Rivals.com AAC Roundtable: Favorite to win the conference?

The beginning of college football is in two months.

Maybe? Sort of? Kind of?

For now, let's just say college football is supposed to be in two months. Football fans are hoping for a 2020 season not to be affected in any way by COVID-19. It's still to be determined what's ultimately going to happen.

But we at Rivals.com are going forward with our plans.

Representatives from the Rivals.com sites covering the American Athletic Conference have teamed up for a week-long roundtable discussion, focusing on a variety of topics surrounding college football in the conference. Publishers, editors and beat writers from the AAC schools will chime in on a question of the day.

Here are the following individuals who have agreed to participate (all names are in alphabetical order):

Kyle Gauss, assistant editor, OwlScoop.com (Temple)

Brandon Helwig, publisher, UCFSports.com (UCF)

Mike James, publisher, TheMidReport.com (Navy)

Mark Lindsay, publisher, PirateIllustrated.com (East Carolina)

Ben McCool, beat writer, BullsInsider.com (USF)

Jefferson Powell, publisher, Cougars Den (Houston)

Damon Sayles, managing editor, The HillTopics (SMU)

Isaac Simpson, beat writer, TigerSportReport.com (Memphis)

Guerry Smith, publisher, The Wave Report (Tulane)

Jason Stamm, managing editor, BearcatReport.com (Cincinnati)

The roundtable will run today through next Sunday, July 26.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: JULY 19

If we are to have a 2020 season, who is your favorite to win the AAC? And why?

GAUSS: For me, the conference runs through Orlando. UCF's now in its third year under Josh Heupel and looks poised to have another massive season on offense. Dillon Gabriel, as a true freshman, led UCF to top-five finishes in the nation in total offense and scoring, as the Knights averaged 541.5 yards and 43.4 points per game last season. I think Heupel and Gabriel will be able to continue that trend this season.

Yes, the Knights lost Gabriel Davis to the NFL Draft, but Marlon Williams and Tre Nixon are more than talented enough to make up for Davis' production. Otis Anderson Jr. returning for his senior season at running back also helps.

Assuming the conference schedule stays the same, UCF does have a tough October that will decide its postseason fate. If the Knights can, at the very least, split their road games in Houston and Memphis, they should be in the conference championship game.

HELWIG: The Knights return major talent on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a bevy of running backs and what may be the best secondary in the league. There are few question marks -- perhaps, who will step up in the wake of wide receiver Gabriel Davis' early exit to the NFL, and also at kicker, but every position group returns experienced veterans.

No team should be as well positioned to claim the championship, especially should the current schedule remain intact. UCF gets Cincinnati at home, plus avoids games against dangerous foes SMU and Navy. There is a Friday night road trip to Memphis and a Halloween contest at Houston, but overall it's a favorable slate when you consider UCF isn't scheduled to leave Florida for the entire month of November.

Don't forget that a total of seven combined points decided UCF's three losses last season (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Tulsa). After being seated firmly atop the American during their undefeated streak in 2017-18, this team is hungry to reclaim the throne.

JAMES: Memphis, to me, is still the team to beat. They have too many key players returning from the team that won the league last year. Brady White finally had a season to silence the critics after throwing for over 4,000 yards. Damonte Coxie and a healthy Pop Williams will stretch defenses, which will create running room for Kenneth Gainwell, who will likely be an All- American. There are three starters returning on the offensive line and seven on defense.

Mike Norvell is gone, but Ryan Silverfield as his replacement should help with continuity, at least in year one. Hiring Mike MacIntyre as defensive coordinator was a bold move. There's just too much there on paper for me to pick anyone else as the favorite.

LINDSAY: UCF. They are used to winning, have solid returning experienced players and have recruited very well.

McCOOL: Trying to predict a conference champion is always a challenging task loaded with endless ifs and buts. This year, the matter has been complicated exponentially due to a global pandemic. In spite of that, I think the UCF Knights are in the driver’s seat. They finished the 2019 season tops in the conference in scoring offense, passing offense, and total offense and in the top three in rushing offense. The Knights also finished last season in the top three in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, and passing defense, proving they were a well-rounded team.

Dillon Gabriel will return to call plays for UCF, and there is even a possibility to see the recovering McKenzie Milton on the field. The conference is full of contenders who might have been able to make big moves in the offseason, but this is no ordinary offseason, and I think the team to beat is the one that already had things clicking best to end the last season. They lost three games last year, but by an average of less than three points per game. If there is AAC football in 2020, UCF is probably the team to beat.

POWELL: I would have to go with UCF. I love what Luke Fickell is doing in Cincinnati, and they would be my dark horse pick, but it's hard to argue against the production we have seen from UCF, and Josh Heupel has them rolling.

Dillon Gabriel will be a lot more comfortable running the offense and could put up monstrous numbers. You want a bold prediction, I'll say this offense will be even more potent in 2020, assuming there is a season. But as far as someone stopping them, I'm just not sure the AAC has a team that can match that offensive firepower blow for blow, so heading into the unknown -- until I see something different -- I have to go with UCF.

SAYLES: It's hard to go against UCF right now. This team was literally seven points in three road games away from going undefeated, and offensively, it scored less than 31 points only once. I like Dillon Gabriel, and he has a lot of options to turn to with skill-position players.

There's tons of speed and athleticism returning on both sides of the ball, and even with a 10-3 record in 2019, the Knights are going to play with a chip on their shoulder. I think this team can tell us a lot with how they play at Memphis on Oct. 16. Memphis is capable of being the team to beat, as well, but for now, I'm going with UCF.

SIMPSON: Cincinnati and UCF will be popular picks, but I'm going to go with the Memphis Tigers. The return of senior quarterback Brady White to a team that won the conference last year is huge. The bulk of the talent on the offensive side of the ball returns, and the defense is loaded with upperclassmen. In addition, promoting Ryan Silverfield to head coach creates continuity among the players and staff that wouldn't have been the case had they gone outside the program.

It's going to be a close race among the three teams mentioned, especially with them doing away with divisions, but I expect the Tigers to come out on top.

SMITH: UCF. The Knights had the best team last year but had to play at Cincinnati with a young quarterback and paid the price, effectively ending their chance of a three-peat in the East division. Although divisional play has been eliminated, they get the Bearcats at home this time in late November. Win that one, which they should thanks to the return of eight starters on both sides of the ball, and they will be in position to return to the title game. Their explosiveness on offense will give them the edge against whatever team they face there.

STAMM: Cincinnati has been climbing and climbing, and I think this year, the Bearcats are finally at the top. It's been Memphis and UCF, but now UC has the pieces in place to be really good. Desmond Ridder doesn't look to be slowing down heading into his junior season, and although workhorse Michael Warren was a huge loss, it looks like Gerrid Doaks is leading the committee to replace him.

Jerome Ford was a big-time transfer from Alabama who could pay dividends down the road. And the Bearcats arguably have the best defense in the AAC, with guys like Ahmad Gardner, Darrick Forrest and James Wiggins leading a stacked secondary.