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Temple picked to finish third in AAC East football

NEWPORT, R.I. - Temple's football program is earning more respect as the American Athletic Conference, a descendant of the Big East, begins its third season.

NEWPORT, R.I. - Temple's football program is earning more respect as the American Athletic Conference, a descendant of the Big East, begins its third season.

After going 2-10 and 6-6 in coach Matt Rhule's first two years, Temple won't be able to sneak up on any AAC opponents.

The Owls received plenty of praise Tuesday at the conference's media day, but not enough to move into the favorite's role. In a preseason media poll, they were picked to finish third in the six-team AAC East Division.

With newcomer Navy, the AAC now has 12 teams and has expanded from one division to two. The East and West Division winners will meet in the inaugural AAC title game on Dec. 5.

Cincinnati was the overwhelming East Division and AAC favorite, earning 29 of the 30 first-place votes, with Central Florida earning the other. The Bearcats were picked by 22 of the 30 voters to win the AAC title game.

Still, Temple earned respect from AAC competitors.

"I think they have a bright future," said Memphis coach Justin Fuente, whose team is the preseason pick to win the AAC West. "They are poised, and I don't want to put pressure on Matt [Rhule], but I think they are flying under the radar right now and have a chance to be very good."

Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel, who threw an AAC-best 31 touchdown passes last year after transferring from Notre Dame, was limited to 174 yards and a touchdown last season in a 14-6 win over the Owls at Lincoln Financial Field.

"That is a team that gave me fits," Kiel said. "It was a low-scoring game and they were all over me and hitting hard and things weren't clicking."

Even at media day, Kiel said he was sizing up two of the Temple defenders who where there: linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who had 117 tackles and 101/2 tackles for losses, and defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, who had a team-high 11 tackles for losses.

"They have studs on that team," Kiel said. "I see them here now, and they have those two on D who are bowling balls and it will be a fun game."

Cincinnati will host Temple on Sept. 12 in what appears to be an early AAC East showdown.

As for being picked third, the Temple players at the event, who included center senior center Kyle Friend and senior cornerback Tavon Young, did not have much reaction.

"What they say in August, we will find out how true it is in December," Matakevich said.

Deep down, the Owls feel they can challenge for the division title.

"I think this is going to be a breakout year for us," Ioannidis said. "I think we are going to accomplish more than we have in the past, far and beyond."

Even though the Owls quietly feel they will exceed the media's third-place expectations, there was no sense of using that as motivation against the two teams ahead of them, Cincinnati and Central Florida.

"When you start putting that on the bulletin board and using it as motivation, it becomes kind of distraction," Rhule said. "I would rather say we will play and see what happens."

He will find out soon enough. Temple begins preseason camp on Thursday and opens Sept. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field against Penn State.