ARLINGTON, Texas — UTSA has been picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll, as the league unveiled its preseason media poll Tuesday as part of The American's Football Media Days at the Live! by Loews resort.
The Roadrunners received 440 total points and nine first-place votes ahead of their debut campaign in the AAC, good for second behind defending champion Tulane, which garnered 457 points and 20 first-place votes.
SMU was projected to finish third, followed by Memphis, Florida Atlantic, East Carolina, North Texas, UAB, Navy, Temple, Tulsa, Rice, South Florida and Charlotte in the 14-team league.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA crown and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
The Roadrunners will kick off their 13th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 2, when they travel to Houston to face the Cougars at 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium.
UTSA will face Texas State for the home opener at 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners will host Army at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
2023 American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | ||
1. | Tulane (20) | 457 | |
2. | UTSA (9) | 440 | |
3. | SMU (3) | 397 | |
4. | Memphis (1) | 362 | |
5. | Florida Atlantic | 312 | |
6. | East Carolina | 303 | |
7. | North Texas | 261 | |
8. | UAB (1) | 209 | |
9. | Navy | 199 | |
10. | Temple | 182 | |
11. | Tulsa | 160 | |
12. | Rice | 138 | |
13. | South Florida | 86 | |
14. | Charlotte | 64 |
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