While Army-Notre Dame commands the attention of the conference and country, many of the conference’s schools will play to clinch bowl berths, making the penultimate week of the regular season relevant. Additionally, a trio of schools play for pride after firing head coaches, adding another layer to this weekend’s games.
A Trio of Schools Play For Bowl Eligibility
— Temple at UTSA, 7 PM ET, Friday, ESPN2
— East Carolina at North Texas, 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, ESPN+
— Tulsa at USF, 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, ESPN+
Three teams hope to punch tickets to the postseason throughout this weekend. UTSA (5-5, 3-3 in the AAC), left for dead after their loss to Tulsa, have somehow gotten into position to keep their five-year bowl streak alive. They play Temple (3-7, 2-4 in the AAC) in a Friday night showcase on ESPN2. The Owls just fired Head Coach Stan Drayton and look destined for another year of key departures via the transfer portal. Roadrunner QB Owen McCown should continue his prolific year as a starter against an inconsistent Owl defense. McCown has 22 touchdowns against just five interceptions in his first year taking over for legendary UTSA QB Frank Harris. Despite facing a bad Temple team, this is a must-win game for UTSA since they play Army next week.
North Texas (5-5, 2-4 in the AAC) has a much tougher test to reach bowl eligibility against East Carolina (6-4, 4-2 in the AAC). UTSA moved the ball with ease against this Mean Green defense, gaining over 600 yards of total offense enroute to a 48-27 win. ECU features a balanced attack led by RB Rajai Harris, who has two 100-yard games in his last three outings, and QB Katin Houser, who has 900 passing yards and over 11 touchdowns in just three starts. Both offenses should thrive. If North Texas loses to ECU, they can earn that elusive sixth win against moribund Temple next week.
Finally, USF (5-5, 3-3 in the AAC) hosts Tulsa (3-7, 1-5 in the AAC). Last week, Tampa had its own “Running of the Bulls” when USF ran for 425 yards in a 59-24 rout of Charlotte. This week, Bulls QB Bryce Archie can have his best performance of the season since taking over for the injured Byrum Brown against a Tulsa squad featuring the worst pass defense in the country. Archie has not thrown for 300 yards in a game yet this season. This week could be the week. Should USF fall to 5-6 this week, they have Rice on Thanksgiving Weekend.
After the past 2 week’s performance, @icyy_rahjai has moved up to 8th in all time leading rushers 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/AsBOgjhqY5
— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) November 21, 2024
Other Notes From Around the League
— Rice at UAB, 2 PM ET, Saturday, ESPN+
— Charlotte at FAU, 3 PM ET, Saturday, ESPN+
UAB (2-8, 1-5 in the AAC) hosts Rice (3-7, 2-4 in the AAC) as Blazers Head Coach Trent Dilfer attempts to keep his job. UAB QB Jalen Kitna averages nearly 300 passing yards/game. Rice’s top-five pass defense could give him trouble this week.
Finally, Charlotte (3-7, 2-4 in the AAC) hosts FAU (2-8, 0-6 in the AAC). Both schools fired their head coaches this past week. Still, Charlotte’s defense could have a field day against a struggling FAU offense that scored just 15 points on Temple last week.
𝐔𝐒 𝐯𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌
— The American (@American_Conf) November 22, 2024
Our time is now⚔️
🏈No. 19 Army vs No. 6 Notre Dame
🗓️ Saturday, November 23
🕛 7 pm ET
📺 NBC#AmericanWay x #AmericanFB pic.twitter.com/qHieO01FGt
Enjoy the games, everyone.
Go Army! Beat Notre Dame!!!
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