The aacfootballfever.com staff members provided their way-too-early American Athletic Conference power rankings for the 2015 season on Monday night, and let’s just say there are several conflicting views as to what the future holds.
Like the 2014 preseason, Cincinnati looks to be the No. 1 team heading into the offseason. Not only will Gunner Kiel return – healthy, mind you – but he’ll have close to his entire offensive arsenal back to his disposal, including deep threat Chris Moore and Mike Boone in the backfield.
Despite losing eight senior leaders to a defense that ranked No. 28 in the country in total yards allowed (349.5), our writers believe in what Justin Fuente has built and think Memphis will continue to be in the thick of the AAC race.
Central Florida will need Justin Holman to develop into the quarterback he’s shown he can be, but on a much more consistent basis. The Knights will be without star safety Clayton Geathers, stud linebacker Terrance Plummer, and tank lineman Jaryl Mamea – meaning they’ll need to score a lot more points in 2015.
Houston, East Carolina, and Navy should all be considered wildcards; the Cougars landed arguably the hottest coaching candidate on the market in Tom Herman, who could turn Greg Ward, Jr. into an automatic contender to win the AAC Offensive Player of the Year; the Pirates will begin the post-Carden/Hardy era, but still have a ton of talent; the Midshipmen are the new kid in class that could either struggle to fit in or bask in immediate popularity.
What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comment section below!
*A point system was assigned, giving 12 points for a team with a No. 1 vote, 11 points for a No. 2 vote, 10 points for a No. 3 vote, and so on.
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