A weekly look at the top news and notes in the American Athletic Conference
Perfection
Through six weeks of the regular season, there are 13 undefeated teams in NCAA FBS football - and three from the American Athletic Conference. In fact, The American has more unbeaten teams than any of the other nine conferences as USF and Navy are 5-0 and UCF is 4-0. All three teams are ranked in this week’s Associated Press and coaches’ polls, giving The American as many top-25 teams as the SEC and the Big 12.
Another Heisman Hopeful At Navy
The idea of a quarterback from Navy in the Heisman Trophy conversation should be familiar to most college football fans. Roger Staubach won the Heisman in 1963, and Keenan Reynolds finished fifth in the voting for the sport’s highest honor just two years ago. But Zach Abey has started to generate some buzz thanks to his early-season play, which has him ranked second nationally in rushing, with 870 yards and nine touchdowns in five games (174.0 yards per game). Abey engineered the game-winning drive in last week’s win against Air Force as he capped a 75-yard drive with the go-ahead touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in a 48-45 win against the Falcons. Abey is listed fifth on USA Today’s Heisman Watch this week, one spot ahead of 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville.
Six In A Million
Another week in The American meant another game with at least one million television and streaming viewers. Last Friday’s game between Memphis and UConn drew a total audience of 1.04 million viewers, despite competition from the Major League Baseball division series in the same time slot. The game became the sixth contest involving an American Athletic Conference team with at least one million viewers this season and the 38th such regular-season game in the last three years.
The American Leads The Way
The success of American Athletic Conference teams in the standings has had a strong bearing on the national statistical leaders. UCF leads the nation’s 129 FBS teams in scoring offense as the Knights average 47.5 points per game. Navy is the national leader in rushing offense at 414.2 yards per game. USF, meanwhile, leads the nation with 14 defensive interceptions, or four more than any other FBS team. Individually, Navy’s Zach Abey leads all FBS quarterbacks in rushing (174.0 ypg), while UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton is second nationally in pass efficiency rating (203.7).
Navy-Memphis Tops Saturday’s Schedule
This week’s schedule features five important divisional games in The American as the races for spots in the conference’s championship game begin to take shape. The key matchup will take place at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium as Memphis, the preseason favorite in the West Division, takes on a Navy squad that is off to a 3-0 start in league play and is ranked No. 24 in the coaches’ poll. A crowd of more than 55,000 was on hand at the Liberty Bowl for the game against Navy two years ago.