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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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AAC Football 2023: Week 9 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 9.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 2-6 (1-3) — BYE — L, 38-16 at Tulsa
ECU 1-7 (0-4) at UTSA L, 41-27 vs Tulane
FAU 4-4 (2-2)  — BYE — W, 38-16 at UAB
Memphis 6-2 (3-1) at North Texas W, 45-42 vs USF
Navy 3-4 (2-3)  — BYE —  — at Temple
North Texas 3-5 (1-3) vs Memphis L, 45-42 vs UTSA
Rice 4-4 (2-2) vs Tulane L, 30-28 vs SMU
SMU 6-2 (4-0) vs Tulsa W, 69-10 at Rice
Temple 2-6 (0-4)  — BYE —  — vs Navy
Tulane 7-1 (4-0) at Rice W, 30-28 at ECU
Tulsa 3-5 (1-3) at SMU L, 69-10 vs Charlotte
UAB 2-6 (1-3)  — BYE —  — vs FAU
USF 4-4 (2-2)  — BYE —  — at Memphis
UTSA 5-3 (4-0) vs ECU W, 41-27 at North Texas

Notable Results (Standings)

Memphis Meltdown Averted

Fans in Denton, TX got their money’s worth on Saturday afternoon. The Mean Green faithful that were bold enough to stick around after their team fell behind 31-10 were momentarily rewarded by a furious fourth-quarter comeback, spurred by 21 unanswered points on the arm of Chandler Rogers. It wouldn’t last, though. Memphis drove the length of the field in the final 46 seconds to snatch back the win.

Tulane hangs on

This one was another one-sided affair until it wasn’t. Tulane led 27-7 at halftime, but managed just three points in the second half as Rice football mounted a furious comeback. The Owls got within two points with 8:10 to play before the Mean Green killed the clock almost in its entirety before handing the ball back to the upset seekers with four seconds left. A Rice hook and ladder play fell woefully short.

Race to the bottom

Tulsa has now been outscored 110-20 over the past 12 days, falling to SMU this week 69-10 in a game that somehow managed to feel much worse. Meanwhile, Charlotte was thumped by FAU on Friday night. ECU and Temple remain the only winless conference teams, but Charlotte and Tulsa don’t look to be that much higher in the pecking order right now.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Lone Star Showdown

There’s a lot at stake next weekend when SMU visits Rice for possibly the last time in a while before the Mustangs bolt for the AAC. SMU has conference championship aspirations. Rice would love to return to a bowl game, but they’ll probably need to find a way to win at least one more home game to do it. Rice ends the season at home against FAU.

C-USA Throwback Battle

For a while, UAB and FAU were the cream of the crop in Conference USA, trading conference titles and producing some of the best battles on the field in the conference’s previous iteration. This time the two meet as middle-tier members of the current AAC, both aiming to climb a bit higher after struggles early in the season. This one is for bragging rights, and then some.

Can the Roadrunners keep it going?

UTSA moved to 4-0 in conference play this weekend before heading to Denton to play a North Texas team that will score in bunches. For whatever reason, the Mean Green have given the Roadrunners fits in recent years. If UTSA really wants to be in the mix for a conference title, they’re going to have to find a way to preserve through that history and find a way to win on the road.

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How does Army to AAC impact Rice Football? October Q&A

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The American Conference is adding Army as a football-only member. What does that mean for Rice football?

On Tuesday morning, news broke that Army would be joining the American Conference as a football-only member. That is particularly notable for Rice football, given the Owls’ current non-conference scheduling. Rice is under contract to play Army in 2024 as a non-conference game which begs the question, what is happening with that game in light of these new developments?

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Given the nature of this news, a portion of this Q&A will be open to everyone this month, specifically the conference-wide updates AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco shared on Tuesday afternoon, a day which Aresco called “a great day for Army and the American Athletic Conference.”

On expansion, Aresco said the league “has no interest in expanding beyond 14” at this time and intends to stay put with its current 14 football members with eight conference games. Army and Navy will not be scheduled as regular season opponents and the annual Army-Navy game will remain a non-conference game the weekend following conference championship games as it currently is played.

