AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 10.
| Team | Record | This Week | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | 3-6 (2-3) | at Tulsa | W, 33-26 (OT) | vs Memphis |
| ECU | 1-8 (0-5) | vs Tulane | L, 13-10 | at FAU |
| FAU | 4-5 (2-3) | at UAB | L, 45-42 | vs ECU |
| Memphis | 7-2 (4-1) | vs USF | W, 59-50 | at Charlotte |
| Navy | 3-5 (2-4) | at Temple | L, 32-18 | vs UAB |
| North Texas | 3-6 (1-4) | vs UTSA | L, 37-29 | at SMU |
| Rice | 4-5 (2-3) | vs SMU | L, 36-31 | at UTSA |
| SMU | 7-2 (5-0) | at Rice | W, 36-31 | vs North Texas |
| Temple | 3-6 (1-4) | vs Navy | W, 32-18 | at USF |
| Tulane | 8-1 (5-0) | at ECU | W, 13-10 | vs Tulsa |
| Tulsa | 3-6 (1-4) | vs Charlotte | L, 33-26 (OT) | at Tulane |
| UAB | 3-6 (2-3) | vs FAU | W, 45-42 | at Navy |
| USF | 4-5 (2-3) | at Memphis | L, 59-50 | vs Temple |
| UTSA | 5-3 (5-0) | at North Texas | W, 37-29 | vs Rice |
Notable Results (Standings)
Survive and advance
Tulane, UTSA and SMU remain unbeaten in league play, posting a combined 15-0 perfect record, but that doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing to get there. All three faced scares of various degrees this weekend, with Tulane and SMU facing do-or-die defensive stands to close out the game in the fourth quarter against teams that now sport losing conference records.
Not in last!
Charlotte found a way to edge Tulsa on Saturday, giving them two conference wins and officially lifting them to at least fifth from worst in the league standings. It’s not last place, to headman Biff Poggi’s delight, but it isn’t exactly a resounding success either. The 49ers sit at 3-6 in need of three more wins to reach bowl eligibility, let alone contend in the conference against the better teams.
On the board
Temple got its first AAC win this weekend, taking care of business against Navy thanks to quarterback EJ Warner being back in the lineup. There are no guarantees the Owls would have had a significantly better season without Warner’s injury, but it’s encouraging to see them right the ship with their trusty signal caller back at the helm.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
QB-who?
Rice and SMU both lost starting quarterbacks in their game this past weekend with Preston Stone and JT Daniels returning to the fields without their helmets after hits to the head. Whether or not they’re cleared this week we’ll be a critical storyline to follow for both squads. Rice is fighting for bowl eligibility and SMU still has very real conference championship aspirations.
Postseason possibilities on the table
We’ve reached the point of the calendar when the middle-tier teams in the conference standings are going to start to feel the pressure to secure their tickets to the postseason. There’s one such do-or-die matchup for both squads next weekend when Navy visits UAB. Both have a game to spare in the loss column, but this is a game both sides likely feel they should be able to win.
Gotta take care of business
The race for the top of the AAC remains razor thin, with one-loss Memphis still very much alive as we enter the final stretch. None of the top four play each other this weekend, but the margin for error could be as little as one game. All four (Tulane, UTSA, SMU and Memphis) should be favorites, but they’d better make sure they take care of business if they want a shot at a conference crown in a few weeks.
