2022 College Football Futures | AAC

Welcome to the beginning of the college football conference preview. My colleague Ryan Broyles and I will preview every conference and share our season predictions and winners. Today let's break down the AAC. 

 

A quick reminder for our readers: these odds are on DraftKings Sportsbook. The lines from DraftKings may vary depending on when you read these articles.

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AAC: 

Central Florida Knights (8.5 Wins): Over (-160)

I love this trajectory of the Knights, especially on offense. Transfer John Rhys Plumlee should provide the offensive spark to ignite Central Florida to win the AAC. The schedule also presents a great opportunity to rack up the wins. Avoiding Houston altogether and getting Cincy at home is crucial in UCF hitting the over in wins. While we are at it I think they win this conference at plus 300 and possibly even reach 10 wins. 

 

Houston Cougars (9 Wins): Over (+110)

 

Houston to me is the only other real challenger to winning the AAC. The Cougars should be absolutely loaded on offense with almost everyone returning and have a very soft schedule to go along with it. Houston gets to avoid both UCF and Cincy in the conference and faces UTSA and Texas Tech who will likely experience down years in the non-conference. At plus money hammer me the Cougars to reaching 10 wins.

 

Cincinnati Bearcats (9 Wins): Push/Under (+160)

 

The Bearcats lost the majority of their offensive weapons from a special team a year ago. They will take a massive step back but should still be competitive in the AAC. I think they will ultimately push the nine win total, but if you are looking for value take the under because they will be on upset alert all season long. 

 

Memphis Tigers (7.5 Wins): Under (-125)

 

The defense of the Tigers is why I love the under in wins. The defense of the Memphis Tigers was one of the worst in division one last season, and shouldn’t be much different this year. The schedule is manageable but with a defense like the Tigers I think they lose every major road test. 

 

East Carolina Pirates ( 6.5 Wins): Over (+165)

 

The Pirates are my AAC sleeper this season as I have them finishing fifth in the conference. ECU should have no problems reaching six wins, the question is can they upset a ranked team? I believe they can in conference play or even against NC State in Week 1. At great value on the plus money side I am riding the Pirate bandwagon.

 

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6 Wins): Over (+120)

 

With the schedule, I think seven wins have a lot of value. Tulsa avoids UCF and draws Cincy and SMU at home. The middle of the AAC is hard to predict but I think Tulsa is better than SMU and Tulane. Like most teams in the conference, the biggest worry is the defense but they return enough production for me to have faith. Plus money for an over why not?

 

SMU Mustangs (7 Wins): Under (Even)

 

Losing head coach Sonny Dykes to rival TCU is a huge blow. I think the Mustangs continue their struggles on the defensive side of the ball, and have a disappointing season. I think the Mustangs will struggle out of the gate and only have one guaranteed win in the first five matchups of the season. The under-win total at even money makes so much sense.

 

Tulane Green Wave (6 Wins): Push/Under (+135)

 

Tulane is a hard team to predict and their schedule doesn’t make it any easier. I think six wins makes sense and don’t really have a lean. The question mark with the Green Wave is the line of scrimmage if they shore that up they can make a bowl game. Traveling to Kansas State, Houston, and Cincy though is pretty daunting.

 

Navy Midshipmen (4.5 Wins): Under (-160)

 

For defending our country we sure didn’t reward them with a soft schedule. They don’t avoid any of the top three AAC teams and also have to face Notre Dame. You also throw in the other academies who should both reach at least eight wins and of a sudden you are looking at a schedule of death. I love the under for Navy in wins despite the heavy price tag. This is one of my favorite plays of the season.

 

USF Bulls (4.5 Wins): Under (-130) 

 

I also love the under in wins for USF. Like Navy they face the top teams in the conference and also have to travel to Florida and Louville. Not to mention they open with BYU at home in Week 1. You have to start to feel bad for Navy and USF with their extremly hard draws. I love the under for USF even more because it is only at -130 for the same amount of wins as Navy.

 

Temple Owls (2.5 Wins): Over (-165)

 

It is hard to go under 2.5 wins for Temple when you have Lafeytte and UMass on your schedule. That leaves us with only one other game for them to win. Playing USF and Navy allows an oppurtunity to reach that illustrious third win. The odds are way too juiced for me to take the over but if I had to pick I would still do it.