2020 American Athletic Conference Football Preview - Odds, Picks, & Betting Predictions

Oddsmakers believe that the Central Florida Knights will win the American Athletic Conference football title in 2020. The Knights opened as a +125 favorite to win the conference title on most sportsbooks after not playing in the conference title game in 2019 for the first time in the last three seasons. The second best odds for winning the AAC title were given to the Memphis Tigers at +225 despite Memphis losing its head coach. The Cincinnati Bearcats have the third best opening odds +300 despite winning the recruiting battle in the conference.

The UCF Knights won 10 or more games for the third straight season in 2019, but three narrow losses kept the Knights from playing in the conference title game. UCF did defeat Marshall 48-25 in the Gasparilla Bowl to end their season on a high note. The Knights have a potent offense and the defense continues to improve. UC last season were second in the nation in total offense averaging 540.5 yards per game. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel will return for his sophomore season after throwing for 3,653 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2019.

Memphis cannot be overlooked even though head coach Mike Norvell signed to coach for the Florida State Seminoles following the 2019 regular season. The loss of Norvell is huge for the Tigers as Memphis was 38-15 during his four seasons at the helm. In addition, the Tigers lost their entire coaching staff on the defense, but the offense returns starting quarterback Brady White and number one running back Kenneth Gainwell.

Cincinnati was defeated last season by Memphis in the AAC title game 29-24, but boasts the best recruiting class of 2020 for all Group 5 (AAC, Conference-USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American, Mountain West) football programs. Included in that recruiting class are three four-star prospects - Evan Prater a quarterback, Jaheim Thomas a running back and Jadon Thompson a wide receiver.  No other football program in the AAC signed a four-star recruit. Head coach Luke Finkel returns despite many rumors he would accept the top job with the Michigan State Spartans. Last season’s starting quarterback Desmond Ridder will return to lead the Bearcats offense in 2020.

Although both SMU and Navy are longshots to win the ACC title with opening odds of +1400 both cannot be overlooked. The Mustangs and Midshipman were double-digit winners last season and both programs were undefeated on their home field. SMU will have to replace its top two running backs and its defense is a weak link, while Navy lost it's starting quarterback Malcolm Perry and have much less talent than the top three programs in the AAC.