Kenneth Harrison
NFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is April 26, 2018. So, it is approaching soon.
This can change the fortune for several franchises. The best division in 2017 was the NFC South because they had three playoff teams. Let’s take a look at the division and their 1st round picks.
No. 7 Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers (5-11) were the only team in the division with a losing record. They took a step back because they were 9-7 in 2016. We expected them to improve and make the playoffs. They also added speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans but it obviously did not work.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, running back and offensive guard. Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a great pick. He played both safety and corner in college. He can cover and he’s physical and can make tackles. He also has very good size at 6’1, 201 pounds.
No. 24 Carolina: The Panthers (11-5) rebounded last year after regressing in 2016. They addressed a need by drafting running back Christian McCaffrey in the 1st round last year. He was very good as a pass catcher but he did not run the ball well. He only rushed for 435 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest team needs are wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The Panthers traded their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo on Halloween.
Cam Newton needs a good WR so I think they will go in that direction. Courtland Sutton from SMU should still be available. He’s 6’4, 225 lbs. so he’s a big target.
He caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017. Newton struggles with accuracy so having a tall receiver with a big catch radius is a good move.
No. 26 Atlanta: The Falcons (10-6) had an up and down year coming off last year’s heartbreaking Super Bowl meltdown. They did win in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Rams. They came very close to beating the eventual world champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, losing 15-10. Atlanta should return to being an elite team if they make the right personnel moves.
The biggest needs are defensive line, WR and offensive guard. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst would be a good fit. Putting him next to Grady Jarrett might give the Falcons one of the best young defensive lines in the league.
No. 27 New Orleans: The Saints (11-5) had a great season. They have the best running back duo in the NFL and an elite veteran quarterback. They lost to Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs on the last play of the game. The defense ranked 16th in total D and 17th in run defense.
They need to improve the defensive front seven, WR or slot corner. Boston College defensive end Harold Landry might be selected here. He showed he could rush the passer in 2016 when he recorded 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Landry is a bit of a one-year wonder though because he did not have a season with more than 5 sacks outside of 2016.
A League Of Their Own
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There are only a few games remaining in the college basketball regular season. At this point we know who the contenders and pretenders are.
The ACC has been the best conference for several years and this season is no different. Currently there are 10 teams that will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Things have played out differently than we initially expected before the season began though. Duke was the top ranked team in the preseason so expectations were very high. The Blue Devils always compete with Kentucky for the top recruiting class and they had a lot of incoming talent.
They landed the top recruit in the class of 2017, power forward Marvin Bagley. Point guard Trevon Duval also committed to Duke and he was ranked 6th nationally. Teaming these young stars up with senior Grayson Allen sounded like a slam-dunk.
Bagley is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder and he’s missed some games with a right knee sprain.
They are 22-5 and the No. 5 team in the country so they are having a pretty good season. The surprise is that Virginia is the best team in the conference and they have a three game lead over Duke.
The Cavaliers have only lost one conference game and their top ranked nationally. They have sustained success over the last five years so maybe we should have expected this.
North Carolina has been inconsistent this season. We know the Tar Heels are the defending national champions and they played in the championship game the past two years. They lost several players from that team so we expected some growing pains.
They lost to Wofford at home in December. In ACC play they had a three game losing streak to Virginia Tech, NC State and Clemson.
They ended the streak against a terrible Pitt team then beat Duke. The Heels are a good team but too inconsistent to advance far in the tournament.
The most shocking team is Clemson because their typically doormats in basketball. The Tigers are No. 15 in the nation and fourth in the ACC. They have not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. They are a legit team and they have a chance to win a couple of games once they get there.
Virginia Tech is also playing well. The Hokies are fifth in the ACC and have a winning record in conference play. After a 10-year absence from March Madness they made it in last season. This will make two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for a program that has only been nine times.
NC State is tied with Va Tech. The Wolfpack as a program have struggled with maintaining success. They beat Duke and North Carolina, which is a major accomplishment.
Louisville has performed well but they are on probation. I believe they have a post-season ban.
