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The 2020 American Athletic Conference began earlier than most conferences, with kickoff starting on September 5th in a limited slate, almost a month before other conferences started. Most AAC teams were in action by the third week of play.
The top finishing teams in the conference standings played in the AAC Championship, with the top-seed hosting the championship contest. The Cincinnati Bearcats hosted the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes in the championship bout held on December 19th, 2020.
2020 AAC Game of the Year
#9 Cincinnati – 27 – #20 Tulsa – 24
The AAC Championship game played on December 19th was a rainy bout between two undefeated conference opponents. Cincinnati, the championship host, kicked a game-winning field goal with time expiring to take home the AAC Championship trophy.
The Bearcats racked up 420 yards of total offense, aided by junior quarterback Desmond Ridder. Ridder threw for 269 yards and one score while leading Cincinnati with 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Cincinnati hadn’t played a game in nearly a month due to COVID-19 issues, including almost two weeks of no team activities. The Bearcats led by one point in the closing minutes of the 2019 championship game before letting it slip away to Memphis, 29-24.
College Football Betting Lines
2020 AAC Player of the Year
QB Desmond Ridder – Cincinnati Bearcats
The junior signal-caller started all ten games under center for the Bearcats in 2020. Ridder threw for 2,296 yards and 19 touchdowns and added 592 yards and 12 scores on the ground. He was selected as the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC selection.
Ridder completed 13-of-21 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and rushed eight times for 139 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout victory over SMU on Oct. 24th. That offensive performance earned Ridder Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week honors.
2020 AAC Freshman of the Year
RB Ulysses Bentley IV – SMU Mustangs
The rookie played in all ten games for the Mustangs, starting six. He carried the ball 170 times for a league-best 913 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores (3rd in the AAC). His 11 rushing touchdowns broke the freshman single-season record.
Bentley was selected as a First Team All-AAC selection and Co-Rookie of the Year. He was one of only two freshmen in the country to tally ten or more touchdowns during the fall. He rushed for a season-high 227 yards against North Texas and added seven rushing scores over the season’s first three games.
2020 AAC Coach of the Year
Luke Fickell – Cincinnati Bearcats
The 47-year old head coach entered his fourth season as head coach of the Bearcats. Fickell, an Ohio native, earned the Coach of the Year honors for the second time (2018). Before the 2020 season, Fickell and Cincinnati agreed to a contract extension to keep him in Cincinnati until 2026.
Fickell guided the Bearcats to a perfect regular-season record in 2020, including a win over Tulsa in the AAC Championship game. The perfect season secured a berth in a New Year’s Six Bowl, with the Bearcats taking on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.
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