AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 12.
| Team | Record | This Week | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | 3-9 (2-6) | at USF | L, 48-14 | — |
| ECU | 2-10 (1-7) | vs Tulsa | L, 29-27 | — |
| FAU | 4-8 (2-6) | at Rice | L, 24-21 | — |
| Memphis | 9-3 (6-2) | at Temple (Fri) | W, 45-21 | Bowl |
| Navy | 5-6 (4-4) | at SMU | L, 59-14 | vs Army |
| North Texas | 5-7 (3-5) | vs UAB | W, 45-42 | — |
| Rice | 6-6 (4-4) | vs FAU | W, 24-21 | Bowl |
| SMU | 10-2 (8-0) | vs Navy | W, 59-14 | at Tulane (AAC Championship) |
| Temple | 3-9 (1-7) | vs Memphis (Fri) | L, 45-21 | — |
| Tulane | 11-1 (8-0) | vs UTSA (Fri) | W, 29-16 | vs SMU (AAC Championship) |
| Tulsa | 4-8 (2-6) | at ECU | W, 29-27 | — |
| UAB | 4-8 (3-5) | at North Texas | L, 45-42 | — |
| USF | 6-6 (4-4) | vs Charlotte | W, 48-14 | Bowl |
| UTSA | 8-4 (7-1) | at Tulane (Fri) | L, 29-16 | Bowl |
Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)
Conference Championship Game Set
SMU and Tulane will meet in the AAC Championship Game next weekend at Yulman Stadium after both teams posted resounding victories in the final weekend of regular season play. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, their win came with a great cost. Starting quarterback Preston Stone had to be carted off the field with an injury and presumably will not be available for the championship game,
Bowl Trip Secured
Rice football hadn’t been to bowl games in consecutive seasons since 2013-2014 until Mike Bloomgren accomplished the feat this season, clinching back-to-back bowl trips for his team with a win over FAU at home. USF also punched it’s postseason ticket on the final week of the regular season, taking down Charlotte.
Where the Media Went Wrong
The Media correctly tabbed the top four finishers in the preseason, albeit in a slightly different order with SMU (preseason No. 3) edging UTSA (preseason No. 2) out for the championship game berth. Having Temple, Tulsa and Charlotte in the bottom five proved to be correct as well.
The biggest surprises? Rice and USF. Picked to finish 12th, the Owls will finish sixth in the league, seven spots higher than projected. USF was the preseason No. 13 team. They’ll finish fifth in Alex Golesh’s first season at the helm. Their rise coincides with the falls of FAU and ECU, who were tabbed fifth and sixth only to finish 10th and 14th, respectively.