Two football schools, Miami and Florida State are both currently 19-8. These two programs have been very good over the last four years so maybe this should be expected at this point.
Syracuse is the final team that will make the tourney. They used to be an elite team in the Big East. After making the switch to the ACC they have been fairly disappointing.
The conference tournament will be very competitive. There is always the possibility of an unexpected team winning it.
Out To Pastner
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We have about one month left in the college basketball season. There are a few teams that have underperformed and will not make the NCAA tournament unless they win their conference tournament. Georgia Tech is poised to be one of those teams.
Tech used to be one of the few programs that were consistently successful in football and men’s basketball. They have fallen on hard times in recent years. The Yellow Jackets have not played in the NCAA tournament since 2010.
They currently are 11-11 and are ranked 11th in the ACC. Head coach Josh Pastner is not only struggling on the court. His longtime friend Ron Bell has told the media he provided benefits in violation of NCAA rules to players Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson. Tech self-reported the violations to the NCAA in November and suspended both players.
Pastner filed a civil lawsuit in Arizona against Ron Bell and Jennifer Pendley, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting and injurious falsehoods and attempts to blackmail and extort both Pastner and his family, according to a statement from his attorney.
Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats national championship team. He was also an assistant at Arizona under Lute Olson and at Memphis under John Calipari. After becoming head coach at Memphis he was named the 2013 Conference USA Coach of the Year.
He was hired as head coach at Georgia Tech in April 2016. He showed promise in his first season. During the 2016-17 regular season the Jackets knocked off Top 5 North Carolina at home, in his first coached ACC game at Georgia Tech.
They also enjoyed quality wins at Virginia Commonwealth, at home against Top 10 Florida State, and Top 25 Notre Dame. Further improving throughout the season, Tech knocked off Syracuse and Pittsburgh late in February to finish 8-10 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets were projected to finish last in the conference and to not win a single conference game. He was named the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year.
This season there have been several bad losses against teams like Grambling, Wofford and Wright State. The NCAA violations could be one of the reasons for the sub-par season. They also lost four consecutive games in January.
There are eight regular season games remaining and it doesn’t look like things will get much better. The next few games are at Louisville followed by at home versus #9 Duke. Those are both probably bad losses.
Later this month there are back-to-back road games against #2 Virginia and #16 Clemson. The Yellow Jackets already lost to both teams and I cannot imagine them being able to get revenge.
NC State is also having a great year and they are one of the last regular season games. The Wolfpack have beaten Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame so I expect them to dismantle Tech.
The best chance for victories is two games with Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. If they finish with a losing record (they certainly will) Tech needs to move on from Pastner and hire a new coach.
How Long Can Falcons Fly?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons had a disappointing season in my opinion. Coming off an 11-5 2016 with a Super Bowl appearance they regressed. There was only a one game difference because they finished 10-6 this season.
That one game made a huge difference in playoff seeding. The 2017 team barely made the playoffs, getting the #6 seed. That means every playoff game is on the road. The 2016 team was the #2 seed and both of their playoff games were at home.
The biggest difference was obviously the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Atlanta was the highest scoring offense in the NFL last season. They were second in the league in total offense, averaging 416 yards per game.
Shanahan left to become a head coach in San Francisco. Steve Sarkisian replaced him and I thought that was a poor hire when it happened. The offense slipped to eighth averaging 365 ypg. The only thing to look forward to is maybe the team will play better in the second year in Sarkisian’s system. The same thing happened under Shanahan.
The team did improve drastically on defense. The 2016 team finished the season 25th in total defense. They surrendered 25.4 points per game and 371 ypg. The Falcons jumped to ninth in 2017 allowing 19.7 ppg and 318 ypg.
Head coach Dan Quinn has the defense going in the right direction. I think they can be even better in 2018, possibly finishing in the top five.
Defensive end Takk McKinley was a rookie this season and he played fairly well. He finished the season with 6 sacks and 20 total tackles. Not very impressive but I expect him to make a big jump in his second year.
