8/9/2023 football Edit

New-look AAC provides opportunity for Tulsa

New Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson. (Univ. of Tulsa)

Larry Lewis

ITS Senior Writer

For all of those panicked out there about the new look AAC, take notice.

The AAC is better than given credit. Especially in basketball.

But even in football, the AAC will be ok, and the revamped league provides Tulsa an opportunity for success.

Yes, the conference lost its top three football programs in UCF, Cincinnati and Houston. But it didn't lose its best team.

Try telling Tulane, which had been a middling AAC program until last year, that it is time to panic.

Although picked to win the conference this year in the pre-season poll, the Green Wave wasn't highly thought of coming into the 2022 season.

Tulane (12-2, 8-1 AAC) beat No. 12 USC in the Cotton Bowl to finish the season ranked No. 9. The Green Wave doesn't have to take a back seat to anybody. Tulane beat UCF in the conference championship game after losing to the Knights in the regular season, and defeated Houston and Cincy as well. They also won at No. 14 Kansas State.

Tulsa (5-7, 3-5) can use that as a motivation since, surprise, the Golden Hurricane is picked 11th out of 14 teams in football this season in the 2023 AAC preseason poll.

Considering Tulsa is picked low seemingly every year in football and basketball, and usually surpasses expectations in both sports, the no respect pick in football is really nothing to worry about. Preseason predictions are worth about as much as FTX cryptocurrency.

First-year Tulsa football coach Kevin Wilson likes what he sees from the conference.

"Our league has quality teams, quality coaches, and quality players," Wilson said at the AAC Media Day. "We're in regions where there are quality players for sure.

"I was impressed that our league has camaraderie and fight for each other. Our conference has a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, but our coaches promote the conference, and to me, that has been encouraging."

Beyond how Tulsa will do in the new AAC, the big question is how the league will do.

The returnees and their predicted place this season, besides top-picked Tulane and Tulsa, are third-picked SMU (7-6, 5-3), No. 4. Memphis (7-6, 3-5), No. 6. East Carolina (8-4. 4-4), No. 9 Navy (4-8, 4-4), No. 10 Temple (3-9, 1-7), and No. 13. South Florida (1-11, 0-8).

The newcomers, all from Conference USA, and their rankings start with second pick UTSA (11-3, 9-0), followed by No. 5. Florida Atlantic (5-7, 4-4), No. 7. North Texas (7-7, 6-3), No. 8. UAB (7-6, 4-4), No. 12 Rice (5-8, 3-5), and No. 14 Charlotte (3-9, 2-6).

As for the picks, it seems ridiculous that Tulsa is ranked behind Temple, a team that was awful last season, and a team that Tulsa defeated in Philadelphia. And Tulsa is behind UAB and Florida Atlantic? Really? Conference USA obviously was not as tough a conference as the AAC, and Florida Atlantic and UAB didn't kill it last season.

Tulane and UTSA return their quarterbacks, Michael Pratt for Tulane and Frank Harris for UTSA, and should still be the class of the league. Both are prolific passers, and both teams return enough to think they will both be strong.

SMU and Memphis have recently been solid programs, and should continue to be. East Carolina is coming off a good year. But beyond those teams, nobody stands out. North Texas had a decent year but has a new coach. A lot of uncertainty there.

Overall, the conference in football should still be strong.

My picks for the football season are: 1. Tulane, 2. UTSA, 3. Memphis, 4. SMU, 5. Tulsa, 6. Navy, 7. East Carolina, 8. North Texas, 9. Florida Atlantic, 10. Temple, 11. UAB, 12. Rice, 13. USF, 14. Charlotte.

In basketball, Florida Atlantic (34-5, 18-2) is coming off a trip to the Final Four, and was a shot away from being in the NCAA championship game. FAU returns most of its players, lost no players to the portal (only one of five teams that lost nobody to the portal), and kept its coach. So FAU obviously looks to be the class of the league.

Returning AAC basketball members besides Tulsa (5-25, 1-17) are Memphis (26-9, 13-5), Wichita State (17-15, 9-9), Tulane (20-11, 12-6), Temple (16-16, 10-8), East Carolina (16-17, 6-12), SMU (10-22, 5-13), and USF (14-18, 7-11).

The newcomers from C-USA, besides Florida Atlantic (FAU), are North Texas (31-7, 16-4), UAB (29-10, 14-6), Charlotte (22-14, 9-11), Rice (19-16, 8-12), and UTSA (10-22, 4-16).

North Texas and UAB figure to be good again, given that North Texas beat UAB in the NIT championship game last year. The other three teams don't figure to be standouts.

Losing Houston (33-4, 17-1, Sweet 16) and Cincinnati (23-13, 11-7) are losses for the conference in basketball, to be certain. Houston, especially, after their outstanding season where they were ranked at or near the top for much of the season. UCF (19-15, 8-10), not so much. Nobody will notice UCF is gone - the middling basketball program of mediocrity.

Tulsa certainly looks to be vastly improved. How much so is uncertain. But an impressive recruiting season of 11 new scholarship players basically gives TU an entire new team.

My basketball picks are: 1. FAU, 2. North Texas, 3. Memphis, 4. UAB, 5. Tulsa, 6. Wichita St., 7. Tulane, 8. Temple. 9. Charlotte, 10. East Carolina, 11. USF, 12. SMU, 13. Rice, 14. UTSA.

Outside of the top four teams, everything else seems up in the air. And obviously, the top four picked teams are far from a certainty.

It will be interesting to see what transpires in the first year of this new look AAC. With all of the recent conference realignment activity, the American could change again soon. But in the meantime, expect some good results for the conference.