One of the biggest changes to the landscape of college football happened in the American Athletic Conference when Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston headed to the Big 12.
To combat the loss of the trio, the AAC added Charlotte, UTSA, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and FAU. The most notable addition is UTSA, winners of the last two Conference USA titles.
How does the influx of new programs change the landscape for the AAC Championship?
AAC Conference CFB Futures Odds
Keep track of the best school name nickname betting lines for the college football season:
CFB odds used to make these predictions were current as of Monday, July 17, and were found at Caesars Sportsbook.
- Tulane (+250)
- SMU (+300)
- UTSA (+300)
- Memphis (+800)
- FAU (+800)
- North Texas (+2000)
- Navy (+2800)
- Temple (+2800)
- East Carolina (+3500)
- UAB (+4000)
- USF (+4000)
- Tulsa (+4000)
- Rice (+7500)
- Charlotte (+12500)
Best Bet To Win AAC Conference
Tulane Green Wave (+250)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Is it boring to pick the favorite? Sure, but Tulane has the least to combat after the AAC went through a facelift.
The Green Wave lost RB Tyjae Spears and LB Dorian Williams to the NFL Draft, but they return four offensive linemen and eight defensive starters. That is a huge lift, as is the return of QB Michael Pratt.
If Tulane beats FAU and Memphis on the road, it could seal their fate as champs.
Sleeper Bet To Win AAC Conference
Florida Atlantic Owls (+900)
FanDuel Sportsbook
There is something to be said about first year magic, and new head coach Tom Herman is a great candidate to bring that to Boca Raton.
Despite being jettisoned from Texas, Herman never had a losing season with the Longhorns and went undefeated in four bowl games.
Herman inherits an Owls squad that returns 10 defensive starters and brings in QB Casey Thompson, who Herman recruited to Texas before he chose Nebraska. Herman also has a 1,000-yard rusher in RB Larry McCammon.
FAU avoids Memphis and SMU this season, and UTSA and the aforementioned Tulane come to Florida for their contests.
AAC Conference Team To Fade
Memphis Tigers (+700)
BetMGM Sportsbook
The offense is live for Memphis, but the defense is up-and-down, and there is reason to doubt Ryan Silverfield as an in-game manager.
Memphis does not have to worry about facing three of the best AAC teams in recent memory now that they’re Big 12 teams, but at least three teams that are joining this season are good enough to beat or keep games close with Memphis.
Memphis has lost eight straight one-score games in their last 10 chances to pull out wins.
Find the best CFB AAC Conference betting sites
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