Aresco deferred to Army Athletic Director Mike Buddie when asked for specifics on how Army would handle getting out of several game contracts to be available for a full conference schedule in 2024. As part of those plans, though, Aresco did say the conference would be providing financial support to Army to help facilitate that transition.

“We are going to help Army,” Aresco said, in response to a question regarding the AAC’s willingness to help Army get out of those contracts. Beyond that, Aresco declined to specify what size of a revenue share Army would be receiving. He was only willing to go as far as to say everyone was “happy with what we worked out.”

Due in part to some of these challenges, Army will not simply be slotted into the schedule in place of departing member SMU. That means future AAC schedules will have to be reworked. “You don’t just put Army in place of SMU,” Aresco said, adding that he anticipates a resolution on scheduling “within a month or so.”

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AAC Football 2023: Week 8 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 8.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 2-5 (1-2) at ECU W, 10-7  — BYE —
ECU 1-6 (0-3) vs Charlotte L, 10-7 at UTSA
FAU 3-4 (2-1) vs UTSA L, 36-10  — BYE —
Memphis 5-2 (2-1) at UAB W, 45-21 at North Texas
Navy 3-4 (2-3) vs Air Force L, 17-6  — BYE —
North Texas 3-4 (1-2) at Tulane L, 35-28 vs Memphis
Rice 4-3 (2-1) at Tulsa W, 42-10 vs Tulane
SMU 5-2 (3-0) at Temple W, 55-0 vs Tulsa
Temple 2-6 (0-4) vs SMU L, 55-0  — BYE —
Tulane 6-1 (3-0) vs North Texas W, 45-21 at Rice
Tulsa 3-4 (1-2) vs Rice L, 41-10 at SMU
UAB 2-6 (1-3) vs Memphis L, 45-21  — BYE —
USF 4-4 (2-2) at UConn W, 24-21  — BYE —
UTSA 4-3 (3-0) at FAU W, 36-10 vs ECU

Notable Results (Standings)

Blowouts

If you’re a fan of close games, Week 8 was not for you. SMU walloped Temple by 55, Rice topped Tulsa by 32, UTSA bested FAU by 26 and Memphis beat UAB by 24. Three of those teams (SMU, UTSA and Memphis) were expected be among the best squads in the AAC entering the season. Rice is either an outlier or a team on the rise. We might know more next week.

Somebody had to win?

On the other end of the spectrum, ECU and Charlotte played in a nearly unwatched football game with hopes of avoiding the bottom of the standings (now held by 0-4 Temple). The two teams combined to pass for 232 yards and convert 5-of-29 (17 percent of their third downs). The winning team, Charlotte, committed nine penalties for 90 yards. Gross.

Husky measuring stick

Former AAC member UConn has now played a pair of current AAC teams. They edged out Rice a few weeks ago thanks to very favorable turnover luck before falling to USF, who beat Rice earlier in the year. Perhaps UConn has become a proxy measuring stick for where these current AAC teams rank, but its hard to tell for sure.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Tulane v Rice

Tulane has looked remarkably underwhelming when compared to the lofty standards they established for themselves last season. They snuck past a mediocre North Texas team this week and had their hands full with UAB two weeks before that. Rice has been erratic all season, but if the good Owls show up on Saturday, things could get interesting if the Green Wave come out lethargic again.

North Texas v Memphis

The other alternative: it’s possible the Tulane malaise could be credited toward a Mean Green resurgence. North Texas has admittedly looked more composed in recent weeks, but the schedule isn’t getting easier. They will draw a talented Memphis team next weekend. If they can tango with the Tigers it might be possible to start contemplating a possible bowl berth in Denton this year.

Time for a break

Six AAC teams are on bye in Week 9, setting up a rather quiet slate apart from the aforementioned set of games. ECU vs UTSA and SMU vs Tulsa don’t promise to be very entertaining, so there’s a lot riding on the Owls and the Mean Green to give us some good football games next weekend.

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