The league beat writer vote...Memphis Commercial Appeal...
Navy seized control of the American Athletic Conference's West division over the weekend with a win over Memphis, while Temple got a leg up in the East by downing USF. But there's still more than a month left in the regular season and, as SMU showed against Houston, there's as much parity in the AAC as anywhere.
Here's a look at how the league stacks up, according to our panel of beat reporters.
1. Navy (5-1, 4-0 AAC): The Midshipmen took complete control of the West Division with an impressive performance. Quarterback Will Worth turned in the finest outing of his career to lift Navy to a 42-28 defeat of Memphis. The Mids are the only team with an unbeaten record within the American. It was the 14th straight victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, setting a facility record.
2. Houston (6-2, 3-2 AAC): At the beginning of October, Houston was ranked as high as sixth and in the discussion for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Cougars have been in a nosedive ever since with two losses in three games, the latest a 38-16 embarrassment at SMU that knocked them out of The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll and ended any chance of defending their AAC title. “That swagger we normally play with hasn’t been there,” receiver Steven Dunbar said. Maybe no more so than on defense, where the Cougars have gone from one of the nation’s top units to unable to stop anybody. The Cougars have allowed 115 points and 1,247 yards in three games against Navy, Tulsa and SMU. The offense has been uncharacteristically sloppy with eight turnovers during that stretch. Coach Tom Herman takes the blame for the recent struggles, saying the team got too caught up in looking at the big picture (winning the conference) and got away from its 1-0 mentality of focusing on each week’s opponent. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with an improved UCF team coming to TDECU Stadium on Saturday, followed by a much-needed open date, and then Tulane. UH ends the season with tough games against Louisville and Memphis. “They’re probably smelling blood,” Herman says of the final four opponents. “If I was on the other side, I’d say, ‘Hey, this is a wounded animal.’ ”
3. USF (6-2, 3-1 AAC): The Bulls not only cost themselves a shot at the best start in program history in a 46-30 thrashing at Temple, but potentially a spot in the AAC title game. Owls running back Ryquell Armstead ran roughshod through USF's leaky defense, rushing for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Bulls also yielded 528 total yards and were outscored 26-7 after taking a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter, opening fresh questions about the team's 4-2-5 defensive alignment and first-year coordinator Raymond Woodie's play-calling ability. USF will have to mend its issues quickly this week as it welcomes AAC West-leading Navy to Tampa on Friday night at 7.
4. Temple (5-3, 3-1 AAC): The Owls are now in the driver's seat in the East division. If they win their final four games against Cincinnati, UConn, Tulane and East Carolina, the Owls will repeat as East division champs. Last week, Temple had its best showing of the season in a 46-30 win over South Florida. The Owls rushed for a season-high 319 yards. Ryquell Armstead rushed for 210 yards on 20 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 76 and 42 yards. Jahad Thomas rushed for 56 yards and two scores on 16 carries. Thomas scored two touchdowns for the sixth consecutive game, the current longest active streak of two TDS or more in FBS. Linebacker Stephaun Marshall was the eighth different Temple player to lead the team in tackles, with eight. Temple special teams came up big as Praise Martin-Oguike blocked an extra point, the fifth blocked kick of his career, and Avery Ellis blocked a punt. Freshman walk-on Aaron Boumerhi hit all three field goals and all five extra points in his second start and was named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Temple hosts Cincinnati on Saturday. Last year the Owls traveled to Cincinnati in the second game of the season and won, 34-26. Temple defense is allowing 321 yards per game, which is second in the AAC and 17th nationally.
5. Memphis (5-2, 2-1 AAC): It was deja vu for the Tigers on Saturday. Once again, they played Navy in a game with major West division implications. And once again, they couldn’t slow down the Mids’ patented triple-option offense, giving up a whopping 447 rushing yards en route to a 42-28 loss. Before Saturday, Memphis had not allowed more than 400 rushing yards in a game since 2007 against East Carolina. The good news for the Tigers, however, was that quarterback Riley Ferguson played one of his better games of the season against the Mids, and the offense took a step forward. That unit will need to be on point again to keep pace with Tulsa in what could very well be a shootout Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl.
