CBS Sports insider Tom Fornelli broke down his top 10 players in the American Athletic Conference entering the 2020 season. SMU had two of the 10 players -- and one of them ranked as Fornelli's overall No. 1.
Checking in at the top spot was quarterback Shane Buechele. After a 2019 season where he threw for an SMU single-season record 3,929 yards and 34 touchdowns, Buechele is ready to put up even larger numbers with a plethora of talent on offense.
"Where Buechele really shined was throwing downfield," Fornelli said. "On passes of 10 air yards or more, he had a rating of 127.6 (highest in the AAC) with a touchdown rate of 12.4% and an interception rate of only 1.7%."
Coming in at No. 10 was wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr., who had a respectable 2019 season despite it being cut short due to a foot injury. He started eight games and had 43 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns.
Roberson and James Proche made for a spectacular 1-2 punch for Buechele and SMU's passing attack last season. In a home win against Temple on Oct. 19, Roberson had seven catches for a career-high 250 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
"Given SMU's offense and Shane Buechele at QB," Fornelli said, "Roberson will have a monster season if he stays on the field."
The rest of Fornelli's top 10 can be viewed here.
Checking in at the top spot was quarterback Shane Buechele. After a 2019 season where he threw for an SMU single-season record 3,929 yards and 34 touchdowns, Buechele is ready to put up even larger numbers with a plethora of talent on offense.
"Where Buechele really shined was throwing downfield," Fornelli said. "On passes of 10 air yards or more, he had a rating of 127.6 (highest in the AAC) with a touchdown rate of 12.4% and an interception rate of only 1.7%."
Coming in at No. 10 was wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr., who had a respectable 2019 season despite it being cut short due to a foot injury. He started eight games and had 43 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns.
Roberson and James Proche made for a spectacular 1-2 punch for Buechele and SMU's passing attack last season. In a home win against Temple on Oct. 19, Roberson had seven catches for a career-high 250 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
"Given SMU's offense and Shane Buechele at QB," Fornelli said, "Roberson will have a monster season if he stays on the field."
The rest of Fornelli's top 10 can be viewed here.
