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AAC Football 2023: Week 6 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 6.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 1-4 (o-1)  —  — vs Navy
ECU 1-4 (0-1)  —  — vs SMU
FAU 2-3 (1-0) vs Tulsa W, 20-17 vs USF
Memphis 4-1 (1-0)  —  — vs Tulane
Navy 2-3 (1-2) vs North Texas W, 27-24 at Charlotte
North Texas 2-3 (0-1) at Navy L, 27-24 vs Temple
Rice 3-3 (1-1) vs UConn L, 38-31  —
SMU 3-2 (1-0)  —  — at ECU
Temple 2-4 (0-2) vs UTSA L, 49-34 at North Texas
Tulane 4-1 (1-0)  —  — at Memphis
Tulsa 3-3 (1-1) at FAU L, 20-17  —
UAB 2-4 (1-1) vs USF W, 56-35 at UTSA
USF 3-3 (2-1) at UAB L, 56-35 at FAU
UTSA 2-3 (1-0) at Temple W, 49-34 vs UAB

Notable Results (Standings)

This conference is a mess

Through five weeks, the ACC has two four-win teams, two one-win teams and 10 teams logjammed with a game of .500. If it feels hard to figure out who is actually good this season, the current standings reflect that. Rice and Tulsa both had the chance to break into the four-win club, but couldn’t find a way to get it done and fell back to the rest of the pack.

UTSA bounces back

UTSA, one of those middle-of-the-standings programs, notched a much-needed win to opener their AAC slate, outlasting Temple in a high-scoring affair on the road. The Roadrunners were picked to contend in this conference and despite a shaky start to the season, they’re still in position to do that, especially with quarterback Frank Harris leading the offense.

USF comes back to earth

South Florida screamed out to a 2-0 start to conference play before running into a Dragon-sized wall in their third conference game. The Blazers had just one win when the Bulls came to town, serving a slice of humble pie to their upstart visitors. USF might have been ahead of schedule in Alex Golesh’s first season, but still have to feel pretty good about things entering an all-Florida showdown against FAU in Week 6.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Tipping point

Rice and Tulsa are both 3-3, each dropping what felt like a winnable game before a bye week and a matchup in Tulsa in Week 7. This game isn’t being played for another week and a half, but both programs will face some pressure to get things patched up and ready to go before they play a midweek, prime-time game with the loser falling below .500 in league play.

Danger zone

Charlotte and ECU already trail the rest of the pack entering Week 6 with more conference matchups looming. If it’s not “save-your-season” territory yet, it’s getting pretty close. Neither program can afford to add a fifth loss so early in the year. It’s a little early to start talking about must-win games, but that’s exactly where things stand for these programs.

Who’s No. 1?

Tulane and Memphis each had the week off before a potential conference-deciding matchup between the current frontrunners in Week 6. The Mean Green and Tigers are a combined 8-0 against non-Power 5 opponents and each school came close to pulling off a Power 5 upset already this season. This has the makings of what could be the biggest conference game of the year and it’s still October.

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AAC Football 2023: Week 5 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 5.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 1-4 at SMU L, 34-16  —
ECU 1-4 at Rice L, 24-17  —
FAU 1-3  —  — vs Tulsa
Memphis 4-1 vs Boise St W, 35-32  —
Navy 1-3 vs USF L, 44-30 vs North Texas
North Texas 2-2 vs ACU W, 45-31 at Navy
Rice 3-2 vs ECU W, 24-17 vs UConn
SMU 3-2 vs Charlotte W, 34-16  —
Temple 2-3 at Tulsa L, 48-26 vs UTSA
Tulane 4-1 vs UAB W, 35-23  —
Tulsa 3-2 vs Temple W, 48-26 at FAU
UAB 1-4 at Tulane L, 35-23 vs USF
USF 3-2 at Navy W, 44-30 at UAB
UTSA 1-3 —  — at Temple

Notable Results (Standings)

Memphis delivers a message

Picked to finish fourth in conference in the preseason media poll, Memphis notched one of the most notable non-conference wins of any AAC school so far this season. The Tigers knocked off Boise State, staying perfect at home and putting themselves near the forefront of the conference race. They’re currently tied with Tulane as the only four-win teams in the league through five weeks.

