After a historic 12-win season that included a trip to the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, UH football enters the 2022 season as favorites to win the AAC, the league announced as it revealed the media poll on Thursday morning.
The Cougars edged out two-time reigning AAC champion Cincinnati by one point, earning 243 points to the Bearcats 242. UH received seven of the possible 24 first-place votes. Cincinnati led the way with 10 first-place votes and UCF received the other seven.
Key returners from the 2021 team are a big reason why the Cougars are favored to win the AAC in 2022. UH quarterback Clayton Tune and leading receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell highlight some of the big returners on the offensive side of the ball while linebacker Donavan Mutin and defensive lineman Derek Parish are among some of the key defensive guys that are back for the Cougars.
UH will seek its second AAC title, winning the conference for its first and only time in 2015, in its final year in The American before jumping ship to the Big 12.
The Cougars begin AAC play on September 30 when they host Tulane at TDECU Stadium. Memphis, Navy, USF, SMU, Temple, East Carolina and Tulsa make up the remainder of UH’s conference schedule.
UH went 8-0 in AAC regular season play in 2021 before falling to Cincinnati in the conference title game.