The same thing happened with Vic Beasley and in his second season, he led the league with 15.5 sacks. He also regressed and only had 5 sacks in 2017. I think the emergence of McKinley will force teams to stop double teaming Beasley and his sack total should go up. I think they can become the best pass rushing duo in the NFL.
Matt Ryan was named the NFL MVP in 2016. He passed for nearly 5,000 yards, 38 touchdowns and completed 70% of his passes. This past season his totals dropped to 4,095 yards, 20 touchdowns and 64.7% completion rate. He also threw 12 interceptions compared to just 7 the previous season.
Ryan has showed us that he is a top ten quarterback for the past decade. He has the potential to be a top five QB once he becomes acclimated to a system. He has elite weapons like Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman to help him.
The best-case scenario for Atlanta in 2018 is to be one of the most balanced teams on both sides of the ball.
The offense needs to return to an elite level while the defense improves. With the young talent added from the last two drafts this should happen.
If the team does not improve next year then I think the championship window for Atlanta is almost closed. It will be time to reevaluate everyone on the roster and possibly start over.
Underwhelming Wildcats
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Kentucky is one of the blue blood programs of men’s college basketball. Every year they’re expected to at least compete for a national championship. The Wildcats also have some of the best recruiting classes every year under coach John Calipari.
They started the season ranked in the top five. So far, the Cats have not lived up to the hype with a 14-5 record. Their only 4-3 in conference play which is the biggest surprise. The SEC is one of the weaker power conferences and Kentucky has dominated the league for decades.
Kentucky has lost two consecutive games to South Carolina and Florida. The Gators won a close game on the road 66-64. They also snapped Kentucky’s 30 game home win streak against conference opponents.
“At the end of the day we had our chances, and I love the fact we fought,” Calipari said.
Currently the Wildcats are unranked and tied for fourth place in the SEC.
At this rate it looks like they’ll struggle to make the NCAA tournament. We will see if Kentucky can right the ship and become a contender.
They’re led by talented freshman again this year. Forward Kevin Knox leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Knox was Mr. Florida in 2017 and he was considered a top-10 prospect by several publications. His father was a wide receiver for Florida State and a member of the 1993 national championship team.
Hamidou Diallo averages 13 ppg and 4.5 rpg. The 6’5 shooting guard was rated No.1 at his position in 2016. He actually had to redshirt last season because he was a midyear enrollee in January 2017.
Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 11.9 ppg and 4.3 assists per game.
With young talent, sometimes it takes time for them to adjust to college. At a school like Kentucky they have star players at each position so it can be difficult for them to play as a team.
Saturday January 27th they participate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at No.6 West Virginia. This is the best opponent on the schedule and I think this game can determine the rest of the season.
I think a win will give the team great momentum. It will boost the teams’ confidence and encourage them to play as a team. Based on what I’ve seen I give the advantage to the Mountaineers.
The next game is home versus Vanderbilt. They beat the Commodores 74-67 earlier this month. I expect a season sweep.
February begins on the road at Mizzou. This is the first meeting of the season but I expect Kentucky to prevail since they have more talent.
I expect the Wildcats to stop struggling in conference play and put a decent winning streak together. I don’t see them catching up with Florida to win the regular season conference title.
Tide Rolls In Another Title
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is officially over which is a bittersweet moment. The national championship game started slowly but got better in the second half. #3 Georgia (13-2) was on a quest for their first national championship since 1980.
They dominated in the first half but they had to settle for field goals early on to take a 6-0 lead. Mecole Hardman scored a 1-yard touchdown right before halftime to give the Dawgs a 13-0 lead.
On the opposite side #4 Alabama (13-1) struggled on offense in the first half. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is 25-2 as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to their second consecutive national championship game.
He struggled again, only completing 3 of 8 passing attempts for 21 yards. He did a good job running, gaining 47 yards on 6 carries.
Nick Saban made a bold move by benching Hurts at halftime in favor of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa. He led Bama to the end zone with a 6-yard TD pass to Henry Ruggs III to cut the deficit to six points.