6. Tulsa (5-2, 2-1 AAC): With a 50-27 win against Tulane on Saturday, the Golden Hurricane prevailed in an AAC game by its largest margin since joining the league in 2014. Tulsa overcame injuries to five starters and relied on career-best outings from running back James Flanders and wide receiver Josh Atkinson to torch a Green Wave defense that had been causing problems for opponents. For a fourth consecutive week, the Hurricane faces a team from the tough West Division, playing at Memphis on Saturday night in a battle of teams that enter with the same record. A victory would not only keep Tulsa's hopes of a conference championship alive but also would accomplish bowl eligibility with four regular-season games left on the schedule.
7. UCF (4-3, 2-1 AAC): Freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton threw for a season-high 317 yards connecting on 29 of 45 passes and three touchdown passes to lead UCF past UConn, 24-16, in Hartford. The Knights trailed the Huskies, 16-14, at halftime before outscoring them 10-0 in the second half. UCF played without its top nose guard, Jamiyus Pittman, who suffered an ankle injury last week. Of the Knights’ four victories, three of those came on the road against, including Florida International and East Carolina. UCF will look to extend its good road fortune at Houston on Saturday.
8. Cincinnati (4-3, 1-3 AAC): The return of quarterback Gunner Kiel energized the Bearcats, who beat East Carolina, 31-19, at Nippert Stadium last week. Kiel, a fifth-year senior, threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in his first start this year. He was the primary UC quarterback in 2014 and 2015, but a series of events then derailed him. First, Kiel missed the 2015 Hawaii Bowl for an undisclosed personal matter. Then, Kiel missed most of 2016 spring football because of a shoulder/back ailment. Having fallen behind in the offense of new coordinator Zac Taylor, Kiel lost his job to sophomore Hayden Moore to start the year. With UC struggling to score points, Kiel came alive in practice and regained his job last week. UC faces a tough assignment at Temple this Saturday, with Kiel again expected to start.
9. SMU (3-4, 1-2 AAC): After multiple weeks at the bottom of this poll, SMU finally broke through with an eye-opening win over Houston. The Mustangs didn't just upset the Cougars; they dominated the game from start to finish. Redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Hicks did a great job protecting the football and tossed three touchdowns, while the defense recorded half a dozen sacks, three coming by way of senior defensive end Jarvis Pruitt. It was a signature win for head coach Chad Morris and the program. The culture is changing on the Hilltop, and SMU might be gearing up to make a run at a bowl game. After all, this team believes it can win.
10. Connecticut (3-5, 1-4 AAC): Saturday was a depressing day in East Hartford for the Huskies, who lost to Central Florida, 24-16. UConn moved the ball well in the open field but produced just one touchdown in six trips to the red zone. The Huskies held their largest lead of the season in the second quarter, 13-0, but were outscored 24-3 the rest of the way. UConn had just three points in the final 39:41. After the game, the "Civil ConFLiCT" trophy sat alone on a sideline. UCF never showed interest in it. UConn-concocted rivalry: Dead. The Huskies will try to regroup Saturday at East Carolina.
11. East Carolina (2-5, 0-3 AAC): Entering their eighth game of the season, the Pirates are flirting with the wrong kind of history. Mired in a five-game losing streak, ECU hosts fellow AAC struggler Connecticut this week on the heels of a 33-19 setback at Cincinnati. In that game, tailback Anthony Scott fumbled inside the Bearcat red zone as the Pirates drove with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Pirates last lost six straight games to open the disastrous 2003 campaign that ended 1-11. Their noon kickoff this Saturday will be the Pirates' first home game since Oct. 1.
12. Tulane (3-4, 0-3 AAC): Tulane is coming off its worst showing of the season after last week’s 50-27 loss to Tulsa on the road. The Green Wave offense fell victim to the inconsistency that has troubled it all season in the passing game and along the offensive line. The defense fell behind early because of the Tulsa passing game and got steamrolled in the second half by the Golden Hurricane’s running game. With homecoming this week against SMU, Tulane is hoping to regroup and claw its way back to .500 with a little help from what’s expected to be a raucous crowd at Yulman Stadium.
