Way-Too-Early Top 5 AAC Games to Watch in 2015

The American Athletic Conference football schedule for the 2015 season was officially released Thursday, giving fans a glimpse at what’s in store when college football eventually returns a little over six months from now.

2015 is of course a huge year for the AAC, as the conference will be split into two division, East and West, thanks to the addition of Navy. While there’s still plenty of time before college football returns this fall, here’s an early look at the top 5 AAC games to watch in 2015.

5. East Carolina at Navy (Saturday, September 19)

Quarterback Keenan Reynolds and the Midshipmen get their first taste of AAC action in mid-September, when they play host to Ruffin McNeill’s Pirates. There’ll will be plenty questions surrounding both of these teams heading into the season. How will Navy fare in its new conference? How will ECU replace its formidable quarterback-wide receiver combo of Shane Carden and Justin Hardy? Perhaps we’ll get some answers when these two teams square off in Annapolis, Maryland.

4. USF at UCF (Friday, November 27)

This blooming rivalry had a little spice added to it when the Knights hired Chuck Bresnahan, who had recently been fired by the Bulls, as their new defensive coordinator back in January. In addition, USF head coach Willie Taggart enters 2015 squarely on the hot seat, and depending on how the Bulls have performed up to this point, this game could go a long way in determining whether or not he remains employed by the school. In short, there will be no shortage of drama in this year’s chapter of the War on I-4.

3. Memphis at Houston (Saturday, November 14)

The Cougars landed one of the best coaching hires of the offseason in Ohio State offensive coordinator and Broyles Award winner Tom Herman, who will have dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr. to build his offense around in Houston. Herman’s Cougars will get a chance to put the rest of the conference on notice when it host one of the AAC’s co-champions from 2014, Memphis, in mid-November.

2. Cincinnati at Memphis (Thursday, November 24)

This late November showdown might be the best cross-divisional game of the 2015 slate. Quarterback Gunner Kiel and the Bearcats will travel to Tennessee to take on Justin Fuente’s Tigers, who will likely head into the season as the favorites to finish first in the West Division. However, Memphis did lose several key defensive players from last year’s team, and it will be interesting to see how they fare against Kiel and the potent Cincinnati offense.

1. UCF at Cincinnati (Saturday, October 31)

Newly renovated Nippert Stadium will play host to what might be the most highly anticipated AAC game of the 2015 season. I don’t want to quite call this the de facto East Division championship game, but there is undoubtedly a good chance that the winner of this Halloween clash will go on to represent the division in the inaugural AAC conference championship game. The Knights and the Bearcats could end up being the two best teams in the AAC and they boast the conference’s two most established head coaches in George O’Leary and Tommy Tuberville. This showdown could end up being the crown jewel of what promises to be a thrilling season of AAC football.