The Bulldogs answered that score with a big play from their true freshman quarterback. Jake Fromm threw an 80-yard touchdown to Hardman to extend the lead to 20-7. Fromm played pretty well, throwing for 232 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions with a 50% completion rate.
The Crimson Tide would go on to tie the game 20-20 with 3:49 remaining in the 4th quarter after Tagovailoa tossed another touchdown to Calvin Ridley. They had a chance to win the game in regulation.
Kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a field goal in the first half, which foreshadowed what he would do later in the game. He missed another field goal as time expired in regulation.
UGA received the ball first in overtime and scored a field goal to take a 23-20 lead. At that point I thought Alabama was in trouble because they could not trust their kicker.
Tagovailoa took a horrible sack on Alabama’s first play in overtime, losing 16 yards. On the next play he threw a 41-yard TD pass to freshman DeVonta Smith to win the game.
“I could not believe it,” Saban said. “There’s lots of highs and lows. Last year we lost on the last play of the game and this year we won on the last play of the game. These kids really responded the right way. We said last year, `Don’t waste the feeling.’ They sure didn’t, the way they played tonight.”
Tagovailoa finished with 166 yards, 3 touchdowns and one pick with a 58% completion rate.
The win is Alabama’s fifth national title in nine years. Saban now has six major poll national championships, which includes one at LSU. That matches the record set by another legendary Crimson Tide coach, Bear Bryant.
This was an interesting year for Alabama. They lost the championship last season on the last play of the game. They reeled off 11 wins to begin this season before losing to archrival Auburn to finish the season.
There was some controversy when they were selected to the College Football Playoff because they did not win their conference. Some people felt that Ohio State was more deserving since they won the Big Ten, even though they had 2 losses. It looks like the decision to pick the Tide was justified.
Black Monday
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL regular season ended Sunday. Changes were made immediately after that, which brings us to the aftermath of Black Monday. Some moves were obvious, while others have been very puzzling to say the least.
The Chicago Bears fired John Fox. Fox is a pretty decent coach, winning the NFC and AFC Championship with Carolina and Denver. He suffered double digit losses every year in his three seasons in Chicago. His overall record with the Bears is 14-34.
The coaching change makes sense but another move by the Bears is a head scratcher. The general manager Ryan Pace has been with the organization for the same amount of time as Fox and he received a contract extension.
I’m not sure why he was rewarded for not building talented teams but if Chicago doesn’t mind why should I? His replacement will likely be an offensive coach like New England’s Josh McDaniel’s or Minnesota’s Pat Shurmur.
Jim Caldwell was fired by Detroit. Caldwell has been there since 2014 and he’s done a decent job. His only losing season was in 2015. The Lions were 9-7 the last two seasons and his overall record with the franchise is 35-28 (.556). That’s the best winning percentage for a Lions head coach since Buddy Parker in the 1950’s.
The Lions have asked for permission to interview Texans Defensive Coordinator Mike Vrabel.
Chuck Pagano has been fired by Indianapolis. He’s been in Indy since 2012 and this year was his first losing season. Starting quarterback Andrew Luck missed the entire season and the Colts went 4-12.
I think most teams would struggle without their starting quarterback. Their roster had glaring weaknesses even when Luck was healthy. The Colts were 8-8 in 2015 and 2016. I think the GM should also be fired with the coach in most cases and this is one of them.
The Colts will also interview Mike Vrabel but Jim Harbough is their top candidate.
Oakland fired Jack Del Rio after three seasons. The Raiders finished 6-10, which was disappointing because they were 12-4 in 2015. That was Del Rio’s only winning season in Oakland.
Their top candidate is their former coach and current analyst Jon Gruden. I think that would be a terrible hire but it would bring a lot of attention for the franchise.
Marvin Lewis was in the final year of his contract in Cincinnati coming into the season. He’s been there since 2003, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick.
The Bengals were one of the worst franchises before he got there so he did help them improve into a winning team. I have to mention he also never won a playoff game during his tenure.