Navy seized control of the American Athletic Conference's West division over the weekend with a win over Memphis, while Temple got a leg up in the East by downing USF. But there's still more than a month left in the regular season and, as SMU showed against Houston, there's as much parity in the AAC as anywhere.
Here's a look at how the league stacks up, according to our panel of beat reporters.
1. Navy (5-1, 4-0 AAC): The Midshipmen took complete control of the West Division with an impressive performance. Quarterback Will Worth turned in the finest outing of his career to lift Navy to a 42-28 defeat of Memphis. The Mids are the only team with an unbeaten record within the American. It was the 14th straight victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, setting a facility record.
2. Houston (6-2, 3-2 AAC): At the beginning of October, Houston was ranked as high as sixth and in the discussion for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Cougars have been in a nosedive ever since with two losses in three games, the latest a 38-16 embarrassment at SMU that knocked them out of The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll and ended any chance of defending their AAC title. “That swagger we normally play with hasn’t been there,” receiver Steven Dunbar said. Maybe no more so than on defense, where the Cougars have gone from one of the nation’s top units to unable to stop anybody. The Cougars have allowed 115 points and 1,247 yards in three games against Navy, Tulsa and SMU. The offense has been uncharacteristically sloppy with eight turnovers during that stretch. Coach Tom Herman takes the blame for the recent struggles, saying the team got too caught up in looking at the big picture (winning the conference) and got away from its 1-0 mentality of focusing on each week’s opponent. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with an improved UCF team coming to TDECU Stadium on Saturday, followed by a much-needed open date, and then Tulane. UH ends the season with tough games against Louisville and Memphis. “They’re probably smelling blood,” Herman says of the final four opponents. “If I was on the other side, I’d say, ‘Hey, this is a wounded animal.’ ”
3. USF (6-2, 3-1 AAC): The Bulls not only cost themselves a shot at the best start in program history in a 46-30 thrashing at Temple, but potentially a spot in the AAC title game. Owls running back Ryquell Armstead ran roughshod through USF's leaky defense, rushing for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Bulls also yielded 528 total yards and were outscored 26-7 after taking a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter, opening fresh questions about the team's 4-2-5 defensive alignment and first-year coordinator Raymond Woodie's play-calling ability. USF will have to mend its issues quickly this week as it welcomes AAC West-leading Navy to Tampa on Friday night at 7.
4. Temple (5-3, 3-1 AAC): The Owls are now in the driver's seat in the East division. If they win their final four games against Cincinnati, UConn, Tulane and East Carolina, the Owls will repeat as East division champs. Last week, Temple had its best showing of the season in a 46-30 win over South Florida. The Owls rushed for a season-high 319 yards. Ryquell Armstead rushed for 210 yards on 20 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 76 and 42 yards. Jahad Thomas rushed for 56 yards and two scores on 16 carries. Thomas scored two touchdowns for the sixth consecutive game, the current longest active streak of two TDS or more in FBS. Linebacker Stephaun Marshall was the eighth different Temple player to lead the team in tackles, with eight. Temple special teams came up big as Praise Martin-Oguike blocked an extra point, the fifth blocked kick of his career, and Avery Ellis blocked a punt. Freshman walk-on Aaron Boumerhi hit all three field goals and all five extra points in his second start and was named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Temple hosts Cincinnati on Saturday. Last year the Owls traveled to Cincinnati in the second game of the season and won, 34-26. Temple defense is allowing 321 yards per game, which is second in the AAC and 17th nationally.
5. Memphis (5-2, 2-1 AAC): It was deja vu for the Tigers on Saturday. Once again, they played Navy in a game with major West division implications. And once again, they couldn’t slow down the Mids’ patented triple-option offense, giving up a whopping 447 rushing yards en route to a 42-28 loss. Before Saturday, Memphis had not allowed more than 400 rushing yards in a game since 2007 against East Carolina. The good news for the Tigers, however, was that quarterback Riley Ferguson played one of his better games of the season against the Mids, and the offense took a step forward. That unit will need to be on point again to keep pace with Tulsa in what could very well be a shootout Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl.
