This week, the AAC offers an excellent slate of early regular season games. One school can notch a program-defining win against an in-state rival, and multiple intra-conference games can begin to clear the AAC title picture in just the first month of the season.
USF Looks to Knock Off Big Brother
The AAC can go 2-0 against Florida’s Big Three when USF plays Miami for the first time since 2013. After Memphis’s huge win over Florida State last week, the pressure is on for USF to get a resume-building win to remain in the College Football Playoff hunt. The Bulls could find themselves in a position similar to Tulane if they lose, virtually eliminated from representing the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff with a 0-2 mark against Power Four schools.
All eyes will be on this week’s quarterback matchup between Miami’s Cam Ward and USF’s Byrum Brown. Both are Heisman Trophy-caliber signal callers. Ward has 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ first three games. Brown has 404 passing yards and 179 rushing yards, including 108 against Alabama.
USF is 1-5 all-time against the Hurricanes, with their lone series win coming in 2010. These may not be Howard Schnellenberger’s or even Jimmy Johnson’s Hurricanes, but so far, they look like the team to beat in the ACC. A win over Miami would do wonders for the Bulls’ in-state reputation. This game might even serve as its unofficial audition for the new Pac-12.
Unbeatens Faces Off in Annapolis
The Navy-Memphis series has become one of the conference’s more underrated series. The Midshipmen always seem to play their very best against the Tigers no matter how rough of a year they’re having. Last year, Memphis escaped with a win after a last-minute stop. This year, both teams enter with high hopes following undefeated starts. Navy can cement itself as a legitimate AAC title contender with its first win over Memphis since 2018.
The Mids’ “millennial Wing-T” faces its first true test against a Memphis defense that allows an average of just 68 yards on the ground. The Midshipmen averaged 280 yards per game on the ground in their first two games.
Should the Midshipmen beat the Tigers, Navy has a clear path to the Playoff with games against Notre Dame and Tulane ahead on the schedule. Still, the Mids would need NIU to lose to NC State and slip once or twice in MAC play to better its chances. At the very least, a win over Memphis goes a long way towards ending the Midshipmen’s five-year bowl drought.
Pelican State Rivals Clash
In 2018, Tulane made its first bowl appearance since 2013 and second since 2002, facing off against Sun Belt Championship participant Louisiana in the Cure Bowl. The Green Wave announced its arrival as a Group of Five fixture with a dominant 41-21 win, avenging their 2013 New Orleans Bowl defeat.
This Saturday, the two Louisiana schools meet for the first time since that Cure Bowl. This is the 30th meeting all-time with the Green Wave dominating the series 23-6. With that, the Green Wave gets a reprieve from back-to-back Power Four games.
Louisiana ought to give Tulane some trouble. The Ragin Cajuns allowed only 204 yards of total offense against Kennesaw State on September 7th and has since had a bye week to prepare. These factors make this a logical upset pick this week.
Though the Green Wave’s College Football Playoff hopes now look slim, they Wave are also auditioning for a potential spot in the new-look Pac-12, like USF and Memphis.
East Carolina Plays the Defending Conference USA Champions
East Carolina plays an important game for the American’s national perception when they travel to Lynchburg to play Liberty this weekend. Though not a frontrunner to represent the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff, the Pirates can certainly show the AAC’s depth with a win over last year’s Group of Five New Year’s Six representative. They also maybe need a win following last week’s home loss to App. State.
East Carolina matches up well with the Flames. The Pirates allow an average of 77 yards/game on the ground and ought to be up to facing Liberty’s vaunted spread option rushing attack. That matters because the Flames led the country in rushing yards in 2023 and have since picked up where they left off in their first three games, averaging 227 rushing yards/game in 2024. The Flames’ one-two punch of RBs Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas has become one of the best running back tandems in the country. Moreover, though Liberty remains the favorite in a relatively weak Conference USA, the team is maybe not as strong as they were last year. New Mexico State, UTEP, and even FCS Campbell have given Liberty trouble this year.
East Carolina QB Jake Garcia did a better job limiting mistakes last week. He posted just one interception against Appalachian State after throwing *seven* in the Pirates’ first two games. RB Rahjai Harris can steal the attention away from Liberty’s backfield with a strong performance. Harris is one of the AAC’s best backs with 242 yards in this young season.
Can North Texas’ Defense Make a Statement?
North Texas’ electric offense disguised major concerns on defense in its first two weeks. The Mean Green allowed 582 yards and 38 points against South Alabama in week one, but no one cared because North Texas dropped 52 on the Jaguars. Last week, the Mean Green offense could not save a defense that allowed 66 points and 587 yards in a 66-21 loss to Texas Tech.
The North Texas defense desperately needs a confidence builder. Wyoming is therefore their perfect opponent this week.
The Wyoming offense has struggled since losing 2023 starting QB Andrew Peasley and 900-yard rusher Harrison Waylee. The Cowboys are now averaging just 201 yards of total offense per game. If the Mean Green can set the tone early on offense, they might force Wyoming to become entirely too pass-heavy, something the Cowboys have struggled with in former Head Coach Craig Bohl’s system.
This game is the first of three in which North Texas faces average or even bad offenses. The Mean Green defense must find its groove now, before they face some of the AAC’s more explosive attacks later in the year.
Other Notes From Around the League
Temple looked vastly improved in their 28-20 loss to Sun Belt contender Coastal Carolina. New starting QB Evan Simon led a more efficient Owls attack after taking over for opening-day starter Forrest Brock. This week, Utah State comes to Lincoln Financial Field. An early kickoff, 10 AM Mountain Time for the Aggies, and a potential emotional hangover from Utah State’s rivalry loss to Utah could open the door for the Owls to notch their first win.
FAU will try to stay on track for a bowl berth this week when they travel to UConn. RB Zuri Mobley should have another star-making performance against a UConn defense that allowed Duke’s Star Thomas to rush for 122 yards. Mobley announced his arrival with a 134-yard, three-touchdown performance last week against FIU.
Two intriguing Group of Five receivers face off when Tulsa takes on former WAC rival Louisiana Tech. Tulsa’s Kamdyn Benjamin has 290 yards and three touchdowns in three games for Tulsa, while Louisiana Tech’s Tru Edwards exploded for a four-catch, 148-yard performance against North Carolina State. A Golden Hurricane win shows clear progress in Head Coach Kevin Wilson’s second year. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech looks much improved and will contend for a bowl in Conference USA. Tulsa and Louisiana Tech were WAC members together from 2001-2004 and played each other every year as conference rivals.
Charlotte is a 28.5-point underdog to a surprising 3-0 Indiana squad, fresh off a statement blowout win over UCLA on NBC’s B1G Ten Saturday Night. The 49ers come into this game having escaped last week with a one-point win over FCS Gardner-Webb following an early 17-point deficit. Could the 49ers have been looking ahead to this game? Biff Poggi’s team led another Big Ten school, Maryland, at halftime last year and competed well in a 38-20 loss to North Carolina in Week Two.
Finally, UTSA looks to take out its frustration from a 56-7 road loss to Texas on FCS Houston Christian this weekend in the two schools’ first meeting. The Roadrunners may use this game to finally settle on a clear starter at quarterback after both Eddie Lee Marburger and Owen McCown have struggled to fill the great Frank Harris’ shoes.
How about Option Football? 📈 pic.twitter.com/g2s3MswMc4
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 18, 2024
Go Army! Beat Rice!!!
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