Storylines to follow as kickoff nears
NEWPORT, R.I. — The American Athletic Conference gathers at a picturesque seaside resort Monday and Tuesday for the annual media days. • After the popular New England-style clambake, where 300-pound linemen take aim at the record for lobster consumption, representatives from all 12 schools will gather at Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina to officially kick off the 2019 football season. • With Connecticut set to depart the league, it will be the last time the gang is all together. • Here are five storylines to watch:
Moving forward without Connecticut 1
UConn announced in late June it will leave the AAC for the basketball-centric Big East beginning in 2020. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco has said the league has no desire to keep the Huskies as a football-only member, which means athletic directors and presidents must decide whether to remain at 11 schools or expand. A person with knowledge of the talks said the AAC has a “very small list” — which is believed to include BYU and Army — of possible expansion candidates and the league plans to be selective moving forward.
“We’ll consider a 12th school, but unless that school helps our strength and really enhances our brand why would you do it?” Aresco said. “We’re not going to do anything that dilutes the brand and diminishes us at all.”
At this week’s meetings, athletic directors are expected to discuss eliminating the two-division format and having the two top-rated teams face off for the championship.
Can Central Florida weather an early injury storm? 2
The two-time defending champions are without star quarterback McKenzie Milton, who will miss the season after suffering a catastrophic knee injury last November that nearly cost him his leg. The latest blow came last week when the school announced Darriel Mack Jr. is out indefinitely with a broken ankle. For now, Notre Dame graduate transfer Brandon Wimbush enters as the presumed starter. The Knights will have the benefit of an adjustment period with games against Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic to begin the season before the first true test against Stanford.
Can the AAC once again land the New Year’s Six bid? 3
See above. UCF has been the class of the league, securing the Group of Five’s spot in a lucrative bowl the past two seasons. It is clear the AAC has solidified its spot as the top conference outside the Power Five. If UCF falters, that could open the door for schools such as Memphis, runner-up the past two seasons, Houston and Cincinnati.
Welcome to the league 4
Three new coaches join the AAC this season: Dana Holgorsen (Houston), Mike Houston (East Carolina) and Rod Carey (Temple). Holgorsen is the most intriguing of the group, making the rare move from a Power Five job and signing a five-year deal with the Cougars worth $20 million.
Who is the favorite in the West? 5
Memphis, the division winner the past two years, must replace two of its most productive players (Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard) but returns 3,000-yard passer Brady White and 1,100yard rusher Patrick Taylor Jr. UH’s D’Eriq King, who set an AAC single-season record with 50 total touchdowns, returns after missing the final two-plus games with a knee injury and has his top playmakers back in the passing game as the Cougars figure to score lots in Holgorsen’s system. The defense underwent a makeover and will switch to a four-man front.
Looking for a sleeper? Tulane. The Green Wave should be improved on offense and have the type of defensive front that could make them challengers.