Three More Power 6 Wins In Week 2
American Athletic Conference teams continued to impress in the nonconference portion of their schedules in Week 2 as three schools added wins against other Power 6 conference opponents. Houston was a 45-18 winner against Arizona, USF rallied past Georgia Tech for a 49-38 win, and ECU rolled to a 41-19 victory against North Carolina last Saturday. Those three results give The American 30 wins against other Power 6 opponents and Notre Dame since the start of the 2015 season.
A deeper look at the numbers bear some impressive recent results. The American is 4-0 against Pac-12 opponents since the start of last season. The league has won three of its last four games against the ACC, its last two against the Big Ten, and two of its last three against the SEC.
People Watching
Including bowl games, the American Athletic Conference has had a combined 63 games with more than one million television and streaming viewers since the start of the 2015 season. Cincinnati’s 26-17 win at UCLA in Week 1 became the most recent game involving an American team to reach the one million-viewer milestone, while the conference is expected to see that number increase once the Week 2 totals are announced.
Navy Edges Memphis To Take Early Lead In West
The first American Athletic Conference game in the West Division didn’t disappoint as Navy scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for a 22-21 win against Memphis, the preseason favorite in the West. Memphis held a 21-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry scored on a highlight-film touchdown run of 19 yards before wide receiver (and occasional quarterback) Zach Abey scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:37 left. Memphis fell despite an incredible performance from running back Darrell Henderson, who rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries.
UCF Ties Conference Record With 15th Straight Win
UCF has matched the longest winning streak in American Athletic Conference history as the Knights topped South Carolina State 38-0 for their 15th consecutive victory last Saturday. The 15-game winning streak is the longest among NCAA FBS teams and it matches Memphis’ streak that spanned the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The Knights’ bid for a 16th straight win will have to wait a week; UCF’s scheduled game against North Carolina was canceled in advance of Hurricane Florence, making the Knights’ next contest a home game against Florida Atlantic Sept. 21.
King Rules The Charts At Houston
Houston rightfully launched a formal Heisman Trophy campaign on behalf of All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver, but the Cougars might find another worthy candidate in its ranks based on his early season play. Quarterback D’Eriq King has thrown for 566 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception and has added three rushing touchdowns to help the Cougars to a 2-0 start. King leads all NCAA FBS players with an average of 31.0 points responsible for per game.
Four More Power 6 Games On This Week’s Schedule
The American Athletic Conference has another busy schedule this week with 10 nonconference games – four of which are against other Power 6 opponents Saturday. Temple visits Maryland (noon ET, Ten Network), USF is at Illinois (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network), SMU is at Michigan (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) and Houston is at Texas Tech (4 p.m., Fox). Three other games are on national television as Memphis hosts Georgia State in a Friday-night matchup on ESPN, while CBS Sports Network has a Saturday doubleheader as Navy hosts Lehigh at 3:30 p.m. ET and Tulsa hosts Arkansas State at 7 p.m.