The 2023 season marks the dawn of a new era for the AAC as the old guard of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF have departed for the Big 12, making way for a group of six additions headlined by title contender UTSA. The Roadrunners are coming off back-to-back Conference USA titles and will look to keep their championship streak rolling in their new home against a group of returning AAC squads with the spotlight on reigning champion No. 24 Tulane.
The Green Wave program experience historic highs last season, finishing 12-2 with a Cotton Bowl victory over USC after defeating UCF in the AAC Championship Game. After flirting with Georgia Tech, coach Willie Fritz is back along with star quarterback Michael Pratt to ensure Tulane will be a legitimate contender to repeat atop the conference.
Elsewhere, the AAC features several new coaches looking to establish their programs in the revamped conference. Among the headliners is Tom Herman at FAU as the former Texas coach returns to the league where he first rose to prominence while leading the Houston program. With former Texas and Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson highlighting a roster that includes loads of returning production, the Owls could be in line for serious improvement from last season's 5-7 mark.
Our CBS Sports college football experts are here to provide their picks and predictions for the AAC ahead of the 2023 season. Check them all out below.
Bold predictions
- Dennis Dodd: UTSA coach Jeff Traylor will win 12 games (again), win a conference title (again), all while riding star quarterback Frank Harris to a New Year's Six bowl. To make it symmetrical, the Roadrunners will beat defending conference champ Tulane and then face 2021 AAC champ Cincinnati -- now in the Big 12 -- in that New Year's Six game. Traylor will then depart to become the next coach at Texas A&M after Jimbo Fisher is fired following a 7-5 season.
- Tom Fornelli: SMU will win one of its two road games against Oklahoma or TCU as the Mustangs will appear in a New Year's Six bowl.
- Chip Patterson: Tulane takes down Ole Miss en route to another New Year's Six appearance. If we count the AAC's exes as Power Five teams, Tulane went 5-1 against Power Five competition in 2022, including an early season win against eventual Big 12 champion Kansas State and the epic comeback victory in the Cotton Bowl against USC to close the year. The arrival of Ole Miss in New Orleans presents a great opportunity for Tulane to once again solidify its spot in the chase for a NY6 bid with a Power Five victory on the resume. I think Pratt and the reigning AAC champs go back-to-back.
- Barrett Sallee: The Mustangs will ride a remarkably easy conference schedule into the AAC Championship Game with a chance to earn a New Year's Six bid. A rematch with Memphis two weeks after their regular-season matchup will be a tall order, but they'll get the job done and make a major bowl game for the first time since receiving the Death Penalty.
- Shehan Jeyarajah: UAB was a consistent contender in Conference USA, but that changes this season with a new coach and conference shift. The Blazers will struggle mightily under Trent Dilfer during his first year as a college coach at any level and finish below .500 for the first time since 2013.
- David Cobb: Herman will have immediate success at FAU as he takes over an Owls team that returns key players across the field. He also landed former Texas and Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson, who should be one of the top Group of Five signal-callers. Look for FAU to knock off either UTSA or Tulane, if not both, on its way to an appearance in the AAC title game.
- Jerry Palm: The AAC's streak of six consecutive years representing the Group of Five in a New Year's Six will come to an end. Tulane will finish the season within the top 25 of the College Football Playoff Rankings but end up behind Boise State from the Mountain West.
- Will Backus: The AAC has a team that flirts with the College Football Playoff. Based on schedule, Tulane is the most likely candidate. A Week 2 showdown against Ole Miss looks like the only game in which the Green Wave will not be favored, and a signature win there could mean a 12-0 regular season.
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AAC champion
SMU: It'd be shocking if the Mustangs don't make the conference championship game considering how navigable their conference schedule is. Once there, all a team needs is 60 good minutes to hoist the trophy. They're much more capable of just claiming a conference crown, though. Coach Rhett Lashlee has done a tremendous job turning that offense into a force; he became a portal machine in the offseason. Preston Stone, the highest-ranked quarterback in SMU history, will step in and become a star thanks in part to a loaded receiving corps. Simply put, SMU is built to win shootouts, which plays well in the AAC. -- Sallee (Fornelli)
Tulane: Fritz's build at Tulane may have peaked in 2022, but last season's success also established a new standard that plenty of people in and around the program are committed to maintaining. Fritz and Pratt received Power Five interest over the offseason but chose to remain with the Green Wave. The reshuffled AAC has left Tulane on a tier by itself at the top. This is a bowl team, at a minimum, in any conference in the country. In this conference, however, it's an easy championship pick. -- Patterson (Palm, Backus)
UTSA: Traylor, entering his fourth year, has quickly built a Group of Five power at UTSA as the program comes off consecutive Conference USA titles. Though moving to the AAC brings an uptick in competition, the Roadrunners are ready. Harris is back for his seventh season after throwing for over 4,000 yards in 2022, and the defensive front could be the AAC's best. Trips to FAU and Tulane will be tough, but UTSA should be favored in its other six league games. Look out for the Roadrunners in September, as well. Nonconference games at Houston and Tennessee are perfect opportunities for them to turn some heads leading into league play. -- Cobb (Jeyarajah, Dodd)
