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All win totals are courtesy of South Point.
Houston Cougars - O/U 8.5 wins
Joey Broback- Over. This team still has a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball despite some key losses. When everyone is healthy in the fall, this team will be dangerous.
Darrelle Thompson - Over. They have arguably the best defensive lineman in the country in Ed Oliver, and the offense will still be potent. At least 10 wins for the Cougars.
Joe Serpico - Over. The hook made me think long and hard about this pick as I feel this team could go 8-4 or 9-3. I'm going with the over even though Major Applewhite will have plenty of competition in the West division.
Memphis Tigers - O/U 8.5 wins
Joey Broback- Over. It’s between the Tigers and Houston. Memphis has a lethal offense, and its defense will improve to compete for the conference title.
Darrelle Thompson - Under. UCLA is their only tough matchup out of conference, but the big swing will be a 13 day swing in October where they play at Uconn, come home for a Thursday night game against the Navy Option attack, and have five days to rest before playing Houston.
Joe Serpico - Over. The Tigers are that competition I was speaking of, but they have tough road trips to UCF, Houston and Tulsa that could keep them out of the contention for the conference championship. It will come down to whether the defense can keep up with their high-octane offense.
Navy Midshipmen - O/U 7 wins
Joey Broback- Under. I don’t think Zach Abey has the same ability that Will Worth and Keenan Reynolds had in the past. Hopefully, I’m wrong.
Darrelle Thompson - Over. Losing Keenan Reynolds is a huge loss, but this offense is always hard to defend and the schedule lines up nicely for them to get 8 or 9 wins.
Joe Serpico - Push. Navy is going through a change at quarterback once again, but Ken Niumatalolo always finds a way to keep his team relevant.
SMU Mustangs - O/U 5 wins
Joey Broback- Over. There is no doubt that the offense will be one of the best in the conference, but the defense will need to improve tremendously if they want to compete for the division.
Darrelle Thompson - Over. This will be the most improved offense in the conference and the defense can’t go anywhere but up.
Joe Serpico - Push. Chad Morris has an offense that should compete with the best in the conference, but a lot of questions on defense and a schedule that isn't as favorable as many think keeps them just one win shy of a bowl this year.
Tulane Green Wave - O/U 4.5 wins
Joey Broback- Under. Year 3 under Willie Fritz could be better, but their schedule makes it extremely difficult. It’s tough to find more than three wins.
Darrelle Thompson - Under. I’m agreeing with Joey on this one. All of their conference road game will be tough to win and they also have OU out of conference. I’ll be surprised if they get to three!
Joe Serpico - Under. Repeat everything above. Tulane is making all the right moves to become more competitive, but is still not on the same level as the rest of the conference.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane - O/U 7.5 wins
Joey Broback- Under. For a team that is pegged to win the division, I’m having trouble buying in. There are so many vital positions that need to be filled, and their schedule doesn’t allow for any time to fill them.
Darrelle Thompson - Over. Call me crazy but I’ve got Tulsa winning 10 games this year, starting with a big win against Oklahoma State. Best offense in the AAC? This squad might have it when the stats are all tallied up.
Joe Serpico - Over. Tulsa is garnering a lot of hype as a potential conference winner, but as Joey pointed out, they have so many holes to fill that everyone seems to be overlooking. They get to nine wins, but will barely do so as they close out the season with Memphis, South Florida and Temple, who all should go bowling this winter.