be a surprise winner of the AAC.

Cincinnati Bearcats 8-4 (6-2)

The last three head football coaches of the Cincinnati Bearcats are currently running big time college football programs. Current Cincinnati head football coach Tommy Tuberville has been there and done that as he was previously at Ole Miss, Auburn, and Texas Tech. The pressure at Cincy is nothing near what it is in the Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences respectively and Tuberville is relishing that. Last year in Tuberville’s first season at Cincinnati he led the school to 9 wins; so what can he do for an encore this year?

Six different players threw passes for the Bearcats in 2013, but it is senior Munchie Legaux’s job to lose in 2014. A knee injury prematurely ended Legaux’s 2013 college football season, but he is back to do some damage in 2014 as he is can be a dangerous dual-threat quarterback. If the Bearcats passing game is going to be successful this season then you can expect speedy senior wide receiver Shaq Washington to have a hand in it.

Non-conference road games against Miami and Ohio State will be tough for the Bearcats and their regular season finale against Houston could decide the winner of the American Athletic Conference.

Central Florida Knights 6-6 (5-3)

It wasn’t a fluke that the University of Central Florida Knights went 12-1 last year and won the Fiesta Bowl. Since 2004, Central Florida head football coach George O’Leary has turned the Knights into a team that will contend for conference titles. But Central Florida’s dreams of contending for the American Athletic Conference Title in 2014 will be very tough.

The Knights lost some talent to the NFL in quarterback Blake Bortles and running back Storm Johnson, but Central Florida still has a trio of dangerous wide receivers in seniors Rannell Hall and J.J. Worton along with junior Breshad Perriman.

A tough non-conference slate with games against Penn State, Missouri, and BYU along with conference road games against Houston and East Carolina will make this difficult for O’Leary and his bunch in 2014.

Southern Methodist Mustangs 5-7 (4-4)

The first year in the AAC for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs did not go according to the plan as they had their first losing season since 2008. But will the Mustangs be able to improve in 2014? Under head football coach June Jones, SMU is beginning to build a winning tradition that was destroyed during the “death penalty” in the 1980’s. But Jones and SMU will have their work cut out for them this season. In three of their first four games SMU will take on some of their former Southwestern Conference foes in Baylor, Texas A&M, and TCU while he must also replacing players that the school lost to graduation.

Temple Owls 4-8 (3-5)

Now with the likes of Al Golden and Steve Addazio no longer serving as the head football coach of the Temple Owls, the school is going back to the days of simply being an afterthought in the realm of college football. Matt Rhule is entering his second year in Philadelphia as Temple’s head coach and he is looking to improve off of a 2-10 campaign.

For Temple and Rhule, sophomore quarterback P.J. Walker is a building block, but he alone will not be enough for the Owls to navigate through the American Athletic Conference.

Tulane Green Wave 4-8 (3-5)

Fresh off of their first winning season since 2002, the Tulane Green Wave are looking to write a new chapter in the AAC. Tulane senior quarterback Nick Montana is not going to remind people of his Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, but maybe he will be able to put it all together in his final year in college.

2014 won’t be easy for Montana and the Green Wave as they are staring down the barrel of a road slate that features games against Duke, Houston, and East Carolina.

Memphis Tigers 4-8 (3-5)

The success of the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball program has not carried over to the school’s football team who have been unable to secure a winning record since 2007. Memphis head football coach Justin Fuente is entering his third season with the Tigers and it will be a long one. This year Memphis will have road games against UCLA, Ole Miss, and Cincinnati that could put them behind the 8-ball.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 3-9 (2-6)

After an 11-win season in 2012, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane took a nosedive last year. Last year the Golden Hurricane were only 3-9 you can expect more of the same in 2014 as they simply do not have the talent to compete in the American Athletic Conference.

South Florida Bulls 2-10 (1-7)

After being a force in the Big East Conference, the South Florida Bulls have not been as lucky in the AAC as they are coming off a 10-loss campaign and for head football coach Willie Taggart he should expect another long season in 2014.

UCONN Huskies 1-11 (0-8)

The Connecticut Huskies football program has not had a winning year since 2010 and with another bad football season on the horizon, the fans in Storrs will have to look forward to Midnight Madness in mid-October to symbolize the beginning of college basketball.

Sources: Cfbstats.com, Sports-reference.com