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| Charlie Strong |
When let go by the University of Texas, Charlie Strong wasn't sure what was in his immediate future. He thought he might have to start over, perhaps taking a coordinator position before wading again into the head coaching waters.
But then a hurricane of sorts took place in Tampa, as Willie Taggart moved West to Oregon, leaving a vacancy in a program that many have labeled a "sleeping giant." The Bulls finished 11-2 last year (7-1 in league play) and had more talent on hand than at any time in history, but had no coach.
Enter Strong.
After surveying the landscape, Strong returned to the state where he took his first assistant coaching job, and immediately felt like he was "home."
A team rife with experience and talent has Strong sitting in the catbird seat, as the choice to win the American Athletic Conference Eastern Divison, and, ultimately, the league title. That would be a reversal of fortune from last year, when the Bulls missed out on the league title game and instead watched Temple take the crown.
"We didn't win the conference last year," Strong said. "We have something to shoot for, that carrot is dangling in front of us."
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| Quinton Flowers |
The Bulls have a leg up on the competition thanks in large part to quarterback Quinton Flowers, a versatile sort who passed for over 2,800 yards with 24 touchdown passes, and added another 1,530 yards and 18 scores on the ground. He should repeat as offensive player of the year and is a darkhorse in the Heisman Trophy race.
"We’ve got to win today,” said Strong. “It’s important for the players to realize they haven’t won anything this year.
“We’re a big-time program, so we have to carry ourselves like a big-time program. We’ve got to give them a product that they are happy with and pleased with.”
USF is a prohibitive favorite in the East, but Temple (10-4, 7-1) and Central Florida (6-7, 4-4) will make it work for division supremacy. The Owls will once again be defense oriented, while the Knights should continuing ascending behind a veteran stop unit and an offense that has nowhere to go but up (113th nationally in 2016).
In the West, Memphis gets the nod thanks to senior quarterback Riley Ferguson, who threw for 3,698 yards and a school-record 32 TDs. The Tigers (8-5, 5-3) have experience on offense, including wideout Anthony Miller, but will need to get better on defense if they want to challenge for the league title.
Houston (9-4, 5-3), Tulsa (10-3, 6-2) and Navy (9-5, 7-1) will all be in the mix, and could each win the league with the right set of circumstances. Houston gets the services of former Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen, so losing Greg Ward Jr. shouldn't be such a blow. Tulsa has running back D'Angelo Brewer (1,435 yards), while Navy will rely on its typical option-based scheme, piloted by quarterback Zach Abey, who started the final two games of last season after starter Will Worth was injured.
Being tabbed as a division favorite often puts a bullseye on a team, but it will keep Memphis focused on the big prize.
“It’s a great compliment, but being the preseason favorite really doesn’t get you anything,” Tigers coach Mike Norvell said. “Our guys, the biggest focus that we’ve had is trying to maximize the opportunities that we have in our preparation so that when we get to the season we’re in the best position to be successful."
The league had a ton of turnover from last year, with five first-year coaches, four in the East -- Strong, Geoff Collins at Temple, Luke Fickell at Cincinnati and Randy Edsall at UConn, who is beginning his second stint in Storrs, having led the program from 1999-2010. Houston bumped offensive coordinator Major Applewhite up to head coach after Tom Herman left to take over Texas.
AAC PREDICTIONS
EAST
1. South Florida
2. Temple
3. UCF
4. East Carolina
5. Cincinnati
6. Connecticut
WEST
1. Memphis
2. Houston
3. Tulsa
4. Navy
5. SMU
6. Tulane
ALL-AAC
OFFENSE
QB Quinton Flowers/South Florida
RB D'Angelo Brewer/Tulsa
RB Braeden West/SMU
WR Anthony Miller/Memphis
WR Jimmy Williams/East Carolina
WR Courtland Sutton/SMU
OT Evan Pigg/Tulsa
OT John Leglue/Tulane
OG Evan Martin/Navy
OG Tyler Bowling/Tulsa
C Chandler Miller/Tulsa
DEFENSE
DE Justin Lawler/SMU
DE Jamiyus Pittman/UCF
DT Ed Oliver/Houston
DT Cortez Broughton/Cincinnati
LB Genard Avery/Memphis
LB Micah Thomas/Navy
LB Shaquem Griffin/UCF
CB Parry Nickerson/Tulane
CB Jamar Summers/Connecticut
S Sean Chandler/Temple
S Garrett Davis/Houston
SPECIALISTS
K Andrew Gantz/Cincinnati
P Spencer Smith/Memphis
KR Sherman Badie/Tulane
PR D'Ernest Johnson/South Florida
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME South Florida over Memphis
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Quinton Flowers
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Ed Oliver
COACH OF THE YEAR -- Mike Norvell/Memphis
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR -- RB Cordarrian Richardson/UCF
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