UAB has gambled big-time on its new head coach after Bryant Vincent's interim stint wasn't good enough to land him the job on a permanent basis. Instead, it's handed the job to former NFL QB Trent Dilfer, with only a few years of high school experience in the Nashville area under his belt as a coach. Granted, it was a successful few years at Lipscomb Academy, with the last two campaigns resulting in Tennessee Division II Class AA State Championships. (Mind you, there are nine divisions in Tennessee HS football, and Lipscomb Academy competed in one of the lower levels).  

They were in a mood to do something bold at UAB, as the Blazers make the move with five others from Conference USA to the American. If nothing else, the Dilfer hire has stoked lots of curiosity. The bar has been set pretty high lately in Birmingham by Bill Clark, one of the best bargains in recent college coaching history who had to step down prior to last summer due to persistent back problems. Clark's tenure also saw UAB move out of aging Legion Field to new Protective Stadium, situated near downtown and much closer to campus...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of UAB's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the AAC season.

AAC preview: Conference winner | Charlotte | East Carolina | Florida Atlantic | Memphis | Navy | North Texas | Rice | SMU | South Florida | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | UAB | UTSA

2023 UAB at a glance

• Last Year: 7-6 SU, 4-9 ATS, 6-7 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 2; Defense 4
• Win total: 4.5 (Over -130, Under even)

What do you need to know about UAB before locking in your AAC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see AAC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!