2026-27 American Conference Football Preview: Will This League Send Another to the CFP?

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Fri Aug 14, 2026, 2:23 pm ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

BettingsNews Default Image

ncaaf

Last season, the American Conference was able to send their conference champion to the College Football Playoff, where the Tulane Green Waver were annihilated by the Ole Miss Rebels. Will this league be able sneak into the field of 12 at the end of the year again? I highly doubt it. The entire league will be taking a step back as Jon Sumrall and Eric Morris, who led their teams to the American Championship last year, have moved on to coach at Power Four schools. Let's dive into our American Conference Preview to see who might end up on top of the league.

Read our other NCAA Football Conference Previews

Check out the best odds on the market and tons of picks for the NCAA Football Season.

American Football Conference History

Griffen Willis had three sacks for the Midshipmen last year - American Conference Preview

Griffen Willis had three sacks for the Midshipmen last year

Past 10 American Conference Champions

  • 2025: Tulane Green Wave
  • 2024: Army Black Knights
  • 2023: SMU Mustangs
  • 2023: Tulane Green Wave
  • 2021: Cincinnati Bearcats
  • 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats
  • 2019: Memphis Tigers
  • 2018: UCF Knights
  • 2017: UCF Knights
  • 2016: Temple Owls

This league has clearly seen some turnover in the past few years, as UCF, Cincinnati and SMU are all competing elsewhere in Division 1 football. This might be the hardest conference to figure out a winner this year, as only the MAC has longer odds for their preseason betting favorite.

Odds to Win the American Conference

Odds are courtesy of our friends at Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, as of August 15, 2026, at 2:17 p.m. eastern. Sign up today and get a $1,250 deposit bonus as well as 50 slot spins immediately in your account and start betting at the sportsbook with the most competitive odds in the industry, and a wide variety of unique markets not offered anywhere else.

  • Navy +350
  • UTSA +475
  • Army +600
  • South Florida +600
  • Memphis +750
  • Tulane +850
  • East Carolina +900
  • Florida Atlantic +1200
  • Tulsa +1800
  • North Texas +2200
  • Temple +2200
  • Rice +5500
  • UAB +10000
  • Charlotte +12500
4.9/5 Review Rating
Bonus & Benefits
Up to $1,250 + 50 Free Slots Spins
See our review »
$1,250 Welcome Bonus
Bet Live on Your Favorite Sports
Earn More with Rebel Rewards!
Play Now & Claim Bonus »

American Football Preview: Team Tiers

Owen McCown and the Roadrunners could be a sneaky pick to win the American Conference this year - American Conference Preview

Owen McCown and the Roadrunners could be a sneaky pick to win the American Conference this year

Tier 1 – The Top Seven

I'm not exactly sure what to expect from this league this year, and I'll admit, I won't be paying as close attention as I have in the past. If I had to guess, our G6 representative in the College Football Playoff will come from either the Mountain West, or the Pac-12. I just don't think these American teams have it this season.

Navy and Army will always compete, but the inability to throw the ball worries me if they get into a shootout. UTSA might be the most complete team in the league in my eyes, with Owen McCown returning at quarterback. The Roadrunners get Navy at home off of a mini bye week, plus they avoid Army. If you can find 5-1 or better, I don't hate UTSA to win the American. I also lean with them to go over 7.5 wins at -125 as well.

South Florida has a former P4 quarterback coming to play for them. Tulane tries to revamp the program after Sumrall left for Florida.

Memphis and East Carolina are two teams I want no part of this year, but oddsmakers clearly think they can be frisky. I'd take the Roadrunners over every team in this conference, but we'll see if that translates on the field.

Caden Veltkamp is looking to lead the Owls to their first winning season since 2020 - American Conference Preview

Caden Veltkamp is looking to lead the Owls to their first winning season since 2020

Tier 2 – The Next Few

Florida Atlantic, Tulsa, North Texas, Temple and Rice round out the next tier of teams in this conference. FAU is led by Caden Veltkamp, but they quickly fall off if he can't stay healthy. North Texas is completely rebuilding after the entire team left for Stillwater. Tulsa, Temple, and Rice will all just be shooting for a winning season.

Tier 3 – The Bottom Two

UAB and Charlotte are the clear bottom two teams in the American Conference based on the odds to win the league. The 49ers were just 1-11 last year, only beating Monmouth by a touchdown. The Blazers were a bit better at 4-8 but they did not return a single defensive starter, and only two on the offensive side of the ball.

Things are looking grim for both of these fanbases, hopefully hoops season is nicer to them.

Click for more NCAAF Picks

Still Want More NCAA Football Content?

Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well. Be sure to follow my personal X account as well, @Shaggy_Bets for my full daily card.

Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly

Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER

Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.