Falvey

🚨 AAC Lighthouse 2025 Pre-Season Football Power Rankings 🚨 As always, let me explain: 1. Tulane: It is no surprise that Tulane comes in at #1 here. Jon Sumrall is one of the top G6 coaches and brings in a very impressive transfer haul to fill the voids left by some of last season's top contributors. Another QB battle will yield no issues as all 3 are capable, though we assume Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza to take the reins. The defense also looks just as sturdy as the past 2 seasons with linebacker Sam Howard leading the unit. The Green Wave are primed for another stellar campaign. 2. Navy: Listen...I have been burned far too many times when I have underestimated Navy and I will not make that mistake again. Why you ask? Blake Horvath. Alex Tecza. Eli Heidenreich. Landon Robinson. That alone sends shivers down the spines of AAC coordinators after last season. The continuity that Navy brings into 2025 is impressive and the players are all in for head coach Brian Newberry. Another 10+win season is not only possible, but probable in my eyes. 3. USF: Bookmark this. 2025 is the year the USF bulls finally put the pieces together. Byrum Brown (assuming he stays healthy) is one of the best G6 QB's and arguablly the best in the AAC. There are weapons all over the place and Charlotte RB transfer Cartevious Norton steps in as the villain inter-conference transfer that is primed to break out. The defense brings back 6 starters and some promising transfer talent. The Bulls could easily be the team to beat this season, but #3 seems like a safe play until we see more. An insane OOC schedule could present some challenges early on, but iron sharpens iron for conference play. 4. UTSA: Despite a pretty large rebuild last season, UTSA rallied to cap off their 5th straight winning season. HC Jeff Traylor has a much better idea about his playmakers this season and QB Owen McCown could be in for a very impressive season now that he is primed. The offense is stacked, but there are some big question marks around the defense considering they bring back basically no starters from last season. Multple Power-5 linebacker transfers will step in right away to keep this unit productive, and as long as that happens UTSA should be just fine. 5. Memphis: Oh I can hear the Memphis faithful already. "Click Bait," "This guy is an idiot," "In what world is Memphis not top 3?" Well, i'll tell you. Ryan Silverfield has yet to capitalize on having arguably the best roster in the AAC in prior seasons, who is to say he does it now with basically a full rebuild? Yes, there is some strong transfer talent coming in. But replacing the kind of production left behind by Henigan and co. is no easy feat. Factor that in with little to no continuity on the defense and the challenges begin to stack. With that said, Memphis still remains a proven commodity and should see another winning season. Silverfield, despite an 11-win season, is under a lot of pressure to get the Tigers back into the conference championship sooner than later. 6. ECU: Blake Harrell is a badass. Anyone that hears him talk knows that he is not the most "polished" HC, but he sure knows how to rally a team and a community. Retaining John David Baker at OC was a huge win for this upcoming season and his offense is STACKED. QB Katin Houser is a darkhorse for AAC QB of the year and has plenty of weapons around him. The defensive front is strong, but the secondary could be a huge liability for the Pirates. We know the offense will score, but the defense has to limit big plays and force more turnovers in order for this squad to have a chance at the championship this season. 7. UNT: The Mean Green are back with another Eric Morris offensive assault. The problem? Defense is still part of the game. The amount of points UNT puts up is staggering, but so is the amount of points given up. The defense NEEDS to kick it up a notch, and it seems they will with new DC Skyler Cassity. This is a simple equation: Good UNT defense = Championship contention. I believe this to be the case and I challenge anyone who does not think so to go back and watch last season. UNT lands at #7 simply because of the uncertainty with that equation. 8. Army: Many have Army ranked in the 4-7 spots, but I think expectations should be tempered for now. Why? The option offense is only as strong as the offensive line, and there is A LOT of change on that front going into 2025. The new o-line, along with the departure of Bryson Daily and Kanye Udoh could mean that the offense takes a leap backward. The defense should remain stout, but until we see Dewayne Coleman lead this retooled offense, I cannot justify placing the 2024 champions higher than #8 to start the season. 9. FAU: Zach Kittley. That's the tweet. No seriously, this guy is an offensive mastermind. I compare him to Lincoln Riley in many ways, and that could mean big things for the Owls. The transfer portal was very fruitful in Boca Raton, especially with the incoming duo of QB Caden Veltkamp and WR Easton Messer from WKU. This offense will be rolling in no time, but the defense will not. No returning starters from a squad that gave up 6.1 ypp last season may not be the worst thing, but relying solely on transfers is a slippery slope. FAU will need to win some very high scoring affairs to make some noise in the AAC this season. 10. Temple: K.C. Keeler is the man for the job, but man is that roster a melting pot. I think that Temple will turn some heads this season, but it will take at least 2 seasons for Keeler to get his guys in place and make a run. The changing schemes alone should suit the personnel better. There is also some good continuity on the roster despite the Owls being one of the biggest transfer portal customers. I can't see this squad being worse than last season, but I also can't see a miracle turnaround. #10 seems fair. 11. Charlotte: This squad has a lot of potential with Tim Albin now leading the charge. Similar to Temple, this roster has been pretty reliant on the transfer portal. Breaking news: that is not about to change anytime soon. Some big names are now in the Queen City for the 49ers, but how quickly can they gel and get the ball in the endzone? That remains to be seen. However, the talent is there and I can see a late season run that brings Charlotte out of the basement for the first time in a while. I am actually quite excited about LB Reid Williford and this defense. 12. UAB: As long as Trent Dilfer is still in Birmingham, I simply cannot rank the Blazers higher than #12. Roster turnover is nothing new for the AAC and all of NCAA for that matter...but UAB seems to struggle with it more so than others. Hiring Steve Russ as the new DC is a step in the right direction, but there is too much uncertainty with the defense. Saying that there is any certainty with the offense is also a stretch. Jalen Kitna needs to channel his inner 2019 Joe Burrow for UAB to be relevant this season. My prediction: Dilfer is the first in-season firing in college football this year. 13. Tulsa: I am BIG on Tre Lamb. I think he will end up being one of the best college football coaches in the nation one day. He is only 35 by the way. Anyways...QB Kirk Francis is really good at football and I think everyone will get to see that on full display this season with Lamb's fun offensive schemes. Tulsa could surprise many, but with a rebuild of this proportion... I cannot justify a higher ranking to begin the season. Don't sleep on the Golden Hurricane. 14. Rice: Then there was Rice. I really hate to be so low on this team when I was so high on them last season, but we all saw what happened. Scott Abell has his hands full with this rebuild and it may take even longer than expected with the installation of the conference's 3rd option offense. I mean...this may work and Abell may be able to bring in some good recruits...but we won't see the fruits of his labor this season. But watch out for the 2027-2028 Rice Owls! #AAC | #NCAAF | #PreSeason2025