2016 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

PRESEASON FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL American Championship Team Points Houston 27 USF 2 Temple 1 East Division Team (First-Place Votes) Points 1. USF (15) 164 2. Temple (9) 144 3. Cincinnati (6) 130 4. UConn 89 5. East Carolina 55 6. UCF 48 West Division Team (First-Place Votes) Points 1. Houston (30) 180 2. Navy 128 3. Memphis 124 4. Tulsa 92 5. SMU 65 6. Tulane 41 first-place votes in parentheses

The Houston Cougars have been selected as the favorite to repeat as the American Athletic Conference champion as the Cougars were the overwhelming choice in the league's 2016 preseason media poll.The Cougars received 27 of a possible 30 votes to win the league title in the preseason balloting. Additionally, Houston was the unanimous pick to win The American's West Division crown, as the Cougars finished with 180 points.USF was the media's choice in the East Division as the Bulls received 15 first-place votes and 164 points. USF received two votes as the favorite for the conference title. Temple received nine first-place votes in the East Division race and was tabbed by one voter as the league favorite. Cincinnati had six first-place votes in the East Division balloting.finished the 2015 season with a 13-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the conference play as the Cougars tied for the West Division title before winning the first American Athletic Conference Football Championship. Tom Herman’s squad capped the season by topping Florida State 38-24 in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to finish the year ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls.Houston returns 11 starters from last year, including quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who rushed for 21 touchdowns and threw 17 TD passes and is one of seven returning Maxwell Award semifinalists from last year.was picked second in the West Division with 128 points after the Midshipmen set a school record with 11 wins in the 2015 season. Navy went 11-2 last year and tied Houston for the West Division title with a 7-1 conference record in its first year in The American. The Midshipmen, who capped the year with a 44-28 win against Pitt in the Military Bowl, return seven starters from a defense that held 10 of its 13 opponents to 21 points or fewer in 2015.was picked third in the West Division with 124 points. The Tigers have enjoyed their best two-year stretch in program history, with 19 wins since the start of the 2014 season, and were ranked as high as No. 13 nationally during the course of the 2015 season. First-year head coach Mike Norvell, the former Arizona State offensive coordinator, finds 15 returning starters from last year’s team, which went 9-4 overall and 5-3 in The American.was tabbed for fourth in the West Division with 92 points. The Golden Hurricane made a substantial turnaround in Philip Montgomery’s first year as head coach in 2015, improving by four wins from the previous season and reaching the Camping World Independence Bowl. Tulsa returns six starters from an offense that ranked 13th nationally with 502.8 yards per game, including quarterback Dane Evans, who was The American’s passing leader in 2015 (332.5 ypg).was slotted at fifth in the West Division with 65 points. The Mustangs improved their offensive production by 200 points in their first year under coach Chad Morris. Quarterback Matt Davis ranks among The American’s best after he rushed for 10 touchdowns and threw for 16 in 2015 and finished as SMU’s leading rusher and passer.was sixth in the West Division poll as new head coach Willie Fritz begins his tenure in New Orleans. Fritz most recently led Georgia Southern to back-to-back nine-win seasons and has gone 58-22 in six seasons as a Division I head coach., the favorite in the East Division, finished the 2015 season as one of the nation’s hottest teams as the Bulls won seven of their last eight regular-season games. The Bulls finished the season at 8-5, returning to a bowl game for the first time since 2010, and went 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference, including wins against each of the other five teams in the East Division. Head coach Willie Taggart has 15 starters back from last year, including running back Marlon Mack, a Maxwell and Walter Camp Award watch list candidate who rushed for 1,381 yards last year., which won The American’s East Division title last year, was picked second in 2016 with 144 points and nine first-place votes. The Owls tied a school record with 10 wins last season as Temple finished 10-4 and advanced to the first American Athletic Conference Football Championship. Head coach Matt Rhule lost some key players to the NFL, but has 14 returning starters on a veteran squad, including fourth-year starting quarterback Phillip Walker.was picked third in the East Division with 130 points and six first-place votes. The Bearcats have won at least a share of five conference titles in the last eight years and expect to be in contention once again with the return of 13 starters from last year’s 7-6 team. Cincinnati led The American in total offense last season, averaging 559.4 yards per game, and has seven starters back from a veteran defense.was fourth in the East Division ranking with 89 points. The Huskies ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense last season and allowed only one opponent to score more than 30 points. Head coach Bob Diaco has six starters back from that unit and has 10 returning starters on an offense, including running back Arkeel Newsome, who led The American in all-purpose yards (129.7 ypg) in 2015., which is tabbed for fifth in the East Division, will see former Duke offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery make his head coaching debut in 2015. The Pirates, who have made eight bowl appearances in 10 years, will be paced by veteran wide receiver Zay Jones, who ranked fourth nationally in receptions in 2015 (8.2 per game).was sixth in the East Division preseason rank as first-year head coach Scott Frost looks to return the Knights to the championship form of their first two years in The American. Frost, the former Oregon offensive coordinator, has 18 returning starters from last year, including quarterback Justin Holman, a three-year starter, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, the 2015 American Rookie of the Year.The second American Athletic Conference Football Championship will be played Saturday, Dec. 3, at the home site of the division champion with the best conference record.