By JORDAN HANSEN
Part five of The Daily Iowan’s conference previews — the American Athletic Conference.
1) Houston
Will head coach Tom Herman (who went 13-1 last year in his first season) end up at Baylor? The rumors are swirling. Regardless, the Cougars bring back a good team this season and should be the front-runners for a conference championship once again. The Cougars are the flag bearers for the so-called “Group of 5” teams right now, and beating Florida State in a bowl last year was a huge step forward for the program.
2) Temple
Defense is sometimes a rarity in this conference, but the Owls put it together last year and reaped the benefits. On the offensive side of things, quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas both return, which should help. Fun fact: Last year, Temple beat Penn State for the first time since 1941. It’ll have a chance to make it two in a row on Sept. 17.
3) South Florida
The Bulls snapped a streak of four-straight losing seasons last year and reached their first bowl game since 2010. It was a step in the right direction for the program, which returns 14 starters. Expectations are high for this squad and anything less than another eight-win season would be a disappointment.
4) Cincinnati
After Houston, Temple, and South Florida, the quality of the conference falls off a little bit, but the Bearcats should have enough to contend. The biggest question, however, is if quarterback Gunner Kiel can put everything together in his senior season. Once one of the most heralded quarterback prospects in the nation, Kiel has been fairly disappointing during his time in Cincinnati.
5) Memphis
Losing a head coach is never easy, especially one who rebuilt the program from the ground up. It’s one of the banes of being in a Group of 5 conference, though new coach Mike Norvell doesn’t come into a team devoid of talent. There’s a solid defensive line to work with as well as a talented group of running backs. A winning season should be in the cards.
6) Navy
Last year was the most successful every for the storied Navy program, going 11-2 and topping Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl. Replacing quarterback Keenan Reynolds will be impossible, but if a few things break the Midshipmen’s way, they could be in the conversation for a conference title berth.
7) UCONN
The Huskies had an up-and-down season in 2015; its offense struggled against higher-tier competition. Defensively, however, the Huskies have been good, and that is a main emphasis of head coach Bob Diaco. This is a deceptively fun team.
8) East Carolina
There’s been a big shakeup in the Pirate coaching staff: Ruffin McNeill was fired, and Scottie Montgomery was brought in. This is a program that historically has found success but hasn’t won a conference title in seven years. That probably won’t change this year, but the team could be headed in the right direction.
9) Tulsa
Listen, the Golden Hurricanes are a really fun team. Honestly, the entirety of the conference is. But like some of the other teams in the conference, good offense isn’t always backed up by good defense. This is a problem Tulsa has, and the team won’t progress to contender status until they can actually halfway stop opposing offenses.
10) SMU
After the wheels completely fell off in 2014 (head coach June Jones resigned after two games), a football team that could even halfway compete would be considered a success. While the Mustangs only won two games, they showed a bit of improvement. Quarterback Matt Davis — a former four-star recruit — is in his senior year, and the ball will often be in his hands. He’s a threat both through the air (16 touchdowns, 2,263 yards, 7 interceptions) and on the ground (10 touchdowns, 1,038 yards, 7 fumbles). Four or five wins could be in play for SMU and possibly more than that if the cards fall right.
11) Tulane
If there’s one thing to be sure of this season, it’s that the Green Wave will run the ball. First-year head coach Willie Fritz, who spent the last two years at an up-and-coming Georgia Southern program, is very good at getting his teams to rack up yardage on the ground. Tulane has several talented running backs, but inexperience elsewhere should dampen expectations.
12) Central Florida
After going 0-12 last season, any sign of life out of this program should be considered a success. However, the Knights open with games at Michigan and at Maryland. There’s a bit more experience than there was last year, but don’t expect very much out of this team.