– Last Updated on November 21, 2022 4:05 pm
2017 AAC Season Football Preview
Looking for AAC Conference 2017 predictions? The Conference has been quite entertaining over the past seasons. Last season was filled with plenty of drama. A botched snap on a punt with seconds to go, a field goal as time expired, and a late touchdown drive in the Big Ten title game all captured what was an entertaining conference season.
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The AAC wants to be the top rated conference after the Power 5. There are some pretty good teams but none that might challenge the hierarchy the way that Houston might have a year ago.
USF looks like the best bet to win the league this season.
2017 AAC Conference Prediction: South Florida Bulls (-140)
The Bulls made headlines when they brought on Charlie Strong as coach after losing Willie Taggart. It is a move that just feels right for both parties.
Making it easy to see continued success for the Bulls is that Strong will have an experienced hand at QB in Quentin Flowers. He might be the most underrated player in the country and a sneaky Heisman pick.
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The fifth best running game in college loses its lead back to the NFL but Flowers runs as well as any QB in the game and three offensive linemen return so I am not expecting much of a dropoff.
The defense is where the program hungs its hat in the early days of existence. There is a lot of room for improvement there and it is Strong’s forte.
They return 9 starters on that side of the ball so the cupboard is far from bare. Cb Deatrick Nichols might be the best defensive player in the league.
Also impressive is DT Deadrin Senat. The name might not roll off the tongue but he is a massive disruptor inside.
The Bulls could easily be favoured in every game this season and just might run the table and put some pressure on playoff pickers. The finale at UCF is likely to have a ton of value for both teams. Unfortunately their only Big 5 opponent in Illinois. It should be a win but not a difference maker for this good team.
2017 AAC Conference Prediction: Navy Midshipmen (+1200)
The service academies are among the hardest teams to forecast from year to year but this year’s Navy team should be pretty good.
Nothing has changed schematically so you can expect an option offense that steamrolls opponents and a defense that is better than most think.
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Starting with defense this Navy team has some bulk in the trenches and real size at linebacker. I bring that up because effort is always off the charts but sometimes they get overmatched physically.
Zach Abey will be the trigger man on offense this season and he seems up to the task. He might not be a legend but he can make the calls.
That will include trying to use Chris High as much as possible. He plays the fullback position but might be their most explosive player so those dives are going to be dangerous.
Navy has a bit of a backloaded schedule this season. In addition to closing with Army they are at Notre Dame and at Houston. Those games could determine the ceiling of their season.
2017 AAC Conference Prediction: UCF Knights (+2500)
The Knights certainly seem to be pointed in the right direction by coach Scott Frost…even if the season closed with a whimper.
This team has a nice mix of veterans and underclassmen. One of those vets is Shaquem Griffin, considered the best pass rusher in the conference.
One of those underclassmen is McKenzie Milton, who got his feet wet at QB last year as a frosh. He is a small dual threat who had some big games a year ago. He can be a lot better though.
Jawon Hamilton at running back also has potential and played a lot as a freshman. The skill positions are set with this group.
The schedule is pretty tough but a lot of those games are the 50/50 type so if they get some luck the finale could be a big one.
2017 AAC Conference Prediction: Houston Cougars (+550)
Everyone knew that Tom Herman was not going to be in Houston for very long. The consensus is that Major Applewhite, last year’s OC was a coach on the rise so keeping him in the fold was key.
That alone would provide for a lot of continuity of offense but so will the return of 8 starters including the entire offensive line.
The key loss on offense is super athletic QB Greg Ward Jr. Replacing him will be a top prospect in Kyle Allen but there is always a bit of a stigma when players transfer, especially elite guys like Allen.
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On defense the Cougars are probably better than you think because their offense gets all of the attention. Last year they only yielded 23ppg and were 4th against the run.
Key to that success was the awesome freshman season of Ed Oliver. The DT is one of those physical freak types who could have gone anywhere but still picked the Cougars.
Herman led this group to some very big wins while HC the last couple of years. There is a lot of returning talent for Applewhile which means the good times should keep rolling for Houston.
Complete 2017 AAC Conference Odds
- South Florida -140
- Houston +550
- Memphis +550
- Tulsa +800
- Navy +1200
- Temple +2000
- UCF +2500
- Cincinnati +3000
- SMU +2500
- Tulane +6000
- East Carolina +10000
- Connecticut +12500
AAC Conference: 2017 Prediction USF -140
South Florida has the best quarterback in the league and even though they have some transition at HC I expect Strong to it in well. Any of the four teams previewed above could win it though so if you want some extra value take a look at Houston.
More 2017 College Football Conference Gambling Previews
- 2017 Mountain West Conference Predictions & Odds
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- 2017 Sun Belt Conference Predictions & Odds
- 2017 MAC Conference Predictions & Odds
- 2017 Big 12 Conference Predictions & Odds
- 2017 Conference USA Predictions & Odds
- 2017 SEC Conference Predictions & Odds
What do you think about our AAC Conference 2017 Predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
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