This is how I predicted the AAC to finish this year. To refresh our memories here it is.

Here is how I think the 2014 season will play out.

1. UCF 10-2 They're #1 until proven otherwise. I see them going 3-1 in OOC, and dropping a game in the conference they shouldn't. Big shoes to replace at QB.

2. Cincinnati 10-2 I see them going 3-1 in OOC too with a big win at Miami. Gunner Kiel will come into his own, and will be fun to watch. Although they will probably lose to someone they have no business losing to like they did last year against USF.

3. Houston 10-2 with losses to Cincinnati and UCF. Houston will be 4-0 going into the UCF game, and if they win that it is clear sailing until Cincinnati in final week. COuld be the AAC championship game.

4. East Carolina 7-5 on paper ECU has the toughest schedule in the AAC. Their OOC is very tough with UNC, VA Tech, and South Carolina. Best case scenario is 4-0 worst is 1-3. I'm hoping for the best it would make a bold statement for the AAC, and ECU football. If the worst is to happen I can see ECU with the record I predicted. They will drop two maybe three in AAC. What a welcoming to the conference the Pirates get.

5. Temple 7-5 The Owls impressed me last year with a young QB who makes the defense stay true, and a defense that never gives up. Temple will make a bowl, and as the season goes on teams won't want to see them on their upcoming schedule.

6. Tulane 7-5 The Green Wave have a lot to be excited about this season. I think some of the excitement will translate to a few extra wins.

7. Tulsa 7-5 The Golden Hurricane will bounce back, and be a tough team in their debut season in the AAC.

8. Memphis 6-6

The Tigers will build on the foundation their defense has laid, and will figure out how to score some points this year. Will it be enough to go bowling?

9. USF 5-7 they mystery in Tampa will continue as the Bulls stumble through another season.

10. UCONN 4-8UCONN offensive woes will continue, and the American will be a tough road for them this year.

11. SMU - 3-9 It will be a long season in Dallas. June Jones may finally be fired after the disaster of 2014.

This is how the teams finished.

Memphis 7-1 9-3
UCF 7-1 9-3
Cincinnati 7-1 9-3
ECU 5-3 8-4
Houston 5-3 7-5
Temple 4-4 6-6
USF 3-5 4-8
Tulane 2-6 3-9
Tulsa 2-6 2-10
SMU 1-7 1-11
UCONN 1-7 2-10

I had two of the co champions right. Memphis I didn't see you making the the run you did. Congratulations on your AAC Championship.

UCF - I had predicted the Knights to go 10-2 that 10th win was supposed to be over Penn State in the opener. Just didn't materialize. I also said you would lose an AAC game that you shouldn't. UCONN got a win against UCF ruining the Knights perfect AAC record.

Memphis - I had predicted a nice turnaround from your 2013 campaign, but never imagined a 9-3 season, and an AAC championship.

Cincinnati - I had predicted the Cats to be 10-2 which included a win over Memphis. If the defense wasn't so terrible in the first 6 games who knows. Gunner Kiel was as advertised, but has plenty to work on for next year. A co-championship is a wonderful prize especially after being 2-3 after 5 games.

ECU - Right where I thought they would be. In the thick of things, but not quite over cusp. ECU has been a great football addition to the American.

Houston - I thought the Cougars would roll until they met UCF. Houston in my opinion was the biggest disappointment in the AAC.

Temple - A good year, a few balls that bounce a different way, and the Owls could have been 8-4. The Owls defense was good this year, but the offense needs to find the endzone more often.

USF - the mystery and disappointment in Tampa continues.

Tulane - I had high hopes for Tulane. I guess they didn't have the talent, and fortitude I thought they did. Tulane is a long way away from competing in AAC.

Tulsa, SMU, and UCONN - Disasters of a season. These three may wander in losing for years to come. Hope all bounce back, and represent the AAC well, but for now they will be in competition for the basement next year.

(12-17-2014 09:47 PM)True Bearcat Wrote:  This is how I predicted the AAC to finish this year. To refresh our memories here it is.

Here is how I think the 2014 season will play out.

1. UCF 10-2 They're #1 until proven otherwise. I see them going 3-1 in OOC, and dropping a game in the conference they shouldn't. Big shoes to replace at QB.

2. Cincinnati 10-2 I see them going 3-1 in OOC too with a big win at Miami. Gunner Kiel will come into his own, and will be fun to watch. Although they will probably lose to someone they have no business losing to like they did last year against USF.

3. Houston 10-2 with losses to Cincinnati and UCF. Houston will be 4-0 going into the UCF game, and if they win that it is clear sailing until Cincinnati in final week. COuld be the AAC championship game.

4. East Carolina 7-5 on paper ECU has the toughest schedule in the AAC. Their OOC is very tough with UNC, VA Tech, and South Carolina. Best case scenario is 4-0 worst is 1-3. I'm hoping for the best it would make a bold statement for the AAC, and ECU football. If the worst is to happen I can see ECU with the record I predicted. They will drop two maybe three in AAC. What a welcoming to the conference the Pirates get.

5. Temple 7-5 The Owls impressed me last year with a young QB who makes the defense stay true, and a defense that never gives up. Temple will make a bowl, and as the season goes on teams won't want to see them on their upcoming schedule.

