With Change Comes Opportunity
The 2020 college football season is days away from kicking off (August 29, Austin Peay @ Central Arkansas).
Yes, there are many uncertainties ahead, but one thing is for sure - this season will be different.
No Big-10.
No PAC-12.
Truncated, mostly conference-only schedules.
Delayed starts, and shuffled opponents.
Plenty of change, endless questions, and hopeful players/coaches/and fans.
Considering all of this, however, opportunity reigns supreme. More specifically, opportunity presents itself most to the American Athletic Conference. Just a year ago, college football expert Phil Steele ranked the AAC as the 5th best conference in his final 2019 conference rankings, one spot ahead of the ACC.
It was his first time ever ranking a Group of 5 league ahead of a Power 5.
In 2020, without 2 of the Power 5 conferences competing, the American Athletic Conference will get more coverage, increased ratings, and the respect they deserve. Could they challenge for a College Football Playoff spot as one of the Top-4 teams at the end of the season? I don’t see why not.
UCF returns 8 starters on both sides of the ball after a “rebuilding year” in 2019, following back-to-back 12-0 seasons.
Memphis comes off a New Years Six bowl appearance (Loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl) led by explosive QB Brady White, with the Tigers offense projected to average over 40 points per game in 2020.
Cincinnati is coming off an 11-3 season, with many saying this is HC Luke Fickell’s best team as he enters his 4th season.
SMU hopes to continue forward momentum with QB Shane Buechele taking orders from established HC Sonny Dykes.
And don’t forget about Navy. The Midshipmen cause problems weekly with their triple option attack, winning 11 games a year ago.
Five teams in the American Athletic Conference won double digit games in 2019. As the three remaining Power 5 conferences shift to conference-only schedules, the battle of attrition over 10 weeks could prove costly in terms of teams beating each other up. Records could be battered come time for the College Football Playoff selection.
Sure, common knowledge would suggest that two teams from the same conference will most likely make the final four teams in 2020’s playoff. But, 2020 will be no ordinary season.
With change comes opportunity, and there is no doubt that the American Athletic Conference is primed to capitalize on what will be a memorable season for all.