AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 9.
| Team | Record | This Week | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | 2-6 (1-3) | — BYE — | L, 38-16 | at Tulsa |
| ECU | 1-7 (0-4) | at UTSA | L, 41-27 | vs Tulane |
| FAU | 4-4 (2-2) | — BYE — | W, 38-16 | at UAB |
| Memphis | 6-2 (3-1) | at North Texas | W, 45-42 | vs USF |
| Navy | 3-4 (2-3) | — BYE — | — | at Temple |
| North Texas | 3-5 (1-3) | vs Memphis | L, 45-42 | vs UTSA |
| Rice | 4-4 (2-2) | vs Tulane | L, 30-28 | vs SMU |
| SMU | 6-2 (4-0) | vs Tulsa | W, 69-10 | at Rice |
| Temple | 2-6 (0-4) | — BYE — | — | vs Navy |
| Tulane | 7-1 (4-0) | at Rice | W, 30-28 | at ECU |
| Tulsa | 3-5 (1-3) | at SMU | L, 69-10 | vs Charlotte |
| UAB | 2-6 (1-3) | — BYE — | — | vs FAU |
| USF | 4-4 (2-2) | — BYE — | — | at Memphis |
| UTSA | 5-3 (4-0) | vs ECU | W, 41-27 | at North Texas |
Notable Results (Standings)
Memphis Meltdown Averted
Fans in Denton, TX got their money’s worth on Saturday afternoon. The Mean Green faithful that were bold enough to stick around after their team fell behind 31-10 were momentarily rewarded by a furious fourth-quarter comeback, spurred by 21 unanswered points on the arm of Chandler Rogers. It wouldn’t last, though. Memphis drove the length of the field in the final 46 seconds to snatch back the win.
Tulane hangs on
This one was another one-sided affair until it wasn’t. Tulane led 27-7 at halftime, but managed just three points in the second half as Rice football mounted a furious comeback. The Owls got within two points with 8:10 to play before the Mean Green killed the clock almost in its entirety before handing the ball back to the upset seekers with four seconds left. A Rice hook and ladder play fell woefully short.
Race to the bottom
Tulsa has now been outscored 110-20 over the past 12 days, falling to SMU this week 69-10 in a game that somehow managed to feel much worse. Meanwhile, Charlotte was thumped by FAU on Friday night. ECU and Temple remain the only winless conference teams, but Charlotte and Tulsa don’t look to be that much higher in the pecking order right now.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
Lone Star Showdown
There’s a lot at stake next weekend when SMU visits Rice for possibly the last time in a while before the Mustangs bolt for the AAC. SMU has conference championship aspirations. Rice would love to return to a bowl game, but they’ll probably need to find a way to win at least one more home game to do it. Rice ends the season at home against FAU.
C-USA Throwback Battle
For a while, UAB and FAU were the cream of the crop in Conference USA, trading conference titles and producing some of the best battles on the field in the conference’s previous iteration. This time the two meet as middle-tier members of the current AAC, both aiming to climb a bit higher after struggles early in the season. This one is for bragging rights, and then some.
Can the Roadrunners keep it going?
UTSA moved to 4-0 in conference play this weekend before heading to Denton to play a North Texas team that will score in bunches. For whatever reason, the Mean Green have given the Roadrunners fits in recent years. If UTSA really wants to be in the mix for a conference title, they’re going to have to find a way to preserve through that history and find a way to win on the road.