6. Tulane 7-5 The Green Wave have a lot to be excited about this season. I think some of the excitement will translate to a few extra wins.

7. Tulsa 7-5 The Golden Hurricane will bounce back, and be a tough team in their debut season in the AAC.

8. Memphis 6-6 The Tigers will build on the foundation their defense has laid, and will figure out how to score some points this year. Will it be enough to go bowling?

9. USF 5-7 they mystery in Tampa will continue as the Bulls stumble through another season.

10. UCONN 4-8UCONN offensive woes will continue, and the American will be a tough road for them this year.

11. SMU - 3-9 It will be a long season in Dallas. June Jones may finally be fired after the disaster of 2014.

This is how the teams finished.

Memphis 7-1 9-3
UCF 7-1 9-3
Cincinnati 7-1 9-3
ECU 5-3 8-4
Houston 5-3 7-5
Temple 4-4 6-6
USF 3-5 4-8
Tulane 2-6 3-9
Tulsa 2-6 2-10
SMU 1-7 1-11
UCONN 1-7 2-10

I had two of the co champions right. Memphis I didn't see you making the the run you did. Congratulations on your AAC Championship.

UCF - I had predicted the Knights to go 10-2 that 10th win was supposed to be over Penn State in the opener. Just didn't materialize. I also said you would lose an AAC game that you shouldn't. UCONN got a win against UCF ruining the Knights perfect AAC record.

Memphis - I had predicted a nice turnaround from your 2013 campaign, but never imagined a 9-3 season, and an AAC championship.

Cincinnati - I had predicted the Cats to be 10-2 which included a win over Memphis. If the defense wasn't so terrible in the first 6 games who knows. Gunner Kiel was as advertised, but has plenty to work on for next year. A co-championship is a wonderful prize especially after being 2-3 after 5 games.

ECU - Right where I thought they would be. In the thick of things, but not quite over cusp. ECU has been a great football addition to the American.

Houston - I thought the Cougars would roll until they met UCF. Houston in my opinion was the biggest disappointment in the AAC.

Temple - A good year, a few balls that bounce a different way, and the Owls could have been 8-4. The Owls defense was good this year, but the offense needs to find the endzone more often.

USF - the mystery and disappointment in Tampa continues.

Tulane - I had high hopes for Tulane. I guess they didn't have the talent, and fortitude I thought they did. Tulane is a long way away from competing in AAC.

Tulsa, SMU, and UCONN - Disasters of a season. These three may wander in losing for years to come. Hope all bounce back, and represent the AAC well, but for now they will be in competition for the basement next year.

Overall, the conference wasn't as strong as most expected, which is reflected in many of the predictions/results; not just yours. This list of predictions is probably as accurate as most, including "experts".

FWIW, 6-6 is about as good as most Memphis fans were looking for. No one except those wearing the bluest of shades honestly expected what happened on the field.

(12-18-2014 07:59 AM)oldtiger Wrote:  Overall, the conference wasn't as strong as most expected, which is reflected in many of the predictions/results; not just yours.

In a sense, I was actually pleased with our conference performance overall. I thought our teams hung in there (really competed) in games that I wasn't really expecting to be as hard fought. UCLA/Memphis and USF/Wisconsin come to mind. Next year, we have to win those and I see no reason we can't.

Nevertheless, to just look at records and standings, you don't get the full picture. We are a league still going through transition.

Looking forward to seeing Herman, Montgomery, and Morris, start shaping their programs at UH, Tulsa, and SMU.

Good year for the Tigers!

Trust me UH fans shared your sentiment. So did the powers that be, that is why we have a new coach!

ECU can beat P5's on the regular but struggles against teams they should beat. Its our tradition.

(12-18-2014 10:34 AM)uhmump95 Wrote:  Trust me UH fans shared your sentiment. So did the powers that be, that is why we have a new coach!

It takes guts (and vision) to can a coach after going 7-5. Looks like Houston administration isn't playing around or willing to accept mediocrity.

That is exactly the message that we want t send mac6115cd. Our fans are restless for success. We want to win now and it is important to do so and build off of the momentum we have tried to create. What a roller coaster it has been going from Briles to Sumlin, Kevin Kolb to Case Keenum, Quick 6 to Deontay Greenberry, Jackie Battle to Farrow, ect. Our defense has become the best its been since my fandom began in 2006. Gibbs is being retained and we have a real shot with our new HC to make a big splash. I am excited about the future. No we aren't playing around. We want to win and win right now. We want to show the football world we are serious. If there is more realignment we want to be in the best position to receive an invite. We have new facilities and all kinds of things coming together on campus such as the Student Center, additional parking garages, hotel renovation, housing additions and renovations, dining hall overhauls, new dining halls, and future development plans to coincide with the light rail system in the City of Houston. What an amazing amount of momentum. Let's win!

(12-18-2014 10:40 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  

(12-18-2014 10:34 AM)uhmump95 Wrote:  Trust me UH fans shared your sentiment. So did the powers that be, that is why we have a new coach!

It takes guts (and vision) to can a coach after going 7-5. Looks like Houston administration isn't playing around or willing to accept mediocrity.

Let's hope that's true. I think it's mostly coming from the pres. She's a true Coog.