2024 American Athletic Conference Football Preview

2024 American Athletic Conference Football Preview

We are mere days away from Week 0 of the 2024 college football season! Today, we are previewing the American Athletic Conference, which is expected to be one of the most competitive non-power-four conferences at the top! How does it all stack up? Without further ado, let’s dive into it!

1. Memphis

I think Memphis is the most talented team in the conference. Do I love the fact they have to go on the road to play South Florida, Tulane and UTSA? No. But I think they can win at least two of those games and are the sure-fire favorite to make their first AAC Title game since 2019.

2. South Florida

Maybe I am buying too much Alex Golesh stock right now. USF was a dumpster fire under Jeff Scott before Golesh got them to 7-6 in his first year. Good news: They return 18 starters, including quarterback Byrum Brown (who accounted for 37 total touchdowns as a frosh.), four of their top five receivers and nine of their top 11 tacklers. They may not have another six-win leap, but I think they are the mix for an AAC Title this year with other question marks at the top.

3. UTSA

I need to see how UTSA is without Frank Harris before I go any higher. Last year, it wasn’t inspiring at all. The Roadrunners have one of the best defenses in the AAC, point blank. But their production behind center could make–or break–their conference title hopes in 2024.

4. Tulane

Jeff Sumrall was phenomenal in his two seasons at Troy, going 23-4 with two conference titles. I’m not quite buying Tulane stock yet. That said, if you told me this team could be the top team in the conference by season’s end, I wouldn’t be surprised. Tulane’s defense still might be really good, but losing Michael Pratt plus three of his top targets and two All-AAC first-team offensive linemen will sting.

5. East Carolina

Let’s get spicy. East Carolina completely fell on their face last season, going 2-10 after bowls in back-to-back seasons. With new offensive coordinator John David Baker, their offense should be far more potent than last year’s attack. This year, they return 14 starters and have a very manageable schedule outside of Appalachian State, Liberty and UTSA. Don’t be surprised if this team is making noise by season’s end.

Also, shout out Trey’s East Carolina CFB25 series. If you haven’t checked that out, please go do so ASAP.

6. Rice

The Owls have finished minus-13 and minus-14 in the turnover department each of the last two seasons … going a combined 11-15. They’re due for regression … right?!? They don’t have the easiest AAC schedule known to man with having to play UTSA, Tulane, Memphis and USF. But I think their weak non-conference schedule could buoy them to their third straight bowl game. It helps that I think Temple transfer EJ Warner is an upgrade over JT Daniels, but my biggest question is how the supplement for the production lost by wideout Luke McCaffrey.

7. Army

Midway through last season, head coach Jeff Monken shifted back from a more diverse option attack to a flexbone triple option. They won their final four games, but fell short of a bowl game for their second straight season. With Bryson Daily under center with his top three rushers back, I think this offense gets closer to where it was in 2022. They do only return three defensive starters, however, though I think the lack of returning production is a little more deceiving for service academies than it would be for other programs.

8. Florida Atlantic

Casey Thompson‘s season-ending torn ACL in September didn’t help matters, but it was an underwhelming season for FAU, who had hopes of making a bowl for the first time since 2020. They also lose their best playmaker in LaJohntay Wester. I trust Tom Herman to turn it around in year two, especially with a favorable schedule out of the gate.

9. UAB

Trent Dilfer‘s first season at UAB didn’t go as bad as I thought. But the Blazers’ defense was a trainwreck last year, surrendering 36.9 points per game, including allowing at least 40 in seven of their 12 contests. Quarterback Jacob Zeno and this offense could top record-setting 2023 output, but there will be obstacles that need to be hurdled defensively.

10. Navy

Navy hasn’t won more than five games since 2019, when it went 11-2 behind Malcolm Perry‘s dominant attack. The Midshipmen lacked quarterback stability last season and could be looking to start either one of Blake Horvath or Braxton Woodson, both of whom got the fewest reps amongst the four that played last year. Who knows how new offensive coordinator Drew Cornic will try to revitalize this bottom-10 offense, which averaged just 14.9 points and 265.4 yards of offense over their final seven games.

11. North Texas

I think this year’s North Texas team has more talent than last year’s team, but they have one of the tougher AAC schedules. They will also need Chandler Morris to match what Chandler Rogers did last year, which will not be the easiest task. There was a lot of personnel change with this team, which raises more questions than it answers.

12. Tulsa

Kevin Wilson surpassed my expectations last season, but he will still have a steep mountain to climb in year two. Their defense–returning just four starters after surrendering nearly 34 points per game in 2023–remains the biggest question mark. I also think the quarterback play must be better if they want to sniff a bowl game in 2024.

13. Charlotte

The 49ers likely own the AAC’s most difficult schedule, avoiding each of the other bottom-three teams in these rankings. They improved significantly defensively from where they were at in 2022, but were abominable offensively with porous quarterback and offensive line play. You can’t be bad in the trenches and expect to win many games.

14. Temple

This program is a disaster with all signs pointing down.

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