The two divisional races became a bit clearer in the American Athletic Conference in Week 8 of the college football season — a week that was punctuated by a landmark win by an up-and-coming team in the conference.
No. 24/25 Navy took control of The American’s West Division with a 42-28 win against Memphis at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win lifted the Midshipmen to 4-0 in conference play (5-1 overall) and extended Navy’s home field winning streak to 14 games, second nationally to Clemson’s 20-game streak. QB Will Worth led the way has he rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries and threw two TD passes among his three completions.
Temple played its way into the driver’s seat in the East Division as the Owls scored a 46-30 win against USF in Philadelphia. The Owls finished with a 528-352 advantage in total offense, had an interception, a safety and blocked two kicks, while RB Ryquell Armstead finished with 210 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Temple moved into a first-place tie with the Bulls at 3-1 in conference play (5-3 overall), but gained tiebreaker advantages on both USF and UCF, the other one-loss team in the division.
SMU picked up its biggest win in Chad Morris’ tenure as the Mustangs defeated No. 11 Houston 38-16 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. It was SMU’s first win against a nationally ranked team since a 2011 win against TCU. QB Ben Hicks threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown, while the Mustangs registered seven sacks and held the Cougars to 13 first downs and 303 yards of offense. LB Jarvis Pruitt led the defense with three sacks and a fumble recovery.
Tulsa picked up an important conference win as the Golden Hurricane pulled away from Tulane for a 50-27 win at H.A. Chapman Stadium. The victory improved Tulsa to 2-1 in The American, setting the stage for what should be key divisional games against Memphis and Navy in the coming weeks. RB James Flanders rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while QB Dane Evans threw three first-half touchdown passes for the Golden Hurricane.
UCF remained in striking distance in the East Division as the Knights erased an early 13-0 deficit to take a 24-16 win against UConn in East Hartford, Connecticut. UCF held the Huskies scoreless in the second half and rode a strong performance from freshman QB McKenzie Milton, who threw for a career-high 317 yards and three touchdowns. UCF improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in The American.
Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel returned to the starting lineup for the first time since last season and responded with a big day as the Bearcats took a 31-19 win against East Carolina at Nippert Stadium. Kiel, who began the 2016 season third on the depth chart, threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, while WR Kahlil Lewis had career highs of 11 receptions, 150 yards and three touchdowns.