Trouble in Greenville

UAB, Charlotte and FAU are all breaking in new head coaches. UTSA has dealt with some tough injury luck and a rigorous non-conference slate. ECU, on the other hand, has been relatively healthy but has no FBS wins to show for it. The Pirates fell on the road to Rice over the weekend, unable to overcome a hobbled JT Daniels or a Rice defense that had four fourth down stops in the second half.

Antennas raised

Neither South Florida and Tulsa had much in the form of expectations entering the 2023 seasons. With new coaches at the helm and plenty of question marks on the roster, a slow start would have been forgiven, if not expected. Instead, both programs are 3-2 and a combined 3-0 in conference play so far. Sustaining the hot starts will be a challenge, but they deserve credit for getting to this point.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Make or break for the birds

It’s been a challenge start for both Temple and UTSA, who square off against each other in Week 6, UTSA’s first-ever AAC game. Should the Roadrunners falter, they’ll be 1-4 heading into the remainder of league play after being picked second in the preseason. Meanwhile Temple will look to prove their loss to Tulsa was a bad night instead of the continuance of a negative defensive trend.

How much fight is left?

FAU was dealt a tough blow when they learned starting quarterback Casey Thompson would miss the remainder of the 2023 season. Beaten and bruised, the Owls would be forgiven if they wrote 2023 off as a year where everything went wrong. That said, rallying despite the circumstances would be equally encouraging for Tom Herman and his staff in year one.

First to 100

South Florida has shown some sparks of life on defense so far this season. North Texas has not. For both, it hasn’t mattered too much because they have offenses that pile up the points in bunches. When they meet next weekend, one touchdown won’t be enough. Five might not either. This has shootout written all over it.

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AAC Football Media Days: Mike Aresco pushes Power

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AAC Football is alive and well. That was the message from Commissioner Mike Aresco at media days who made his case for his new-look league.

Commissioner Mike Aresco has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion. On Tuesday morning he kicked off AAC Football media days with his familiar candor, petitioning the gathered media and all who would listen to regard his new-look conference with respect.

“I want to remind everyone that follows college football what this conference has accomplished,” Aresco said. “It’s sometimes hard to understand how some in the media continue to call us non-Power. Some have even called us mid-major. Nothing could be farther from the truth.”

He went on to cite a lengthy list of wins AAC programs have had over Power 5 schools in recent years, and mentioned four ESPN College Game Days hosted by member institutions. He listed the accolades and national awards AAC players have claimed under his watch.

“Mid-major conferences simply don’t do that. And to call such powerful performances non-Power is utterly silly.”

Aresco did what he does best, advocate for the programs under his umbrella and while some of his assertations may have been a bit optimistic, much of what he did offer up was rooted in truth. For as long as this league has existed, it’s made an impact on the national stage. And for the six programs joining the conference in 2023, that’s what matters the most.

“We’re a battle-hardened, resolute group. We refuse to embrace the stereotype that our achievements have clearly put a lie to,” Aresco admonished.

No matter who you designate the AAC — power or non-power, P5 or G5, or something else entirely — this is a conference that has made an impact on the national stage time and time again.

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First Look: Rice Football, AAC Over/Under Odds

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Earlier this week Circa Sports posted early over/under odds for every FBS team. Here’s where Rice football and other AAC teams stack up.

