Thu, Jul 28, 2022
IRVING, Texas – Only one point separates the top two teams in the 2022 American Athletic Conference preseason media poll as the Houston Cougars edged the Cincinnati Bearcats as The American’s preseason favorite.
Houston received seven of a possible 24 first-place votes to finish with 243 points in the poll, while Cincinnati was second at 242 points, despite the Bearcats’ receiving 10 first-place votes. UCF had seven first-place votes and was third with 225 points.
Houston and Cincinnati were a combined 16-0 in regular-season conference games last season before the Bearcats took a 35-20 win against the Cougars in the 2022 American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
Houston, which was ranked No. 17 in the final national polls of 2021, was tabbed as the favorite in The American for the first time since 2016 after the Cougars went 8-0 in conference play and 12-2 overall, capped by a 17-13 win against Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl. Head coach Dana Holgorsen’s squad will be led by veteran quarterback Clayton Tune, who threw for 3,546 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2021, and wide receiver Nathaniel Dell, who led The American in receptions (90), receiving yards (1,329) and touchdown catches (12) last season.
Cincinnati made history last season as the first team from The American to reach the College Football Playoff as the Bearcats won their first 13 games of the year before falling to Alabama in the CFP semifinals. The Bearcats finished the season ranked No. 4 nationally, but Luke Fickell’s squad will need to offset the loss of an American Athletic Conference-record nine players who were selected in the NFL Draft, trailing only Georgia and LSU nationally. Linebacker Deshawn Pace, a 2022 Butkus Award candidate, is expected to be the stalwart of the Bearcats’ defense after his 94-tackle season last year.
UCF, which has won a conference-record four American Athletic Conference titles, is expected be in the hunt once again in head coach Gus Malzahn’s second season in Orlando. The Knights went 9-4 last season, winning six of their final seven games, including a 29-17 victory against Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl.
SMU was fourth with 187 points as first-year head coach Rhett Lashlee will have quarterback Tanner Mordecai back in the fold. Mordecai set an American Athletic conference record with 39 touchdown passes in 2021.
Memphis, which has had eight consecutive seasons at .500 or better, edged East Carolina for fifth in the preseason poll. The Tigers will be led by quarterback Seth Henigan, an FWAA Freshman All-America who threw for more than 3,300 yards as a rookie. The Pirates, who won five of their last six to close the 2021 season, will feature fifth-year starting quarterback Holton Ahlers and standout running back Keaton Mitchell.
The American is coming off an historic season in 2021, highlighted by Cincinnati’s appearance in the College Football Playoff. It marked the sixth time in eight seasons of the CFP era that The American was represented in the New Year’s Six. Seven American Athletic Conference teams were selected for bowl games, while conference teams were a combined 3-1 in postseason games that were played.
The American also had three NCAA Consensus All-America selections (South Florida running back/return specialist Brian Battie, Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner, Houston cornerback/return specialist Marcus Jones), trailing only the SEC and Big Ten among FBS conferences. The American had the winners of the Paul Hornung Award (Jones), the Jim Thorpe Award (Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant) and the consensus National Coach of the Year (Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell), and matched its best showing in the NFL Draft with 19 players selected in 2022.
