What was already a murky read for the best team in the AAC got even murkier this week.

On Tuesday, Central Florida was tabbed to win the AAC by the conference's media members. Cincinnati was second in voting, while Memphis was third.

It's the third straight season that UCF has been the pre-season favorite. But the Golden Knights got some bad news this week. The team announced 10 of its players have opted out of the season, due to COVID-19 concerns, including starting defensive lineman Kalia Davis, starting cornerback Tay Gowan and backup quarterback Darriel Mack Jr.

The pre-season margins between the Bearcats and the Knights have been razor thin. Cincinnati, No. 20, is ranked highest in the first AP poll over UCF at No. 21, while the Knights have the same ranking in the Amway coaches poll and the Bearcats are No. 22.

In the AAC pre-season poll, Cincinnati was slightly edged in overall and first-place voting. The Bearcats kickoff their season at noon ET on Sept. 19, when they host Austin Peay. The game will be televised on ESPN. No fans will be allowed in attendance.