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AAC Football 2023: Bowl Notes, Championship Game

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SMU has won the 2023 AAC football championship. Now six teams venture on to bowl season, with the first game fast approaching.

Matchups have been announced for the bowl season following plenty of drama and chaos along the way. Here are the reported pairings as of early Sunday evening:

Team Opponent Bowl Time Date
UTSA Marshall Frisco 9:00 pm ET Dec. 19
USF Syracuse Boca Raton 8:00 pm ET Dec. 21
Rice Texas State SERVPRO First Responder’s Bowl 5:30 pm ET Dec. 26
Tulane Virginia Tech Military 2:00 pm ET Dec. 27
SMU* Boston College Fenway 11:00 am ET Dec. 28
Memphis Iowa State Liberty 3:30 pm ET Dec. 29
*Won Conference USA Football Championship Game

AAC Football Championship results – Standings

SMU handled Tulane rather comfortably on Friday night, securing the AAC Conference Championship in their final season in the league before departing for the ACC next year. What was even more impressive than the final score was how comfortable they looked with their backup quarterback leading the offense with Preston Stone sidelined.

New Year’s Six Drama

SMU was snubbed for the G5 spot in the New Year’s Six in favor of an undefeated Liberty team, a fate few would have anticipated for the American Champion, regardless of who took home the title. Commission Mike Aresco did not mince words in his rebuttal, calling the decision “disappointing”.

Here are his full comments:

Coaching Changes

So far, there has only been one coaching change in the AAC this offseason. Tulane’s Willie Fritz will reportedly be the next head coach at the University of Houston. Other than that, the remainder of the league’s coaches are set to return for another season. The league did have a large portion of first-year coaches this season, but even still, to only have one coaching change in a conference this big seems uncommon.

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AAC Football 2023: Week 13 Roundup

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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.

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AAC Football 2023: Week 12 Roundup

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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 3-8 (2-5) vs Rice L, 28-7 at USF
ECU 2-9 (1-6) at Navy L, 10-0 vs Tulsa
FAU 4-7 (2-5) vs Tulane L, 24-8 at Rice
Memphis 8-3 (5-2) vs SMU L, 38-34 at Temple (Fri)
Navy 5-5 (4-3) vs ECU W, 10-0 at SMU
North Texas 4-7 (2-5) at Tulsa W, 35-28 vs UAB
Rice 5-6 (3-4) at Charlotte W, 28-7 vs FAU
SMU 9-2 (7-0) at Memphis W, 38-34 vs Navy
Temple 3-8 (1-6) at UAB L, 34-24 vs Memphis (Fri)
Tulane 10-1 (7-0) at FAU W, 24-8 vs UTSA (Fri)
Tulsa 3-8 (1-6) vs North Texas L, 35-28 at ECU
UAB 4-7 (3-4) vs Temple W, 34-24 at North Texas
USF 5-6 (3-4) at UTSA L, 49-21 vs Charlotte
UTSA 8-3 (7-0) vs USF W, 49-21 at Tulane (Fri)

Notable Results (Standings)

And then there were three

SMU’s win over Memphis on Saturday afternoon kicked the Tigers out of the conference championship discussion. There are only three undefeated teams remaining, a testament to the strength of those three (UTSA, SMU and Tulane) and a condemnation to some degree with the AAC regular season scheduling. We were robbed of some good football games because of how little these teams crossed over this year.

No Bowl

FAU joined the seven-loss crowd this weekend, falling to Tulane. Things looked pretty dire for the Owls when quarterback Casey Thompson was hurt early on this season. To make it to mid-November with the possibility of postseason play on the table is a minor accomplishment in itself, although folks in Boca understandably want more after some great years in recent memory.

Modest middle tier

Are there any mediocre to good teams in this conference? Of the 14 members, just five are within a game of .500 after this weekend. We’ve talked about the cream of the crop, and we’ve talked about the bottom dwellers. Shout out to Navy, Rice and USF who remain in the hunt for bowl eligibility and have proven to be tough outs at the very least in league play.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Win and you’re in

Tulane and UTSA meet in one of the marquee games of the final weekend of regular season play. Make sure your TVs are tuned in on Black Friday in this defact semi-final game with the rights to a conference title game appearance on the line. In all likelihood, the winner will take on SMU, who needs to get past Navy to guarantee themselves an appearance.

