In the West, prognosticators are split between Memphis and Houston. The Tigers return quarterback Brady White (3,296 yards, 26 touchdowns) and will replace 1,900-yard rusher Darrell Henderson with Atascocita native Patrick Taylor Jr. UH is not expected to skip a beat offensively with the return of dual-threat quarterback D’Eriq King and a cast of playmakers that includes the receiving trio of Marquez Stevenson, Keith Corbin and Courtney Lark, who combined for more than 2,200 yards and 24 TDs. But can the Cougars stop anybody after ranking among the worst defenses in the nation?
“Being picked second, especially for me and hopefully my teammates, I’m going to make sure that’s motivation going into the season,” King said.
The AAC has a chance to make an early splash. Among the matchups during the opening weekend: UCLA at Cincinnati, Mississippi at Memphis, and Houston at Oklahoma.
“I challenge anyone to tell me that this is not Power Six scheduling or to tell me we won’t be extremely competitive in these games,” Aresco said.