Which former CUSA team is best poised for AAC success in 2023?

[meangreenfaninno]

On July 1, the 11-team American Athletic Conference subtracts three of its members and adds six. Overall the conference expands to 14, matching the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC as the largest conferences for the 2023 football season.
 

Nearly half of the AAC will be comprised of former CUSA newcomers. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA are among the six institutions making the transition, a move which has been in the works since October 2021.

But how will these teams fare in year one as AAC members? When the AAC was founded from the remnants of the Big East in 2013, UCF captured the conference title in its inaugural season, fresh off a transition from the CUSA. Ten years later, could any of the six CUSA additions see similar success?

Among the six rising AAC members, only two retains their head coaches from the 2022 season — Rice and UTSA. Thus, the majority of these programs are not only transitioning conferences, but breaking in a new era from a personnel standpoint as well. With reigning champion Tulane returning plenty of firepower, mixed in with lofty expectations for perennial standouts Memphis and SMU, a conference title might not be the realistic expectation for the majority of the six teams. But there is at least one bona fide contender among the newcomers.

read more: https://www.underdogdynasty.com/platform/amp/2023/6/28/23752724/former-cusa-team-best-poised-aac-success-2023-charlotte-fau-north-texas-unt-rice-uab-utsa-football

[MeanGreen_MBA]

Fair analysis

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

1 hour ago, meangreenfaninno said:

On July 1, the 11-team American Athletic Conference subtracts three of its members and adds six. Overall the conference expands to 14, matching the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC as the largest conferences for the 2023 football season.
 

Nearly half of the AAC will be comprised of former CUSA newcomers. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA are among the six institutions making the transition, a move which has been in the works since October 2021.

But how will these teams fare in year one as AAC members? When the AAC was founded from the remnants of the Big East in 2013, UCF captured the conference title in its inaugural season, fresh off a transition from the CUSA. Ten years later, could any of the six CUSA additions see similar success?

Among the six rising AAC members, only two retains their head coaches from the 2022 season — Rice and UTSA. Thus, the majority of these programs are not only transitioning conferences, but breaking in a new era from a personnel standpoint as well. With reigning champion Tulane returning plenty of firepower, mixed in with lofty expectations for perennial standouts Memphis and SMU, a conference title might not be the realistic expectation for the majority of the six teams. But there is at least one bona fide contender among the newcomers.

read more: https://www.underdogdynasty.com/platform/amp/2023/6/28/23752724/former-cusa-team-best-poised-aac-success-2023-charlotte-fau-north-texas-unt-rice-uab-utsa-football

Very fair. UDD usually knows it's stuff

[cousin oliver]

Enjoyable and fairly optimistic read. 

[MrAlien]

If we are just talking football, UTSA is probably going to be the most impactful of the cusa schools.  The AAC is a much better football conference, and I think it will take a few seasons for the rest of the schools to be competitive.  

if we are talking athletics as a whole, I think UNT is entering the AAC as one of the strongest all around former cusa schools.