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | ||
| 1. | Houston (7) | 243 | |
| 2. | Cincinnati (10) | 242 | |
| 3. | UCF (7) | 225 | |
| 4. | SMU | 187 | |
| 5. | Memphis | 162 | |
| 6. | East Carolina | 157 | |
| 7. | Tulane | 115 | |
| 8. | Tulsa | 93 | |
| 9. | South Florida | 71 | |
| 10. | Navy | 61 | |
| 11. | Temple | 28 |
Preseason Poll Notes
The favorite in the American Athletic Conference preseason media poll has ended up winning the conference title three times in the league’s first eight seasons:
| Year | Favorite | Conference Finish | Champion | |
| 2013 | Louisville | 2nd | UCF | |
| 2014 | Cincinnati | t-1st | UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis | |
| 2015 | Cincinnati | t-3rd East | Houston | |
| 2016 | Houston | t-3rd West | Temple | |
| 2017 | South Florida | t-2nd East | UCF | |
| 2018 | UCF | 1st East | UCF | |
| 2019 | UCF | 2nd East | Memphis | |
| 2020 | UCF | t-3rd | Cincinnati | |
| 2021 | Cincinnati | t-1st | Cincinnati |
All-Time Preseason Media Polls
2021
Team Points
1. Cincinnati (22) 262
2. UCF (2) 241
3. SMU 188
4. Houston 181
5. Memphis 168
6. Tulsa 153
7. Tulane 153
8. East Carolina 85
Navy 85
10. Temple 46
11. South Florida 43
2020
Team Points
1. UCF (10) 204
2. Cincinnati (7) 201
3. Memphis (2) 192
4. SMU 146
5. Navy (1) 125
6. Tulane 118
7. Houston 114
8. Temple 88
9. Tulsa 49
10. East Carolina 42
11. South Florida 41
2019
American Championship
Team Points
UCF 12
Cincinnati 8
Memphis 6
Houston 4
East Division
Team Points
1. UCF (19) 169
2. Cincinnati (11) 157
3. South Florida 107
4. Temple 101
5. East Carolina 66
6. UConn 30
West Division
Team Points
1. Memphis (15) 165
2. Houston (14) 162
3. Tulane 108
4. SMU (1) 87
5. Navy 70
6. Tulsa 38
2018
American Championship
Team Points
UCF 19
Memphis 7
South Florida 3
Houston 1
East Division
Team Points
1. UCF (25) 175
2. South Florida (5) 140
3. Temple 132
4. Cincinnati 91
5. UConn 51
6. East Carolina 41
West Division
Team Points
1. Memphis (23) 171
2. Houston (4) 146
3. Navy (3) 129
4. SMU 72
5. Tulane 68
6. Tulsa 44
2017
American Championship
Team Points
South Florida 26
Houston 2
Memphis 1
Navy 1
East Division
Team Points
1. South Florida (30) 169
2. UCF 126
3. Temple 119
4. Cincinnati 100
5. East Carolina 63
6. UConn 42
West Division
Team Points
1. Memphis (22) 169
2. Houston (6) 137
3. Navy (1) 128
4. Tulsa (1) 102
5. SMU 64
6. Tulane 30
2016
American Championship
Team Points
Houston 27
South Florida 2
Temple 1
East Division
Team Points
1. South Florida (15) 164
2. Temple (9) 144
3. Cincinnati (6) 130
4. UConn 89
5. East Carolina 55
6. UCF 48
West Division
Team Points
1. Houston (30) 180
2. Navy 128
3. Memphis 124
4. Tulsa 92
5. SMU 65
6. Tulane 41
2015
American Championship
Team Points
Cincinnati 22
Memphis 5
Houston 2
UCF 1
East Division
Team Points
1. Cincinnati (29) 179
2. UCF (1) 135
3. Temple 116
4. East Carolina 105
5. South Florida 53
6. UConn 42
West Division
Team Points
1. Memphis (13) 153
2. Houston (10) 149
3. Navy (7) 148
4. Tulane 74
5. SMU 59
6. Tulsa 47
2014
Team Points
1. Cincinnati (17) 311
2. UCF (7) 296
3. Houston (6) 268
4. East Carolina 262
5. SMU 158
6. South Florida 157
7. Memphis 133
8. Temple 105
9. UConn 98
Tulane 98
11. Tulsa 94
2013
Team Points
1. Louisville (28) 298
2. Cincinnati (2) 257
3. Rutgers 240
4. UCF 210
5. South Florida 155
6. Houston 134
7. UConn 131
8. SMU 118
9. Temple 60
10. Memphis 47
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