2016 AAC Football Predictions & Championship Odds – American Athletic Football Expert Picks

2016 AAC Football Predictions & Championship Odds – American Athletic Football Expert Picks: The odds to win the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship for the upcoming 2016 College Football season have been announced by Bovada Sportsbook and the Houston Cougars are listed as the =120 favorites. The Cougars are followed by the South Florida Bulls at +325 odds, Cincinnati Bearcats at +575 odds and Temple Owls at +725 odds as the four teams with the best odds to capture the AAC Football Championship this fall. NSAwins.com’s top expert handicapper Sonny LaFouchi(aka The Legend) has analyzed the 2016 AAC Football landscape and has made his 2016 expert College Football predictions for the 2016 AAC Football Conference along with projected records for each team and are listed below.

Odds to Win the 2016 American Athletic Football Championship and AAC East/West Divisions

American Athletic East Division Prediction

1. South Florida Bulls(+325 odds to win AAC) – Head coach Willie Taggart heads into his 4th season as the guy in charge of the USF Bulls college football program and has the program heading in the right direction. The Bulls are coming off of a solid 8-5 season last year in which they went 6-2 in AAC play and played in the Miami Beach Bowl. The Bulls lost their bowl game 45-35 to Western Kentucky but should be back in a bowl game this season as they return 14 starters including 7 each on both sides of the ball. The Bulls have a solid passing game headed by junior quarterback Quinton Flowers who threw for 2296 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and also rushed for 991 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first season as the starter. Flowers will have junior running back Marlon Mack back behind him to give the Bulls a dynamic running attack as Mack rushed for 1381 yards on 210 attempts and 8 touchdowns. The Bulls finished with the nation’s 35th ranked total offense last season and should be even better this season. On defense the Bulls finished a mediocre 52nd nationally in total defense last season but should be improved with 7 returning starters including junior cornerback Deatrick Nichols who made 1st team all-aac last season. 2016 Projection 9-4, 6-2 AAC

Rest of AAC East Division Predictions for 2016 Season

2. Temple Owls(2016 Projection 8-4, 5-3 AAC)
3. Cincinnati Bearcats(2016 Projection 8-4, 5-3 AAC)
4. Connecticut Huskies(2016 Projection 6-6, 4-4 AAC)
5. East Carolina Pirates(2016 Projection 4-8, 3-5 AAC)
6. Central Florida Knights(2016 Projection 3-9, 1-7 AAC)

American Athletic West Division Prediction

1. Houston Cougars(+120 odds to win AAC) – The Houston Cougars went a dominant 13-1 overall including 7-1 in the AAC last season as they won the conference championship and also went to the Peach Bowl where they defeated Florida State 38-24. The Cougars should be a Top 20 team in the nation this season as they return 11 starters including 6 on offense headlined by senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. The Cougars finished 20th in the nation in total offense last season and Ward was sensational as he passed for 2828 yards and 17 touchdowns plus rushed for 1108 yards and 21 touchdowns. Ward is a legit 2016 Heisman Trophy candidate and he is the best player in the AAC. On defense the Cougars finished just 53rd in the nation in total defense and only return 5 starters so the jury is out on whether they will be able to get better on that side of the ball or at least match their output from last season. However, the defense just has to be solid and the Cougars will still have enough to win their AAC West Division plus the conference title behind Ward. 2016 Projection 11-2, 8-0 AAC

2. Navy Midhipmen(2016 Projection 8-4, 6-2 AAC)
3. Memphis Tigers(2015 Projection 7-5, 4-4 AAC)
4. Tulsa Golden Hurricane(2016 Projection 7-5, 4-4 AAC)
5. SMU Mustangs(2016 Projection 4-8, 2-6 AAC)
6. Tulane Green Wave(2016 Projection 2-10, 0-8 AAC)

2016 American Athletic Football Championship Game

South Florida Bulls vs Houston Cougars – These two teams did not play last season and won’t play again in the regular season this year so this Championship Game will be a battle of two teams with no game tape to analyze against each other. However, the difference in this game will be Houston’s sensational quarterback Greg Ward Jr. who can control games with his passing ability and his running ability. South Florida’s good but not great defense should have no answer for him. Houston 34 South Florida 24

Odds to Win 2016 American Athletic Football Championship
Houston +120
South Florida +325
Cincinnati +575
Temple +775
Memphis +1200
Navy +1200
Connecticut +2200
Tulsa +3500
East Carolina +4000
SMU +8000
Central Florida +12000
Tulane +20000

2016 American Athletic East Odds
South Florida +130
Cincinnati +235
Temple +300
Connecticut +875
East Carolina +1450
Central Florida +3300

2016 American Athletic West Odds
Houston -295
Memphis +550
Navy +550
Tulsa +1450
SMU +2800
Tulane +5500