UCF will have a tough fight to defend their crown without Blake Bortles while Louisville have jumped ship and joined the ACC.

There are at least four sides who could lay claim to the 2014 crown and it should be interesting to see how it plays out from week to week.  Here is my prediction for the 2014 American Athletic Conference.

Cincinnati Bearcats

Gunner Kiel was the highest rated quarterback in the nation during his time in high school and,  after his transfer from Notre Dame,  he is expected to start for Cincinnati this year with three years of eligibility remaining.

The offense boasts a host of returning stars including running backs Hosey Williams and Ralph David Abernathy IV and junior Tion Green.  Furthermore,  Shaq Washington,  who caught 78 receptions as a junior,  returns to lead a strong receiving corps.

The Bearcats ranked ninth nationally in terms of yards allowed per game.  That is slightly out of perspective seen as though their schedule is much weaker than others.  Still,  it bodes well for their campaign in the AAC.

UCF Knights

The Fiesta Bowl champions return a number of starts both side of the ball but crucially lose star quarterback Blake Bortles.  Justin Holman,  Bortles’ back-up during the 2013 season is the primary candidate to replace the third-overall draft pick.

Leading receivers Rannell Hall,  J.J. Worton and Breshad Perriman will all feature on offense while eight starters return on defense to join top recruits defensive tackle Lance McDowdell and linebacker Errol Clarke

East Carolina Pirates

East Carolina joins the AAC from Conference USA and brings with them an explosive offense.

2013 Conference USA MVP and quarterback Shane Carden is back for his senior year and he will be throwing passes to NFL-ready wide-out Justin Hardy,  who set college records last season with 114 catches and 1,284 yards.

The Pirates must replace eight defensive starters for the upcoming season and deal with a tougher schedule.  The question marks hovering over the defense is the only reason they are not topping these predictions.

Houston Cougars

John O’Korn impressed under center as a freshman but his inexperience told late in the season.  However,  he is back with a wiser head on his shoulders and his natural ability in the pocket will see him rise through the ranks rapidly.

Wide receivers Deontay Greenberry and Daniel Spencer combined for 134 catches, nearly 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago and both are back to build the chemistry with O’Korn.

Last year’s Cougars defense led the country with 43 turnovers and eight starters from that unit will be in place develop the group further.

Houston is comfortably the dark horse in this conference and could easily cause a number of upsets.

South Florida Bulls

Just 11 offensive touchdowns in 2013 left a lot to be desired for head coach Willie Taggart.  Now entering his second season in charge,  Taggart’s pro-style offense is still developing but sophomore quarterback Mike White has emerged as the starter.  Other offensive skill positions remain to be filled but senior wide receiver Andre Davis is the primary weapon.

The other side of the ball played an all-round good game in ’13 and should develop well with a number of young players coming through.  At one stage last season the defensive back unit played with four freshman,  and that experience is sure to pay dividends for the now sophomores.

UConn Huskies

Three quarterbacks in the shape of Casey Cochran, Chandler Whitmer and Tim Boyle split starting duties last season and all three are in the frame for the job again.  Cochran is in the driving seat after leading the Huskies to three straight wins at the end of the year.

Geremy Davis returns at wide receiver after becoming the first player in UConn’s history in the FBS era to topple 1,000 yards.  Sadly,  the offensive line will be rebuilt from scratch with just center Alex Mateas returning.

Head Coach Bob Diaco,  who built his reputation at Cincinnati and Notre Dame on defense,  will have five returning starters on the unit along with four very talented defensive backs.

SMU Mustangs

Sixth-round draft pick Garrett Gilbert was the heart and soul of the SMU offense in recent years and his arm strength along with mobility will be difficult to emulate.  Essentially,  the whole system will be restructured to help new starting quarterback Neal Burcham settle in.  Unfortunately for Burcham,  the team lacks a serious running threat and the two leading receivers from Gilbert’s impressive tenure have gone.

The Mustangs’ defense gave up big plays every other drive in 2013 and the loss of leading tackler Randall Joyner will not help them overcome that.  Beau Barnes,  however,  did have an impressive junior campaign with 13 tackles for a loss and his further development could swing the defense one way or the other.

Memphis Tigers

6’6” quarterback Paxton Lynch threw 10 interceptions to just nine touchdown passes as a redshirted freshman as he failed to get a grasp of the offense.  Sixth-year tailback Brandon Hayes will be pounding the rock for the Tigers as they look to find a good balance.

Defensive coordinator Barry Odom is reportedly wanted by major football programs.  Nevertheless,  he continues to do more than stellar work with Memphis and lifted them to 39th in the nation last fall.  He will need to replace two safeties but the majority of the defense returns to what should be a good unit.

Tulane Green Wave

Somehow Tulane won seven games in Conference USA last season but face a much sterner test in the AAC.

Leading running back Orleans Darkwa (863 rushing yards) and wide-out Ryan Grant (1,039 receiving yards) have left,  making reaching the .500 mark that much harder.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Lee has emerged as the frontrunner at the position,  beating off Nick Montana and Devin Powell.

The Green Wave’s 2013 defensive unit was one of the best the school has ever season and a big part of the reason they got to the New Orleans Bowl.  However,  six of the top nine tacklers won’t be returning which leaves an almost impossible void to fill.

Temple Owls

P.J. Walker took over the offense last October and the Owls saw a steady increase in production at the position.  Finding playmakers for the young signal caller will be key after nine-touchdown man Robbie Anderson graduated.

On defense getting to the quarterback is a priority to help out a secondary in need of raw talent.  The linebacker corps is set with Tyler Matakevich who led the nation in tackles in 2013 and Nate D. Smith who was second on the team.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

The 2012 Conference USA champions took a major step back in 2013 and thus round up the AAC.  A new quarterback will be in place after former starter Dane Evans completed less than half of his passes and threw 10 interceptions to just four touchdowns.  Furthermore,  tailback Trey Watts,  who had 3,515 career yards,  is no longer around to maintain stability.

Nine starters return on defense but sadly 2013 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Shawn Jackson is not one of them.  Needless to say,  nine starters should mean a well oiled unit.