AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.
| Team | Record | This Week | Result | Up Next |
| Army | 1-0 (0-0) | at Lehigh (Fri) | W, 42-7 | at FAU |
| Charlotte | 0-1 (0-0) | vs James Madison | L, 30-7 | at North Carolina |
| ECU | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Norfolk St | W, 42-3 | at ODU |
| FAU | 0-1 (0-0) | at Michigan St (Fri) | L, 16-10 | vs Army |
| Memphis | 1-0 (0-0) | vs N. Alabama | W, 40-0 | vs Troy |
| Navy | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Bucknell | W, 49-21 | vs Temple |
| North Texas | 1-0 (0-0) | at S. Alabama | W, 52-38 | vs SFA |
| Rice | 0-1 (0-0) | vs Sam Houston St | L, 34-14 | vs Texas So. |
| Temple | 0-1 (0-0) | at 16 Oklahoma (Fri) | L, 51-3 | at Navy |
| Tulane | 1-0 (0-0) | vs SE Louisiana (Thr) | W, 52-0 | vs Kansas St |
| Tulsa | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Northwestern St (Thr) | W, 62-38 | at Arkansas St |
| UAB | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Alcorn St (Thr) | W, 41-3 | at ULM |
| USF | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Bethune-Cookman | W, 46-3 | at 5 Alabama |
| UTSA | 1-0 (0-0) | vs Kennesaw St | W, 28-16 | at Texas St |
Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)
Return of the Mean Green
North Texas had 77 new players on its roster this fall and 11 new starters in their season-opening win on the road against a strong South Alabama squad. The touchdown underdogs sure didn’t look like a team in the midst of an unexpected Year 2 reboot. This was by far the most impressive win for the AAC in Week 1.
Cooked Rice
On the other side of the coin, Rice football significantly underwhelmed high expectations in their first game of the year. The Owls were pushed around by a Sam Houston team that went 3-9 a season ago, the Bearkats’ first year in FBS. There were some positives — EJ Warner looked the part and the defense tallied seven sacks — but those things don’t make up for a Week 1 egg that’s going to take a while to get past.
Tune up: Complete
Outside of FAU, who hung around with a lackluster Michigan State team for a while, the bulk of the conference played FCS opponents in their openers. That led to five AAC squads that held their opponents to three points or less, including shutouts by Memphis and Tulane. The schedule will get harder as the season progresses, but all of these schools past their first test. That’s how opening week is supposed to go.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
Texas-sized tussle
In what’s turning into one of the most heated rivalries in the state, UTSA and Texas State face off in Week 2 after rather mediocre wins to open their season with UTSA edging out Kennesaw State and Texas State squeezing past Lamar. A win is a win, but both teams have a lot of work to do this week before they play one of the biggest games of the season which — if either squad does put it into gear — could possibly impact the College Football Playoff down the line.
Conference play is here
Part of the reworked conference schedules, including the late addition of Army has meant conference games are already on the docket. The Black Knights travel to Florida Atlantic this week to play their first-ever AAC game while fellow service academy Navy hosts Temple. Oddly enough, there are no conference games for the AAC in Week 3.
P4 shots
The American built its brand on knocking off power programs, but last year the conference only finished with one Power 4/5 win: Rice beat Houston to win the Bayou Bucket. This year there appear to be a few reasonable chances for the AAC to get one of those marquee upsets under its belt, but it will be a tall order. The best shot this week is probably Tulane, which hosts Kansas State, but the South Florida faithful won’t be writing off their rematch with Alabama after they went toe to toe with the Tide last year.
