College football starts in less than three weeks.
Like a kid crossing off days on the calendar in anticipation of Christmas, we’re anxiously waiting for August 28 to finally get here—and when it does, there will be much joy. (That’s putting it lightly.)
The American may not be included in the Power 5 autonomy, but it sure as heck has some matchups that have the potential to shake things up in the top-25 landscape this season.
Which AAC team plays the toughest schedule this year? Non-conference opponents will hold a heavy weight, but everyone will be tested inside the walls of conference play.
Let’s rank ‘em:
1. SMU Mustangs: Three out of four of SMU’s non-conference opponents won at least nine games last season, and getting both ECU and UCF on the road is no easy feat.
Toughest games: at Baylor (8/31), vs. Texas A&M (9/20), vs. TCU (9/27), at ECU (10/4), vs. Cincinnati (10/18), at UCF (11/22).
2. Memphis Tigers: If Memphis can get through the first six games of the season with two wins and no major injuries, it will be set up nicely for a bowl run.
Toughest games: at UCLA (9/6), at Ole Miss (10/27), at Cincinnati (10/4), at Tulane (11/15).
3. Cincinnati Bearcats: There’s a real good chance Cincinnati – the favorite to win the AAC – can go undefeated in conference play. But can it claim some redemption from its 2009 Sugar Bowl loss and hang with the big boys?
Toughest games: at Ohio State (9/27), at Miami-Fla. (10/11), at Tulane (10/31), vs. ECU (11/13).
4. ECU Pirates: After opening with North Carolina Central, ECU will face a three-week slate featuring teams that will show us just how good the Pirates can be.
Toughest games: at South Carolina (9/6), at Virginia Tech (9/13), vs. North Carolina (9/20), at Cincinnati (11/13), vs. UCF (12/4).
5. UCF Knights: It’s not going to be easy, but avoiding Cincinnati is a start in repeating as AAC champs.
Toughest games: vs. Penn State* (8/30), at Missouri (9/13), at Houston (10/2), vs. BYU (10/9), at ECU (12/4).
6. Tulane Green Wave: Expectations are pretty low for Georgia Tech, but getting UCF, Houston and ECU isn’t a favorable conference schedule for Tulane.
Toughest games: vs. Georgia Tech (9/6), at Duke (9/20), at UCF (10/18), vs. Cincinnati (10/31), at Houston (11/8), at ECU (11/22).
7. Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Tulsa avoids conference favorite Cincinnati in its first season as a member of the AAC, but plays reigning champ UCF on the road and then Houston and ECU in the weeks following. Ouch.
Toughest games: vs. Oklahoma (9/6), at UCF (11/14), at Houston (11/22), vs. ECU (11/28).
8. Temple Owls: Eight of Temple’s 12 opponents finished with winning records in 2013; seven went to a bowl game; four won a bowl game. There is quality across the board.
Toughest games: at Vanderbilt (8/28), vs. Navy (9/6), at Houston (10/17), at UCF (10/25), vs. ECU (11/7), at Penn State (11/15), vs. Cincinnati (11/29), at Tulane (12/6).
9. USF Bulls: If coach Willie Taggert and his Bulls are to erase the memory of last season’s dismal campaign, they’re going to need to get a running start by beating either Maryland or N.C. State.
Toughest games: vs. Maryland (9/6), at Wisconsin (9/27), vs. ECU (10/11), at Cincinnati (10/24), vs. UCF (11/28).
10. UConn Huskies: Let it be known that this will be a rebuilding year for Bob Diaco and the Huskies. However, getting all four non-conference opponents to play in Rentschler Field should make the project a little smoother.
Toughest games: vs. BYU (8/29), vs. Boise State (9/13), at Tulane (10/11), at ECU (10/23), vs. UCF (11/1), vs. Cincinnati (11/22).
11. Houston Cougars: Houston has a real chance to win all four non-conference games, and only one of its AAC road games features an opponent that made a bowl last season (Cincinnati).
Toughest games: at BYU (9/11), vs. UCF (10/2), at Cincinnati (12/4).
*Game played at neutral site
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