Houston, Temple and Navy each finished with 7-1 records in conference play a year ago with the Cougars going 13-1 overall to finish just short of making a major impact on the national stage. All three teams are expected to contend for an AAC championship in 2016 with the Cougars leading the way as a potential dark horse candidate to contend for a national championship. They actually start the season as the No. 13 team in the country. For them to get to the College Football Playoff, though, they’ll need their MVP to shine. Here is a look at the top four candidates to be the AAC MVP.
QB: Greg Ward Jr.
Houston Cougars
Ward Jr. is coming off a breakout season in which he completed 67.2% of his passes for 2,828 yards and 17 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,108 yards and an additional 21 scores. The 5’11’’, 185-pound passer has the potential to be even better in his senior season when some feel he can come close to matching the numbers that Deshaun Watson put up at Clemson a year ago. If he does, he’ll be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Ward Jr. is an elite dual-threat quarterback with the potential to absolutely light it up in the AAC but much of what he does will be linked to the team’s opening contest against Oklahoma. If the Cougars can win that, they’ll be in position for the CFP all season long and Ward Jr. will be a Heisman contender. If not, this will simply be another AAC team that failed to live up to the hype.
QB: P.J. Walker
Temple Owls
Walker is entering his fourth season as the starting quarterback at Temple. If he can improve his numbers the same way he did in 2015, then the Owls could be a force in the AAC. Walker completed 60.8% of his passes a year ago while throwing for 2,084 yards and 20 touchdowns while scrambling for an additional 332 yards and another three scores. That’s what allowed Temple to ascend last year and even get in position to play the role of a serious spoiler last year. Remember, they nearly upended No. 9 Notre Dame on Halloween last year (ended up losing 24-20).
He already owns the Temple school records for completions, touchdown passes and wins and it will be interesting to see how he adds to his resume as the Owls most important player heading in to this coming season.
RB: Marlon Mack
South Florida Bulls
Mack was among the biggest reasons why the Bulls registered eight wins a year ago and he will be just as important to the team’s success in 2016. Mack averaged 6.6 yards per carry while rushing for 1,381 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015. The Sarasota, Florida-native has all of the tools to deliver a strong encore performance. At 6’1’’ and 205 pounds, Mack is strong enough to be an absolute bruiser but it’s his speed and elusiveness in the open field that makes him a home run threat every time he touches the football. The AAC isn’t exactly known for its strong run defenses, so he’s going to get plenty of opportunity to run through some holes and look great in the box scores.
RB: Doroland Dorceus
Memphis Tigers
The Tigers lost their head coach Justin Fuente and their record-setting quarterback in Paxton Lynch, so 2016 could have its ups and downs. Nobody in Memphis is expecting another run like they had last season – especially with so much turnover on the offensive side of the football. In particularly, Memphis will rely more than ever on its rushing attack led by Dorceus. The 5’10’’, 215-pound back averaged 4.3 yards per carry while rushing for 661 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015 but he should see more touches in 2016 as a legitimate threat to rush for 1,000 yards. Sam Craft and Jamarius Henderson will also see some snaps at the running back position but the Tigers will rely on Dorceus to lead the way in 2016. They have been an offensive juggernaut in previous seasons and were able to put up some big numbers – including 63, 41, 66 and 37 in each of their last four wins last season. If they’re going to be running up and down the field, Dorceus will put up some impressive numbers that will have him in the running for MVP.