6. Tulsa (5-2, 2-1 AAC): With a 50-27 win against Tulane on Saturday, the Golden Hurricane prevailed in an AAC game by its largest margin since joining the league in 2014. Tulsa overcame injuries to five starters and relied on career-best outings from running back James Flanders and wide receiver Josh Atkinson to torch a Green Wave defense that had been causing problems for opponents. For a fourth consecutive week, the Hurricane faces a team from the tough West Division, playing at Memphis on Saturday night in a battle of teams that enter with the same record. A victory would not only keep Tulsa's hopes of a conference championship alive but also would accomplish bowl eligibility with four regular-season games left on the schedule.
7. UCF (4-3, 2-1 AAC): Freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton threw for a season-high 317 yards connecting on 29 of 45 passes and three touchdown passes to lead UCF past UConn, 24-16, in Hartford. The Knights trailed the Huskies, 16-14, at halftime before outscoring them 10-0 in the second half. UCF played without its top nose guard, Jamiyus Pittman, who suffered an ankle injury last week. Of the Knights’ four victories, three of those came on the road against, including Florida International and East Carolina. UCF will look to extend its good road fortune at Houston on Saturday.
8. Cincinnati (4-3, 1-3 AAC): The return of quarterback Gunner Kiel energized the Bearcats, who beat East Carolina, 31-19, at Nippert Stadium last week. Kiel, a fifth-year senior, threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in his first start this year. He was the primary UC quarterback in 2014 and 2015, but a series of events then derailed him. First, Kiel missed the 2015 Hawaii Bowl for an undisclosed personal matter. Then, Kiel missed most of 2016 spring football because of a shoulder/back ailment. Having fallen behind in the offense of new coordinator Zac Taylor, Kiel lost his job to sophomore Hayden Moore to start the year. With UC struggling to score points, Kiel came alive in practice and regained his job last week. UC faces a tough assignment at Temple this Saturday, with Kiel again expected to start.
9. SMU (3-4, 1-2 AAC): After multiple weeks at the bottom of this poll, SMU finally broke through with an eye-opening win over Houston. The Mustangs didn't just upset the Cougars; they dominated the game from start to finish. Redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Hicks did a great job protecting the football and tossed three touchdowns, while the defense recorded half a dozen sacks, three coming by way of senior defensive end Jarvis Pruitt. It was a signature win for head coach Chad Morris and the program. The culture is changing on the Hilltop, and SMU might be gearing up to make a run at a bowl game. After all, this team believes it can win.
10. Connecticut (3-5, 1-4 AAC): Saturday was a depressing day in East Hartford for the Huskies, who lost to Central Florida, 24-16. UConn moved the ball well in the open field but produced just one touchdown in six trips to the red zone. The Huskies held their largest lead of the season in the second quarter, 13-0, but were outscored 24-3 the rest of the way. UConn had just three points in the final 39:41. After the game, the "Civil ConFLiCT" trophy sat alone on a sideline. UCF never showed interest in it. UConn-concocted rivalry: Dead. The Huskies will try to regroup Saturday at East Carolina.
11. East Carolina (2-5, 0-3 AAC): Entering their eighth game of the season, the Pirates are flirting with the wrong kind of history. Mired in a five-game losing streak, ECU hosts fellow AAC struggler Connecticut this week on the heels of a 33-19 setback at Cincinnati. In that game, tailback Anthony Scott fumbled inside the Bearcat red zone as the Pirates drove with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Pirates last lost six straight games to open the disastrous 2003 campaign that ended 1-11. Their noon kickoff this Saturday will be the Pirates' first home game since Oct. 1.
12. Tulane (3-4, 0-3 AAC): Tulane is coming off its worst showing of the season after last week’s 50-27 loss to Tulsa on the road. The Green Wave offense fell victim to the inconsistency that has troubled it all season in the passing game and along the offensive line. The defense fell behind early because of the Tulsa passing game and got steamrolled in the second half by the Golden Hurricane’s running game. With homecoming this week against SMU, Tulane is hoping to regroup and claw its way back to .500 with a little help from what’s expected to be a raucous crowd at Yulman Stadium.