Ahead of schedule?

In the first year under new head coaches, neither USF nor Navy was expected to make much noise in the AAC this season. Both had exciting moments and pushed some the conference heavyweights to the wire. But most importantly, they each have a surprise chance at bowl eligibility. It’ll be a tough ask for Navy against SMU, but USF hosts a bad Charlotte team. That seems very doable for the Bulls.

Running it back at Rice

Rice coach Mike Bloomgren has the chance to become just the third coach in program history to take his team to back-to-back bowl games next weekend should the Owls beat FAU at home. For someone who entered the AAC in the sixth year of his tenure with some pressure from a new AD, that would be huge.

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AAC Football 2023: Week 11 Roundup

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AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 11.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 3-7 (2-4) vs Memphis L, 44-38 (OT) vs Rice
ECU 2-8 (1-5) at FAU W, 22-7 at Navy
FAU 4-6 (2-4) vs ECU L, 22-7 vs Tulane
Memphis 8-2 (5-1) at Charlotte W, 44-38 (OT) vs SMU
Navy 4-5 (3-3) vs UAB W, 31-7 vs ECU
North Texas 3-7 (1-5) at SMU L, 45-21 at Tulsa
Rice 4-6 (2-4) at UTSA L, 34-14 at Charlotte
SMU 8-2 (6-0) vs North Texas W, 45-21 at Memphis
Temple 3-7 (1-5) at USF L, 27-23 at UAB
Tulane 9-1 (6-0) vs Tulsa W, 24-22 at FAU
Tulsa 3-7 (1-5) at Tulane L, 24-22 vs North Texas
UAB 3-7 (2-4) at Navy L, 31-6 vs Temple
USF 5-5 (3-3) vs Temple W, 27-23 at UTSA
UTSA 7-3 (6-0) vs Rice W, 34-14 vs USF

Notable Results (Standings)

Still Perfect

SMU, UTSA and Tulane all took care of business this week to stay unbeaten in league play. Tulane’s played some squeaker in recent weeks and this outing against Tulsa was certainly closer than it probably should have been, but the result is what matters. We’ve got a three-horse race atop the conference standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Watch out for the Bulls

USF has been one of the more pleasant surprise stories in the AAC this season. The Bulls beat Temple in a close one, keeping their chances to make a bowl in Alex Golesh’s first season within the realm of possible. To be able to write that in mid-November, after the tough stretch of season’s they have in recent years, is remarkable in itself.

So long, postseason

No AAC teams clinched a postseason berth this week but four squads notched their seventh loss signalling the end of their postseason aspirations. North Texas, UAB, Temple and Charlotte are all heading for no offseason. For the Owls and 49ers, that’s not too surprising. They were picked to finish near the bottom of the league. UAB and North Texas however, to be out of the running with two weeks to play is less understandable.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Finally, a heavyweight fight

Part of the reason the AAC has three remaining unbeaten teams is the lack of compelling matchups along the way. Next week’s meeting between SMU and Memphis is one of the most compelling regular season conference games remaining for that reason, it pits the talent against talent. Memphis is still alive in the conference title game hunt and could get much closer with a win over SMU whereas the Mustangs might all but clinch a title game spot with a win.

No margin for error

Both Rice and FAU enter this coming weekend with six losses before squaring off with each other in the final weekend of the regular season. Bowl eligibility could be on the line for both squads in that game, bu they’ll have to win this coming week to get there. Rice draws Charlotte. FAU will have to upset Tulane. No small task.

Don’t sleep on the troops

Navy has an outside shot at a six-win season under first-year head coach Brian Newberry. That’s what makes their upcoming game against East Carolina so intriguing. Win that, and the Midshipmen can keep the faith. They haven’t had a .500 season since 2019.

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AAC Football 2023: Week 10 Roundup

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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.

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