College football is just around the corner as we head into the final days before Week 0 begins. With the action kicking off on the gridiron later this week, we’re taking a look at each FBS conference with deep dives into champion odds, win totals, futures bets and more.
Last year, the American Conference produced a couple of very exciting teams at the top amidst a close race to the championship, as well as the College Football Playoff. Will we see another tight race to the finish between high-performing squads this year?
Here’s a rundown of what to expect in the American Conference in 2026.
2026 odds to win the American Conference
- Navy (+360)
- UTSA (+475)
- East Carolina (+550)
- South Florida (+700)
- Memphis (+750)
- Army (+800)
- Tulane (+850)
- Florida Atlantic (+1600)
- North Texas (+3000)
- Tulsa (+3100)
- Temple (+3400)
- Rice (+17000)
- UAB (+25000)
- Charlotte (+40000)
American Conference win totals
- Army: o/u 7.5 wins (-140/+110)
- Charlotte: o/u 2.5 wins (+120/-150)
- East Carolina: o/u 7.5 wins (+125/-150)
- Florida Atlantic: o/u 5.5 wins (-160/+125)
- Memphis: o/u 7.5 wins (-105/-125)
- Navy: o/u 7.5 wins (-160/+125)
- North Texas: o/u 5.5 wins (-130/+100)
- Rice: o/u 3.5 wins (-115/-115)
- South Florida: o/u 8.5 wins (+115/-146)
- Temple: o/u 5.5 wins (-110/-120)
- Tulane: o/u 7.5 wins (+120/-150)
- Tulsa: o/u 5.5 wins (-130/+100)
- UAB: o/u 3.5 wins (-125/-105)
- UTSA: o/u 7.5 wins (-125/-105)
American Conference preview
Last season was one of the best in recent memory for the American Conference. There were three programs with 11+ wins and five in total with nine or more victories, neither of which had happened since 2019. Things went down to the wire before Tulane punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff over North Texas in the conference title game, with Navy left on the sidelines.
Following that success, though, there’s been significant turnover at the top – that’s to be expected in today’s day and age of college football. UNT head coach Eric Morris departed for Oklahoma State with the core players from one of the nation’s best offenses, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall took the job at Florida, Alex Golesh headed from South Florida to Auburn, and Memphis lost Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas. That’s a lot to catch up on, and a lot of change for four of the conference’s top-six programs by virtue of last season’s record.
With that movement comes shifts in the pecking order, and clearly, continuity is the name of the game. The three favorites to win the conference title game on DraftKings Sportsbook are all programs that retained their head coaches.
Navy is the favorite after winning 11 games, notably ending last year on a four-game winning streak and taking down Big 12 challenger Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl. The Midshipmen still have Brian Newberry at the helm of their ship coming off back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins; however, star quarterback Blake Horvath graduated and has been replaced under center by senior Braxton Woodson. That’s echoed to an extent by ECU, which won nine games last year and went 6-2 in conference during Blake Harrell’s second year as head coach. Likewise, they’re looking towards a new face at quarterback between Texas Tech transfer Mitch Griffis and Miami transfer Emory Williams.
One of the favorites that did return both coach and quarterback is UTSA, which brings back Jeff Traylor and three-year starter Owen McCown. The Roadrunners were one of the highest-scoring teams in the entire sport last year with 34.5 PPG, so it’s not shocking to see them poised for a better season based on the odds. Looking elsewhere, South Florida is toward the top of the leaderboard in year one under Brian Hartline, who comes from Ohio State after serving in various roles since 2017, including a stint as offensive coordinator last year. They have a couple of options at quarterback and a very solid transfer class, but integrating those transfers on a roster that lost a ton of talent is easier said than done.
That’s a trend that applies to many other teams in the American Conference, too. For the most part, few starters returned to any of these programs and there were major shakeups across the board. Charles Huff turned his previous program at Southern Miss from a 1-11 squad to a 7-5 finish in his lone season there, and while he brought in plenty of transfer talent at Memphis, the conference schedule is tough for the Tigers. North Texas hired Neal Brown, a former Sun Belt Coach of the Year who coached Troy to the best season in program history – the Mean Green roster was ravaged by the portal, though, so it may take more than one year to get this group back on track in Denton. Tulane has some continuity in a sense with Will Hall promoted to head coach from inside the program and the general competitiveness the Green Wave display year over year, but there’s uncertainty with expectations still high after a College Football Playoff appearance.
There’s a case for most of those teams to win the conference, but the range of outcomes remains wide without a program that truly feels like a true favorite. If one thing is for certain, it’s that offense tends to be king in the American Conference. Expect plenty of up-tempo football and tons of scoring – as well as parity.
Best American Conference Futures
UTSA to reach the American Conference Champioship Game (+220)
It’s not necessarily that I think UTSA has the best roster in this conference – that title probably does go to Navy – but I do think there’s a ton to like about the ceiling case for the Roadrunners. They demolished opposing defenses last season, averaging 34.5 PPG and finishing 14th in scoring production among all FBS programs. In terms of total yardage, they also finished 15th in the nation with 417.2 yards per contest with top-50 marks through the air and via the ground. We know Jeff Traylor is a good football coach, and we’ve seen some higher-end outcomes from his UTSA squads before. Since his first full season at the helm in 2020, the Roadrunners are 53-26 overall, good for a .671 winning percentage. That includes two Conference USA championships and a regular-season title before the program moved to the American in 2023. The defense certainly needs work, but they hit the portal hard.
More importantly, the program hired Rick Bowie from Western Kentucky to serve as the new offensive coordinator, whose unit led Conference USA in passing production last year. Much of last season’s offense remains intact, and McCown has multiple years of starting experience under his belt and comes off his best collegiate season with 2,995 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last year. In a conference where high-flying offense rules all, there’s a real chance the title comes to the Alamodome this year and the blend of value at these odds feels right.
Navy over 8.5 wins (+144)
As mentioned earlier, Navy is the favorite to win the American Conference. That’s for good reason given the success of this program under Brian Newberry over the last couple of seasons, coming off back-to-back campaigns of double-digit wins with a bowl win in each. Now, the team returns 11 starters from last year, with four offensive linemen back in the mix. The continuity up front means everything, especially after the Midshipmen averaged 29.8 PPG and 403.9 yards per contest last season, both of which were top-40 marks in college football.
Yes, the departure of Horvath hurts after his impressive stint under center for the program. However, Woodson has popped with potential when given the opportunity. He has similar burst and long speed that can make him an equally dangerous threat with his legs, rushing for 100+ yards in two games last year and finishing with 414 yards and six touchdowns on just 44 carries over his five appearances. He didn’t have to throw much and hasn’t completed more than 50% of his passes in any of his three seasons, but he’s also thrown fewer than 100 passes overall and has essentially just pitched relief, so it’s not a huge concern. After all, this is Navy – they paced the nation with 270.8 rushing yards per game last season, also ranking third in attempts per game with 49.1. Woodson’s legs are almost all he needs, so if he can orchestrate this offense, the Midshipmen should be very good again.
