American Conference 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 4-1 (1-0) | at Charlotte | W, 59-8 | at UAB |
| FAU | 4-1 (1-0) | vs Texas Southern | W, 66-10 | — OFF — |
| UTSA | 4-1 (1-0) | at Rice | W, 16-14 | vs USF (THU) |
| North Texas | 3-2 (1-0) | at Tulsa (THU) | W, 45-44 (1 OT) | vs Charlotte |
| UAB | 3-2 (1-0) | vs Samford | W, 33-14 | vs Memphis |
| USF | 4-1 (1-1) | vs Temple | L, 13-17 | at UTSA (THU) |
| Army | 2-2 (1-1) | at Louisiana Tech | L, 29-31 | vs Tulane |
| Temple | 2-3 (1-1) | at USF | W, 17-13 | vs UConn |
| Tulsa | 3-2 (0-1) | vs North Texas (THU) | L, 44-45 (1 OT) | at Navy |
| ECU | 2-2 (0-0) | — OFF — | — | vs Rice |
| Tulane | 2-2 (0-0) | — OFF — | — | at Army |
| Rice | 1-4 (0-1) | vs UTSA | L, 14-16 | at ECU |
| Navy | 1-3 (0-2) | at Air Force | L, 9-14 | vs Tulsa |
| Charlotte | 0-5 (0-1) | vs Memphis | L, 8-59 | at North Texas |
Storylines // Standings // Preseason Poll
Down Go the Bulls
The last undefeated team in the conference is no more. A 34-yard touchdown run from Owls’ quarterback Ajani Sheppard lifted Temple to the upset win. That victory is massive for a Temple program on the rise under head coach K.C. Keeler and proves his squad isn’t just a tough out, they might be a force to be reckoned with in league play.
Points!!!
North Texas and Tulsa combined to score 89 points on Thursday night. The game might have reached triple digits had the Golden Hurricane not rolled the dice and gone for a potential game-winning two-point conversion on their first possession of overtime. The Mean Green defense rose to the occasion in that moment and earned North Texas their first American Conference win of the season.
Forget About It, 49ers
Things have seemingly only gotten worse for Charlotte since their season-opening loss to The Citadel, an FCS opponent. The 49ers fell to 0-5 this week and were never truly competitive against Memphis at home. Charlotte has scored in double digits against an FBS opponent once in four tries this year and hasn’t won an FBS game since their season finale in 2024, which came before their current head coach, Tim Albin, was hired.
Looking Ahead
Roadrunners Eye Catbird Seat
A hard-fought two-point victory over Rice allowed UTSA to open conference play with a victory. Adding another win to their ledger on Thursday against South Florida would put the Roadrunners alone in first place in the conference standings, even if only for two days. The race is wide open. Why not the Roadrunners?
Sink or Float?
Tulsa has one of the marquee non-conference wins in the American Conference so far this season with their upset of Oklahoma State, but the Golden Hurricane would like to prove they’re more than just a one-hit wonder. At the same time, the Midshipmen are drowning, falling to 1-3 following a loss to Air Force. The loser of this game can probably kiss whatever distant hopes they had of contending for a conference title goodbye.
2024 Championship Game Rematch
Army hasn’t had the start to the season they would have hoped for, dimming the shine that might have been on this 2024 American Conference Championship Game rematch coming up in Week 5. Replicating an Army victory in this game in New Orleans will be more challenging, but it also might be necessary if the Black Knights want to be taken seriously the rest of the way after a couple of underwhelming performances.