Two years ago, Ted Lewis handed me his vote from The Advocate. Last year, I was emailed a ballot from the conference.
This year, nada. But If I had gotten a vote, here is what it would have been.
WEST
1) Tulsa --QB Dane Evans is gone, but I always felt like he was a product of the system --a very good system under coach Philp Montgomery
2) Memphis--The Tigers have the division's best returning quarterback in Riley Ferguson, but the defense was awful last year. Not sure yet about this team's coaching.
3) Houston --Maybe the realization Tom Herman was leaving caused the Cougars to go in the tank in conference play, but something was rotten. And new coach Major Applewhite was part of it.
4) Navy --Yep, I picked Tulane to beat Navy in my over/under column, but I would have erred on the side of caution. And Navy does not have to play South Florida.
5) Tulane --Considering the continuing O-line concerns, 3-5 seems like the most likely conference record.
6) SMU--I would not be shocked if the Mustangs win the division, which has no great team. But they were all over the board a year ago and have QB issues.
EAST
1) South Florida--Houston was just as overwhelming a favorite in the West last year, but Quinton Flowers is the real deal. No defense in this league can handle him.
2) UCF--Scott Frost has enough returning talent to build on a successful debut season in what should be the weaker of the two divisions.
3) Temple--The Owls will miss coach Matt Rhule in a big way even though new coach Geoff Collins has a lot of surface similarities. But they should be better than the rest of the East.
4) Cincinnati--The Bearcats were awful under Tommy Tuberville, but their talent level was better than their performance.
5) East Carolina--The Pirates lost their last four games by at least 21 points. Still not sure why they replaced Ruffin McNeill with Scottie Montgomery.
6) Connecticut--Trying to recreate the past rarely is a good idea. Can't see Randy Edsall working any magic with a bad roster in his second time around in Storrs.
Championship Game: South Florida over Tulsa with at least 80 points scored combined.
This year, nada. But If I had gotten a vote, here is what it would have been.
WEST
1) Tulsa --QB Dane Evans is gone, but I always felt like he was a product of the system --a very good system under coach Philp Montgomery
2) Memphis--The Tigers have the division's best returning quarterback in Riley Ferguson, but the defense was awful last year. Not sure yet about this team's coaching.
3) Houston --Maybe the realization Tom Herman was leaving caused the Cougars to go in the tank in conference play, but something was rotten. And new coach Major Applewhite was part of it.
4) Navy --Yep, I picked Tulane to beat Navy in my over/under column, but I would have erred on the side of caution. And Navy does not have to play South Florida.
5) Tulane --Considering the continuing O-line concerns, 3-5 seems like the most likely conference record.
6) SMU--I would not be shocked if the Mustangs win the division, which has no great team. But they were all over the board a year ago and have QB issues.
EAST
1) South Florida--Houston was just as overwhelming a favorite in the West last year, but Quinton Flowers is the real deal. No defense in this league can handle him.
2) UCF--Scott Frost has enough returning talent to build on a successful debut season in what should be the weaker of the two divisions.
3) Temple--The Owls will miss coach Matt Rhule in a big way even though new coach Geoff Collins has a lot of surface similarities. But they should be better than the rest of the East.
4) Cincinnati--The Bearcats were awful under Tommy Tuberville, but their talent level was better than their performance.
5) East Carolina--The Pirates lost their last four games by at least 21 points. Still not sure why they replaced Ruffin McNeill with Scottie Montgomery.
6) Connecticut--Trying to recreate the past rarely is a good idea. Can't see Randy Edsall working any magic with a bad roster in his second time around in Storrs.
Championship Game: South Florida over Tulsa with at least 80 points scored combined.
