2013 AAC Preview

Let's not beat around the bush, going into 2013 nobody really thinks the AAC is among the elite conferences in the nation. Hell, outside of Heisman hopeful quarterback Teddy Bridgewater how many players in the conference can the average college football fan name? Now, I don't mean to turn this into another Bridgewatermania piece (but it is RUNNIN' WILD BROTHER!!) but going into 2013, Louisville is the prohibited favorite in the conference, and for good reason. After a dominant Sugar Bowl victory over Florida the Cardinals have not only AAC championship, but national championship hopes as well. With a stud signal caller many pundits feel that Louisville can run the table and make a case for a BCS berth, myself included. Wide receivers Damien Copeland and DaVante Parker are expected to put up big numbers catching passes from Bridgewater in 2013, I see 800 yards and 8 or 9 touchdown catches very realistic from the both of them, especially with a guy like Bridgewater throwing them the ball I see that being VERY realistic.

But that doesn't mean the rest of the conference is just going to lay down for the Cardinals. There are 9 other teams that think they are just as good as Bridgewater and company, and if history is any indication all it takes is one game to totally throw the conference and BCS standings into a whirlwind. Teams like Rutgers, UCF and Cincinnati are among the teams that I feel could easily knock them off, and I am sure the Scarlet Knights have extra motivation after Bridgewater's gutsy second half comeback to defeat them last season. Bridgewater may get all the headlines, but Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova is no slouch either who showed flashes in 2012 and if he can put it all together in 2013 they can be a force to reckoned with in the AAC. The Scarlet Knights also return 1,000 yard rusher Jawan Jamison and receiver Brandon Coleman who hauled in 10 of Nova's 22 touchdown passes in 2012.

Another team vying for the AAC crown in 2013 is the Cincinnati Bearcats, led by new head coach Tommy Tubervile they hope to return to the level they were a few years ago when they were national championship contenders with then quarterback Tony Pike. In 2012 the Bearcats had an up and down season that included using two different quarterbacks in Munchie Legeaux and Brendon Kay. After Kay took over however, the Bearcats went 4-1 including a victory in the Belk Bowl over Duke in one of the more underrated bowl games of last season. The senior quarterback played very well at the end of 2012 where he threw for 1,250 yards and 8 touchdowns (to only 2 interceptions) in his 5 starts. He will need to keep that pace up if Cincinnati expects to make some noise in the AAC in 2013. After losing 1,000 yard rusher in George Winn, the Bearcats will be relying mostly on Ralph Abernathy IV and unproven backs Jameel Poteat and Tion Green to carry the load from the running back position. Cincinnati will also need to replace last seasons leading receiver in Tight End Travis Kelce who was selected in the 3rd round by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Draft this past April. Junior wide out Kenbrell Thompkins who caught 34 passes including 2 touchdowns in 2012 is the Bearcats' leading returning wideout, senior Anthony McClung is expected to step up in a big way as well. Defensively Greg Blair looks to lead the Bearcats after a 138 tackle 2012 (68 solo), Arryn Chenault also looks to be a difference maker from the secondary.

The UFC Knights I think are the team in the conference that is getting overlooked by many and could easily jump to the top of the conference if Louisville or Cincinnati falter. Junior quarterback Blake Bortles had himself a great sophomore season, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdown passes including a 3 touchdown game against Ball State in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl. If he can continue to perform at a  high level he could challege Bridgewater for the title of best quarterback in the AAC, which may sound a little crazy now, but hear me now, believe me later, Bortles is going to have a breakout season in 2013 and this time next year we will be talking about him as a Heisman sleeper.

UConn hopes to improve on an up and down 2012 season that saw them finish 5-7,  but was highlighted by an overtime upset of Louisville late in the season. Junior running back Lyle McCombs leads the charge offensively for the Huskies. He ran for 860 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore and if he can hit the 1,000 yard mark and increase his touchdowns into the double digits he should make it a bit easier for quarterback Chandler Whitmer who struggled in 2012 throwing for 2,659 and 9 touchdowns, while tossing up 16 interceptions. UConn is a rebuilding team, but if they can get productivity out of their junior quarterback and tailback, they can make some noise.

The Houston Cougars are another AAC team that had some ups and downs in 2012, running back Charlie Sims, quarterback David Piland and wide receivers Dewayne Peace and Daniel Spencer were the key offensive players in 2012 , but much like the Huskies, to be completely honest there isn't much on this team that excites you. Trevon Stewart and Derek Matthews are the key players on defense in the secondary and front seven respectively. Matthews was especially impressive compiling 126 total tackles as a sophomore. Despite finishing 4-8 in 2012, the Memphis Tigers looked good at the end of the 2012 season, capped off by a 3 game winning streak that saw junior quarterback Jacob Karam play very well, tossing 7 of his 15 touchdowns in the final 3 games. The Tigers also saw tailback Brandon Hayes splash paydirt 5 times during that win streak. The offseason development or regression will do a lot in determining how Memphis fares in 2013.

