Preseason publications and oddsmakers have established Memphis as the favorite in American Athletic Conference football.
In a landmark year in college football with expanded playoffs, there will be a new AAC champion as Southern Methodist has moved to the ACC.
A $100 wager on the Tigers will pay $230 if they win the AAC championship on Dec. 6.
East Carolina will pay $1,600 on a league title.
What makes Memphis the favorite is a potent offense with returning quarterback Seth Henigan, who threw for 3,883 yards during 2023 when the Tigers were 10-3 overall and 6-2 in league play.
Memphis averaged 39.4 points per game, sixth nationally, last season.
The Pirates haven’t played the Tigers since 2022 when ECU won an epic 47-45 matchup in four overtimes in Greenville.
There isn’t a game scheduled between ECU and Memphis this season.
The Tigers aren’t expected to challenge for a playoff spot because of a Sept. 14 date at Florida State. ECU will have an opportunity to impact the Group of Five berth in the playoffs with a Sept. 21 date at Liberty, the projected favorite in Conference USA.
ECU’s success will hinge on several factors if the defense can continue to perform on the level of 2023 when points allowed (22.4 per game) ranked 37th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Pirates must develop a functional offensive line under new position coach Matt Mattox. Transfer quarterbacks Katin Houser and Jake Garcia will have to generate more in the up tempo style of new coordinator John David Baker.
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The Pirates were near the bottom of the FBS in points (17.3) and total yards (277.2) in 2023. The offensive struggles were the primary reason ECU went 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the AAC.
Payoffs on $100 bets across the AAC include Tulane ($390). South Florida ($550), Texas San Antonio ($650), Rice ($1,300), North Texas ($2,300), Army ($2,300), Florida Atlantic ($2,700), Navy ($2,700), Alabama-Birmingham ($2,700), Tulsa ($3,500), Charlotte ($5,000) and Temple ($13,000).
The Pirates do not play Tulane or South Florida in the upcoming regular season, making UTSA (Sept. 28 in Greenville) the highest-regarded AAC team on ECU’s schedule.
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ECU beat Memphis their last two meetings; my how those two programs have diverged. Fairness dictates that Coach Houston be seated squarely on the hot seat going into this season. Admittedly this poll means little, but if it were to come out in fact no better for ECU than what it predicts, tied for 7th w/ Rice, and behind FAU and what has been a lately moribund USF program, then inarguably heads should roll, especially given ECU’s softish schedule and last year’s debacle.