For that I think he should have been fired a while ago. The Bengals went 6-9-1 in 2016 and 7-9 in 2017.
This next move was very confusing to me. New York Jets coach Todd Bowles has been with the team since 2015. His first year the team was 10-6. The last two seasons they were 5-11. He and GM Mike Maccagnan signed contract extensions to continue through 2020.
Sugar Bowl Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The ‘good’ bowl games have always happened on that day and with the College Football Playoff, it’s no different.
Number 1 Clemson takes on Number 4 Alabama in the prestigious Sugar Bowl. This is a rematch of the last two national championship games.
I’m on record as saying Clemson is the best team back in October. I still feel the Tigers are the most talented team in all of college football. I think they have the toughest matchup because Alabama is the second best team.
The Crimson Tide only have one loss on their resume, which happened in the final game of the season. Because of this, they fell out of the top four before the conference championship games. After the conference championships they moved back into the top four.
Clemson is the most complete team because their strong on both sides of the ball. They rank sixth nationally in total defense, giving up an average of 277.9 yards per game. They lead the nation in sacks with 44. They can also take the ball away because they have 14 interceptions and recovered 5 fumbles.
The Tigers rank 30th in total offense, averaging 448 ypg. My biggest surprise is that they were able to successfully replace Deshaun Watson.
Kelly Bryant is a better dual threat quarterback because he’s faster than Watson. Bryant has thrown for 2,678 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. He also ran for 646 yards and 11 TD’s.
They also have two backs (Travis Etienne & Tavien Feaster) that have rushed for over 650 yards each. They have three receivers with over 500 receiving yards apiece.
On paper Alabama is very impressive. They rank second nationally in total defense and 19th in total offense. There are a couple of noticeable differences from years past though.
They typically feature an elite running back like Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry or even Trent Richardson. A strong running game and stifling defense is the formula the Crimson Tide have utilized since Nick Saban took over as head coach.
Sophomore Jalen Hurts is a great athlete playing quarterback. He’s only thrown for 1,940 yards with a 61% completion rate. He does have 15 TD’s to 1 interception. He’s the second leading rusher on the team with 768 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. Damien Harris is the leading rusher with just 906 yards. That takes me back to Bama lacking a dominant running back.
The passing game also lacks the great playmakers we’ve become accustomed to like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper or O.J. Howard. Calvin Ridley is pretty good but he’s their only threat as a pass catcher.
He has 55 catches for 896 yards and 3 TD’s. The second leading receiver (Jerry Jeudy) has 13 receptions, 244 yards and only one less touchdown than Ridley.
The defense has been dealing with injuries, primarily outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. Without them they have given up a lot of big plays. On the positive side they might be healthy by the time this game is played.
Clemson has the advantage because they have a dominant defense and Alabama only has a couple of weapons to stop. The winner of this game will win the championship so enjoy the game.
I Don’t Look Good In Orange
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last week Tennessee completely botched hiring a new football coach. As you recall they announced they were hiring Greg Schiano. He’s currently Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
He’s best known for being the head coach at Rutgers and Tampa Bay. There was massive backlash from the fan base. From comments on social media to protests on campus, Vol fans expressed that they were not happy with that move.
This led Athletic Director John Currie to be fired by the University of Tennessee. He just started his AD position April 1, 2017. Currie also courted Oklahoma State’s Mike Leach, NC State’s Dave Doeren, Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm. They also were interested in Dan Mullen but he accepted the job at Florida.
Now they had to hit the reset button. They hired their legendary former coach Phillip Fulmer as the new AD. That was a great move. Fulmer coached at UT from 1992 – 2008, compiling a 152-52 record. He also won the inaugural BCS National Championship in 1998. It’s interesting to see how things come full circle because Fulmer was forced out of Knoxville in 2008. Since then the program has not had any stability.
Things are so bad that fans actually want Lane Kiffin back. Kiffin was hired to replace Fulmer and he went 7-6 in 2009, his lone season in Knoxville. He bolted for USC in January 2010, which obviously upset many students and fans. He’s currently trolling Tennessee about the vacant coaching position.