AAC Teams

  • Charlotte – 3
  • Tulsa – 4.5
  • UAB – 4.5
  • USF – 4.5
  • Rice – 4.5
  • Temple – 5
  • East Carolina – 5.5
  • Navy – 6
  • North Texas – 6
  • FAU – 7.5
  • SMU – 8
  • UTSA – 8
  • Memphis – 8.5
  • Tulane – 9

Rice football nonconference opponents

  • Texas Southern – n/a
  • UConn – 4.5
  • Houston – 4.5
  • Texas – 9.5

Takeaways

On the AAC front, Tulane being projected as the front-runner in the league isn’t too much of a surprise, especially with the return of quarterback Michael Pratt, several other key players and some added reinforcements from the transfer portal.

What might be most compelling to watch is the race alongside them. Four additional schools (FAU, SMU, UTSA and Memphis) are within a game and a half of first. That means if the conference race seems fairly wide open to you, oddsmakers are feeling the same way and looking to hedge their bets.

Likewise, there’s a game and a half gap between the next teams (North Texas and Navy) and everyone else in the conference, save Charlotte. Vegas doesn’t have much faith in the 49ers and their new head coach, but it doesn’t seem confident in anyone else to be a surefire bowl team either. That’s the recipe for a chaotic and exciting season.

As for Rice football, the Owls are pegged to finish in the middle to bottom of the new-look AAC. After finishing around the four to five-win mark in recent years and the step up in some of the competition they’ll face, that doesn’t feel too surprising.

What is most intriguing, though, is the quality of the Owls’ opponents. Rice plays Charlotte, Tulsa, UAB, USF, ECU, UConn and Houston in 2023. Add in Texas Southern and that’s eight of 12 opponents projected to be either from the FCS ranks or projected to be at or below .500. There are hard games coming (UTSA, SMU, Tulane, Texas) but Rice won’t absolutely require a miraculous upset to reach bowl eligibility.

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2023 AAC Football: NFL Draft and UDFA Tracker

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There were several players selected in the NFL Draft from teams that will share a conference with Rice football next season and more have signed since.

Even without considering selections from outgoing members, AAC football was well represented in the 2023 NFL Draft, earning five selections from its 2023 membership through seven rounds. Once the draft ended, many other players latched on with NFL teams, signing as undrafted free agents. Those players will report to training camp and compete for a spot on rosters just the same.

2023 AAC Football NFL Draft Picks

2nd Round (No. 55) – WR Rashee Rice, SMU – Chiefs
3rd Round (No. 81) – RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane – Titans
3rd Round (No. 91) – LB Dorian Williams, Tulane – Bills
7th Round (No. 222) – RB Dwayne McBride, UAB – Vikings
7th Round (No. 255) – WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte – Packers

Undrafted Free Agents

Charlotte

None

East Carolina

  • RB Keaton Mitchell – Ravens
  • OT Noah Henderson – Bills
  • TE Ryan Jones – Giants
  • QB Holton Ahlers – Seahawks
  • WR CJ Johnson – Seahawks

FAU

None

Memphis

  • P Joe Dyle – Texans
  • SAF Quindell Johnson – Rams

Navy

None

North Texas

None

Rice

  • DE Ikenna Enechukwu – Falcons

UAB

  • CB Starling Thomas V – Lions
  • OT Kadeem Telfort – Packers

USF

  • OL Brad Cecil – Lions

UTSA

  • CB Corey Mayfield Jr. – Ravens

SMU

  • OG Jaylon Thomas – Ravens
  • LB Jimmy Phillips – Packers

Temple

  • WR Jose Barbon – Cowboys

Tulane

  • SAF Macon Clark – Bears
  • SAF Larry Brooks III – Bengals
  • WR Duece Watts – Packers
  • TE Trick James – Chiefs
  • LB Nick Anderson – Saints
  • WR Shae Wyatt – 49ers

Tulsa

  • RB Deneric Prince – Chiefs

Additional signings could continue to trickle in over the next few days. Training camps are still weeks away. For now, it’s safe to say there will be a new crop of AAC football players off to make their mark on the league. We’ll find out soon enough who will stick.

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