Rank And File
Three American Athletic Conference teams – No. 10/9 UCF, No. 23/23 USF and No. 25/25 Cincinnati – are ranked in this week’s Associated Press and coaches’ top-25 polls, marking the 20th time since the conference’s formation that The American has had at least three ranked teams. At No. 9 in the coaches’ poll, UCF is enjoying its highest regular-season ranking in program history as the Knights earned a national ranking for the 18th straight week. USF is ranked for the first time this season after the Bulls were ranked in 19 straight weeks between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is in the national polls for the first time since the 2013 season. With its three ranked teams, The American has as many top-25 teams as the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 and trails on the SEC and Big Ten nationally.
 
UCF Heads To Memphis In Regular-Season Rematch Of A Classic Championship Game
By any measure, the 2017 American Athletic Conference Football Championship was a classic game as UCF scored a 62-55 win against Memphis in double-overtime in front of a national television audience on ABC. It was the highest-scoring conference championship game in NCAA FBS history and featured the two highest-scoring teams in college football. The regular-season rematch between the schools will take place Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, also on ABC, as the preseason favorites in the East and West divisions meet at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will once again feature two of the nation’s most prolific offenses as UCF has averaged 574.4 yards per game (third nationally), while Memphis has gained 547.2 ypg (sixth).
 
Home Sweet Home
American Athletic Conference teams have generally enjoyed the comforts of their home facilities this season. Nine of The American’s 12 teams have won at least two straight home games, while six schools have active home-field winning streaks of four or more games. UCF has won its last 11 games at Spectrum Stadium, a streak that ranks third nationally (behind Alabama and USC). Home teams have gone 9-2 in the 11 conference games that have been played in 2018.

And That’s The Way It Is
USF running back Jordan Cronkrite opened some eyes last week with his performance in the Bulls’ road win against Massachusetts. Cronkrite, a transfer from Florida, exploded for 302 rushing yards with three touchdowns against the Minutemen, helping the Bulls to a 58-42 win. All three of Cronkrite’s touchdowns came in the third quarter as he scored on runs of 77, 30 and 76 yards to break open what had been a six-point halftime lead. Cronkrite improved his season average to 151.5 rushing yards per game, good for third nationally.
 
Verity Is Venerable For ECU
ECU placekicker Jake Verity was on the receiving end one of college football’s most respected traditions when he was carried off the field by his teammates after making a last-minute 38-yard field goal for the winning points in a 37-35 win against Old Dominion in late September. Verity has established himself as one of the most reliable kickers in the nation by going 10-for-10 in field goal attempts this season. He is the only kicker in the nation with at least 10 attempts who has not missed a field goal.
 
Four Nationally Televised Conference Games This Week
American Athletic Conference teams won’t be hard to find on television this week as all four games on this week’s docket are slated for national coverage. Friday’s game between USF and Tulsa will get the weekend started with a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. Saturday’s action begins with the UCF-Memphis matchup at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, with a reverse mirror on ESPN2, and a CBS Sports Network doubleheader. Temple is at Navy at 3:30 p.m. ET, while Houston is at ECU at 7 p.m. ET.