SMU is another team that will likely be bringing up the rear in the conference this season, with not much worth writing home about,  junior linebacker Randall Joyner had a very productive 2012 season with 93 total tackles.

Temple and South Florida round out the AAC lineup for 2013 and likely will be among the the teams at the bottom of the conference along with SMU, Houston, Memphis and UConn. I stand by my comments about the AAC being Louisville's to lose. But  if we know anything about college football, we know that projections in July have little, if any bearing on what happens once we kick off and games begin. But with that being said it is very hard to imagine a team other than Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers or UCF coming out of 2013 with an AAC crown.

- Josh Gamez
@itsjoshgamez
josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

Can Butch Jones take Tennessee to the Top of the SEC?

The Tennessee Volunteers are arguably one of the most popular teams in college football. The Tennessee orange. The orange and white checkered endzone. Their mascot Smokey. Anyone who knows college football knows about the Tennessee Volunteers. However, being in the SEC, Tennessee has been stuck in the shadows of teams like Alabama, Florida, LSU, Auburn and others for quite some time. The last time that Tennessee won the National Championship was in 1998, when under Phillip Fulmer they beat the Florida State Seminoles in the first ever BCS Title Game.

Tennessee fans, players and alumni have been waiting anxiously to see their Volunteers fight back to the top of the SEC, and not only bring the SEC Championship home, but also bring another National Championship to Neyland Stadium.

Butch Jones has been coaching in the NCAA since 1990, where he was a defensive assistant at Rutgers. In 1992 Jones left Rutgers to become offensive coordinator for Wilkes. He was at Wilkes from 1992 to 1994, when he left for his alma mater Ferris State. There he assumed the same role he did at Wilkes.

In 1998 Butch found himself at Central Michigan University, where he'd move from coaching tight ends to running backs, and eventually become offensive coordinator from 2002 to 2004. Rich Rodriguez then brought Jones to West Virginia where he coached the wide receivers.

After two successful years at West Virginia, Butch got hired back to Central Michigan but this time as the head coach. There he led the Chippewas to an overall record of 27-13 over three years, and two MAC Championships. In 2010 Butch became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. In Cincinnati, Butch started off slow with a 4-8 record. In 2011 he improved to 10-3 and led the Bearcats to a Liberty Bowl victory over Vanderbilt, as well as a Big East Championship. In 2012 Butch led the Bearcats to a similar ending to the season, ending with a 9-3 record and another Big East Championship.

After much success at Cincinnati, on December 7, 2012 Butch announced that he was leaving Cincinnati and the Big East for Tennessee and the SEC.

The SEC will definitely bring quite a bit of competition Butch's way. He faced some top opponents while being the head coach at CMU and Cincinnati, but in the SEC he will consistantly face top opponents.

Tennessee has been waiting for a coach to bring them the success that they have been expecting, and Butch Jones can definitely be the coach to bring them that success. With an overall head coaching record of 50-27, he is not someone to be taken lightly. Granted teams like Alabama and LSU seem to be fine oiled machines that can't seem to lose, Tennessee has an overall record of 799–354–53. They more often see victories than defeats, and that's something that they'd like to see continue. I feel that Butch Jones is a man that will strive to lead Tennessee to continue improving that record, and to eventually get them the recruits and players good enough to not only become a top ten team, but to once again become National Champions.

- Jackson McNamara

@jacksonmcnamara

How Will Tommy Tuberville Do in Cincinnati?

The Cincinnati Bearcats have had quite a few flashes of greatness, followed by their coaches leaving for what they would consider a better opportunity at a bigger and/or better school. Brian Kelly coached the Bearcats from 2006 to 2009 with an overall record of 34-6, leading Cincinnati to bowl game victories as well as to a Sugar Bowl loss to the Florida Gators (although Kelly left the team at the conclusion of the season and didn't coach them for the Sugar Bowl loss). But Kelly left the Bearcats for what he considered his dream job, the head coaching position at Notre Dame. They also had Butch Jones coach them from 2010-2012 leading them to an overall record of 23-14 in his tenure. Jones led the Bearcats to a Liberty Bowl game victory over Vanderbilt. Butch Jones left to become head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.

I'm sure Cincinnati is tired of being a stepping stone for coaches. I'm sure they're ready to have a coach stick with them and lead them to bigger and better things. Is that where Tommy Tuberville comes in? Tuberville has been head coaching some of the most storied college football programs dating back to 1995. Tuberville's first head coaching job was coaching the Ole Miss Rebels. He coached them from 1995 to 1998 and had an overall record there of 25-20.