I’ve had to wonder with everything going on, is this considered a good job to have? The Vols are coming off a 4-8 season and they went winless (0-8) in conference play. Honestly, in the right circumstances this can be a top 25 job if the fans can have realistic expectations. That’s a stretch with any SEC fan base outside of Vanderbilt and Kentucky though.
I have a few reasons that this can be a good position. The first thing is the recruiting base. Just proximity to Georgia, Florida, Alabama and the Carolinas mean they can attract talented recruits.
Also, the SEC East is pretty weak so a quick turnaround is very possible. Other than Georgia, the rest of the division is struggling. I expect Florida to get better but they also have a new head coach so it will take a couple of years for them to get better.
Unfortunately, the opponent from the SEC West that they play each year is Alabama. They haven’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 2006.
Next year they also play Auburn. If the Tigers are as good or better in 2018 that will more than likely be a blowout loss.
I do think they should realistically win seven games next season. The wins should come against ETSU, UTEP, South Carolina, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Mizzou and Kentucky. The two games that can go either way are West Virginia and Florida.
There are a few names that are being considered for the job. Former LSU coach Les Miles might be a good candidate. He has experience coaching in the conference and recruiting in the South.
In his twelve seasons in Baton Rouge he went 114-34, winning two SEC Championships and a BCS National Championship in 2007.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and SMU head coach Chad Morris are also in the mix.
I think they all have obvious strengths and weaknesses but I don’t see them as bad candidates. At this point Tennessee needs to hire a coach so they can try to salvage their recruiting class.
AAC To Become Power Conference?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ve always loved college football more than professional for a number of reasons.
One of the biggest is because they play much harder. Losing one game can derail the entire season. Unfortunately, college football has always had its share of flaws.
Previously it was almost unheard of for the best teams to play in the national championship. The BCS guaranteed the top two teams would meet but many times it seemed like that was not the case.
Now we have a playoff with four teams coming from the five ‘power’ conferences. I think we need to rethink that because there are some pretty good teams in the ‘Group of Five’ that will never make the playoffs.
Specifically, I think the American Athletic Conference should be added to make the ‘Power Six’ conferences.
You may remember the former Big East, which is the current AAC. During the BCS era they were one of the power conferences. The heavyweight teams like Miami, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Boston College left the conference.
The second tier institutions like Louisville, West Virginia, Pitt and Rutgers followed suit. As a result, they were very weak because of that and the conference champion would routinely be blown out in the BCS bowl game.
Over the last few years the conference has vastly improved. With schools in Florida, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania they have a great recruiting base. They are producing NFL talent which casual fans might not be aware of.
One example of that is Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. He was picked 3rd overall in the 2014 draft. He led a very good Central Florida team to a 12-1 record in 2013. The Knights beat No. 8 Louisville in the inaugural AAC Championship and No. 5 Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl.
Houston is another program that has had recent success. They were 13-1 in 2011 as members of Conference USA. They beat UCLA and Penn State that year. They finished with that same record in 2015. The Cougars beat Louisville and Vanderbilt during the regular season and No. 9 Florida State in the Peach Bowl. They started the following 2016 season with a victory over No. 5 Oklahoma.
One of the best success stories has to be Temple. The Owls were a charter member of the Big East in 1991 but they were expelled from the league following the 2004 season. They rejoined the conference in 2012 and finally had success. They beat Penn State in 2015 and won the conference championship last year.
Memphis has produced NFL talent like Paxton Lynch, Dontari Poe, Stephen Gostkowski, Akeem Davis and DeAngelo Wiliams.
They shared the conference title in 2014 and in 2015 they upset No. 13 Ole Miss. The Tigers are currently 9-1 including a win over UCLA. They are guaranteed to win the West division and play in the AAC Championship.
UCF (10-0) faces South Florida (9-1) this week and the winner wins the East and advances to the conference championship.
The best thing any of these teams can hope for is a spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games. The playoffs should be expanded to at least 6 teams and if that happens the AAC champion should automatically get a playoff spot.
