Central Florida narrowly favored to win AAC Championship

Last season, Central Florida just missed the chance to play for the school’s third straight AAC championship. In 2020, the Knights are narrowly favored to claim the conference title, but Cincinnati could once again spoil the fun.

In Josh Heupel’s second year as head coach of UCF, he guided the Knights to a 10-3 record, one season after his team went undefeated in the regular season.

Three losses might sound like a lot for a coach who only got beat once during his first year, which was a 42-30 loss to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day, but all three of last season’s defeats could have easily gone the other way.

With freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel (3,653 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions) running the offense, UCF won games by an average margin of 16.9 points, and fell by one point to Pittsburgh, lost by three at Tulsa, and suffered a three-point setback at Cincinnati.

The Bearcats earned a spot in the AAC Championship Game — with one more victory than UCF in the East Division — but succumbed to Memphis, 29-24, in the title game.

Knights poised for better luck in 2020

This season, the Knights should see luck roll their way in the conference. Gabriel has a year of experience under his belt, though he might end up as backup to McKenzie Milton if the senior can get his knee back to full strength. Milton started at quarterback in 2018, but a career-threatening knee injury forced him to miss all of last season.

In the offseason, the offense lost wide receiver Gabriel Davis (1,241 yards, 12 TDs) to the Buffalo Bills, but Tre Nixon should step in seamlessly as the new No. 1 receiver. Marlon Williams (717 yards, six TDs) and Jacob Harris (448 yards) also pose a threat.

In the run game, Otis Anderson (726 rushing yards, eight touchdowns from scrimmage), Bentavious Thompson (604 yards, eight TDs), and Greg McCrae (529 yards, seven TDs) form a lethal combination in the backfield.

The defense will also return eight starters from a unit that ranked third in the conference in points allowed per game (22.8).

The Knights possess the talent and experience to rise to the top of the AAC, and they’ll be tested quickly, when they play North Carolina in Orlando in Week 1. They’ll also visit Memphis and new coach Ryan Silverfield in mid-October and host Cincinnati in late November.

Fickel back with Bearcats for another shot at AAC glory

Luke Fickell could have jumped back to the Big Ten by accepting the head coaching job at Michigan State, but he opted to stay in Cincinnati and coach a team on the verge of its first AAC banner.

Heading into his fourth year in Cincinnati, Fickell is coming off back-to-back 11-win seasons and will get more than 70% of last year’s team back for another run.

In 2019, the Bearcats lost twice in the regular season — a 42-0 blowout at Ohio State (where Fickell served as co-defensive coordinator from 2012-2016) and a 10-point loss at Memphis.   

One week after the Memphis defeat, the Bearcats faced the Tigers in the AAC Championship Game and led by one point with nearly a minute left in regulation, until quarterback Brady White tossed a six-yard, game-winning touchdown.

In 2020, Fickell’s No. 1-ranked defense in the conference (21.7 points per contest) will have its top eight tacklers on the line back and six of seven primary defensive backs.

The offense is the main concern, as quarterback Desmond Ridder (2,164 passing yards, 650 rushing yards, 23 total TDs) must work with a mostly new receiving corps. On the plus side, he can still lean on top receiver Alec Pierce (652 yards, two scores) and a balanced run game to move the ball.

Senior Gerrid Doaks (526 yards, five TDs), sophomore Charles McClelland (missed the 2019 season), and Alabama transfer Jerome Ford will help replace the production of leading rusher Michael Warren II, who is now in the NFL.

The Bearcats will confront SMU, UCF, and Temple on the road, where Cincinnati will be tested most. The team will also host Memphis and see many of the same players from last year’s Tigers squad, with a new head coach and defensive coordinator.

Memphis or Navy should once again battle for the top of the West. However, the conference should belong to the East.

Fickell has the opportunity to push Cincinnati to the promised land, but UCF has too much going its way. A little more luck, matched with an abundance of skill, should prop UCF back to the top of the conference.

Bet the 2020 college football season at BetAmerica.