He left Ole Miss for another SEC team, the Auburn Tigers. He coached for nearly a decade at Auburn, and led the Tigers to an SEC Championship. He also won the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award. Tigers fans loved watching Tuberville do something that no one had ever done before, beat their in-state rivals the Alabama Crimson Tide in six consecutive games. His overall record with the Auburn Tigers was 85-40.

After the 2008 season Tuberville left Auburn and the SEC, and jumped to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tommy led the Red Raiders to an overall 20-17 record with only one losing season, going 5-7 in 2011.

Tuberville led the Texas Tech Red Raiders
to an overall record of 20-17 during his tenure.

Tuberville promised he'd return to Texas Tech for the 2013 season, however he took a job with the Cincinnati Bearcats in December of 2012. The Bearcats' athletic director Whit Babcock is a good friend of Tommy's, whom he worked with at Auburn. Could that be the reason he decided to jump to Cincinnati?

It is in Tuberville's track record to imply he'd be sticking around, then leave not long afterward. For example at Ole Miss he made the announcement, "They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box," implying that he'd be staying at Ole Miss for quite sometime, but made a statement two days later that he was departing for Auburn.

Although Cincinnati players and fans would love to have a coach stay and finally build the Bearcats football team to the powerhouse that they know they can be, I highly doubt they care much about Tuberville's track record of implying he'd stick around only to leave not long afterward. Maybe in the future that may be on their concern list, but I'm sure that right now they're just wanting Tommy to bring the success he saw at Ole Miss, Auburn and Texas Tech to Nippert Stadium. Tommy is nearing 60 years old, so you would assume that he probably won't have much coaching left in him after a few years. Bearcats faithful are hoping to see Tuberville's last years head coaching be in Cincinnati, and maybe land them a National Championship or at least a couple of high profile bowl game victories. Does Tommy have what it takes to make Cincinnati a top college football team? I'd say so, but we'll just have to wait and see.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Cincinnati Bearcats Preview

Gary Nova will look to lead #22 Rutgers past Cincinnati on Saturday.

Saturday at noon eastern, the #22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights travel to Nippert Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East showdown that could see the Bearcats clawing their way back to the top of the Big East standings, although Louisville will need to lose another game or two as well.

The Scarlet Knights are led by sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, who is 162/264 for the year with 1,939 yards, 18 touchdowns thrown, and 10 interceptions. Nova has been a staple in the offense, and has stepped up saying he'll take a bigger role if junior running back Jawan Jamison can't go because of an ankle injury. Coach Kyle Flood has said Jamison has a 75% chance to go against the Bearcats on Saturday. Good sign for Rutgers, as Jamison has over 900 rushing yards, and punched it in the endzone for four touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman will also look to have a big game, adding on to his receiving total of an already impressive 503 yards and eight touchdowns.

Another big factor of this game with be the Scarlet Knights' defense, who has only given up an average of 13 points per game. That makes them ranked fifth in the nation.

New starting QB Brendon Kay looks to take down the Scarlet Knights.

Cincinnati looks like they have found a new starting quarterback in their senior QB Brendon Kay, who had his first career start last week against Temple. He led the Bearcats to a 34-10 victory, throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Munchie Legaux, who had a lot of hype coming into the season, hasn't been as effective as the Bearcats had hoped, so it looks like Kay may have earned himself the starter role for the rest of his senior year.

Legaux however still could be used as he can throw the ball as well as scramble with it. Not sure if Cincinnati would want to go that route, but with another QB like Munchie, it opens up the playbook to all sorts of trick plays.

The Bearcats rushing game has averaged 226 yards per game, which makes them ranked 16th in the country. Senior running back George Winn is leading the team with 173 carries for 980 yards and nine touchdowns. Winn will be looking to break 1,000 yards for the season this Saturday, and odds are, he will. Ralph Abernathy, who is a sophomore, has also seen some rushing attempts for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

Brendon Kay finds himself in a high pressure spot Saturday at Nippert Stadium, but he has two wide receivers that will make his job a little easier. Both seniors, Travis Kelce and Kenbrell Thompkins have about 50 receptions between the two of them for over 800 combined yards and six total touchdowns.

The key to this game will be Brendon Kay and the Bearcats offense. If they can wear down Rutgers defense, and be able to have a good showing from George Winn to open up some nice deep pass plays by QB Kay, the Bearcats could definitely win this game.

The Scarlet Knights will need to shut down the offensive weapons that the Bearcats possess to win this one. It should definitely be a good one Saturday at noon. It looks like it'll be airing on the Big East Network, or on ESPN3. You can also probably catch it on your WatchESPN app. I know I will be!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle