AAC Expansion: How did the six new member schools perform in 2022 ahead of a historic inclusion this year?

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) is going through a bit of a changing of the guard as they have added six new teams heading into the 2023 college football season. The conference is going to look a lot different than what fans are used to and should add a lot of excitement.

But what should fans be expecting out of the six new teams? Today, we are going to discuss how they did in 2022 and what we should expect going forward from them.

#1 Charlotte 49ers

The Charlotte 49ers were absolutely brutal last year in Conference USA action as they finished 2022 with a 3-9 (2-6) record. Senior quarterback Chris Reynolds will be returning but at 5-foot-11, he is a little undersized at the position against tougher competition. They will likely have a bit of a rough time in the AAC in their first year.

#2 Florida Atlantic Owls

Coming from Conference USA, the Florida Atlantic Owls (FAU) finished 5-7 (4-4) and needs to show some significant improvement. Senior quarterback N'Kosi Perry is returning for his final season as he has thrown for 45 touchdowns in his last two seasons.

The offense was able to average 411.8 yards per game and their explosiveness is going to fit in well in the AAC.

#3 North Texas Mean Green

The North Texas Mean Green struggled last year in Conference USA as they were 7-7 (5-2). They ended up losing the conference championship game and were led by their explosive offense, which averaged 33.8 points per game.

Their offense is going to go through an adjustment period as quarterback Austin Aune is no longer eligible to play. Expect a step down for the Mean Green as they figure things out this year in a new location.

#4 Rice Owls

The Rice Owls are coming from Conference USA and struggled during the 2022 season. They were 5-8 (3-5) but lost their final four games so this team has shown the ability to start the year strong. TJ McMahon is returning at quarterback for the 2023 season but the team as a whole had a -14 turnover ratio.

#5 UTSA Roadrunners

The UTSA Roadrunners are coming from Conference USA and were able to dominate as they finished 11-3 (8-0). They had extremely competitive losses as they fell to Troy, Texas, and Houston. Two of those games were decided by a single possession.

Quarterback Frank Harris is returning for another season and he did phenomenal last year with a 69.6% completion percentage for more than 4,000 yards. Expect the offense to continue dominating throughout the AAC.

#6 UAB Blazers

The UAB Blazers were able to finish last season with a 7-6 overall record while being 4-4 in Conference USA. They are going to be an exciting addition to the AAC as they were able to go 5-1 at home last year.

The Blazers had an electric offense as they averaged 30.1 points per game and quarterback Dylan Hopkins is still under center. With a 10:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year, the Blazers could take a leap offensively next season.