In the short 10-year history of the AAC, there are six different teams that have won conference championships.
Three have won more than one. Can you name them?
No, it’s not all three of the schools that just departed for the Big 12 — Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF — but Cincy and UCF are two of them.
The other? The Memphis Tigers. Since the inception of the conference championship game in 2015, these are the only three teams with three appearances in the title game. The three each secured a share of the 2014 title.
This might not be too surprising considering the success the Tigers have had in the past decade. It’s just been a little while since they’ve contended for a conference championship — four years to be exact. That was the last of three consecutive title game trips.
In this competitive league, there are a few things that’ll need to happen for them to get there. College football betting odds via BetMGM currently have Memphis at +700 to win the American.
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Taking Advantage Of The Schedule
Memphis has a very favorable conference schedule. The Tigers play both Tulane and SMU at home and don’t draw UTSA this year. As of right now, their most difficult game is hosting North Texas in Week 8. Three of their five road opponents are coming off three-win seasons.
They’ll also need to do a better job of closing out games. Last season, the Tigers were in four one-possession games and lost all of them. All four were against conference foes.
If it handles these two things, there’s a very strong chance that Memphis can go 7-1 or 6-2 in league play, which might be good enough to set them up for a spot in the AAC title game.
Lean On Offensive Transfers
Coming into the offense is ODU transfer Blake Watson, who should be an explosive weapon out of the backfield. Watson rushed for 921 yards and five scores while also hauling in 37 receptions for 314 yards and two TDs last year.
Memphis lost its top four pass catchers from 2022 and will expect incoming transfers to try and help fill that production and provide depth. Those four — Eddie Lewis, Caden Prieskorn, Javon Ivory, and Gabriel Rogers — accounted for 63% of its receiving production.
Roc Taylor and Joseph Scates are the leading returners and combined for 38 receptions and 637 yards last year. They will step into starting spots.
Young Defenders Must Play Big Roles
There’s no denying how explosive some of the offenses in the AAC can be, especially SMU and Tulane. These teams have experienced QBs guiding their offenses, which will pose trouble for defenses.
Based on Memphis’ initial depth chart, there are only seven underclassmen who will be starting. Five of those are on the defense, however, and this includes a pair of freshmen at nose tackle Jarra Anderson and cornerback DJ Bell. Two key positions to disrupt a high-powered offense.
If these two freshmen, and the rest of the underclassmen, are still starting in the thick of conference play, they’ll be heavily relied on.
All in all, it looks like there’s a path for Memphis to make it back to the AAC title game. The most important of all, though, is that the Tigers need to handle their light schedule.
That starts Saturday by hosting Bethune-Cookman.
