Good Company
Entering the 10th week of the season, the American Athletic Conference has one unbeaten team (UCF is 7-0) and two one-loss teams (Memphis and USF are both 7-1). The only other FBS conferences that have at least one undefeated team and two other one-loss teams are the ACC (Miami is 7-0, Clemson and Virginia Tech are 7-1) and the Big Ten (Wisconsin is 8-0, Ohio State and Penn State are 7-1).
UCF, Memphis In First CFP Rankings Of 2017
The American Athletic Conference saw its two divisional leaders - UCF and Memphis - appear in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2017 season, marking the second time in three seasons that The American has had two teams in the first ranking. UCF, which is off to a 7-0 start for the first time in program history, is ranked No. 18, while Memphis, which is 7-1, is No. 23. Since the start of the 2014 season - the first year of the CFP rankings - The American has seen six of its schools (UCF, ECU, Houston, Memphis, Navy, Temple) ranked at least once by the CFP.
SMU Gets Back To Postseason Play
SMU has been one of the better stories in college football this season as third-year head coach Chad Morris and the Mustangs have clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2012. Morris came to the Hilltop with a promise to elevate the Mustangs, who were coming off a one-win season in 2014, and SMU has improved its win total in each of Morris’ first three seasons in Dallas. The keys for the Mustangs have been an explosive offense, which ranks ninth nationally in both yards (507.0 ypg) and scoring (41.5 ppg) and a big-play defense that leads The American in sacks (24) and is eighth nationally in turnover margin (1.25).
Semifinal State For Postseason Honors
Two American Athletic Conference players were named as semifinalists for some of college football’s highest honors this week. UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who leads the nation in pass efficiency rating (199.7) is one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award as the national collegiate player of the year, while Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver is one of 18 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award as the nation’s outstanding defensive player. If Oliver were to win the Bednarik Award, he would become the second American Athletic Conference player in three years to do so, joining former Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who won in 2015.
Houston Rises To The Occasion Against Ranked Teams
Houston scored its best result of the 2017 season last Saturday when the Cougars were 28-24 winners against a USF team that was ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the coaches’ poll. The Cougars, who held the lead for exactly 11 seconds of the game against USF, defeated a top-25 opponent for the seventh time in their last eight games against ranked teams.
Three More Prime Time Games On ESPN Networks
Three American Athletic Conference games this week will be seen in prime time on ESPN networks. The schedule begins with a Thursday-night matchup on ESPN between Navy and Temple in a rematch of last year’s American Athletic Conference Championship (8 p.m. ET). Tulsa will host Memphis in a West Division matchup Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while Saturday’s ledger includes a key cross-divisional matchup between UCF and SMU (7:15 p.m. ET).