AAC Power Rankings: Conference Remains Top Heavy (for Now)

Every member of our 15-man writing staff provided their American Athletic Conference power rankings on Saturday afternoon, thus proving that the top half of the standings remains top heavy with East Carolina, Central Florida, and Houston as the (mostly) consensus Top 3.

This could change soon, however, if ECU continues to walk on egg shells for the remainder of its conference schedule. The Pirates have won their last three games by an average of 14.0 points — the final score not being indicative of how close each performance actually was — against teams that have a combined 4-18 record.

ECU’s reign of dominance will come to an end in the next few weeks if it cannot become more consistent (and finding more balance on offense) in the first three quarters of the game; the Pirates travel to Philadelphia to play Temple on Saturday before receiving an extra week to prepare for a road trip to Cincinnati in a Thursday night showdown.

Central Florida continued to show why it has the best defensive unit in The American last weekend, holding P.J. Walker and the high-flying Owls to just 14 points and 182 total yards of offense, while forcing four turnovers in the process. Since their mid-September loss to Missouri, the Knights have allowed just 70 points (14.0) and have forced opponents to turn the ball over 11 times over the last four games.

Houston gets the vote of confidence following its bye week riding a two-game winning streak, likely due to its remaining schedule. The Cougars should be 8-3 (6-1 AAC) by their regular season finale with the Bearcats, as their next four opponents have a combined 6-23 record.

*A point system was assigned, giving 11 points for a team with a No. 1 vote, 10 points for a No. 2 vote, 9 points for a No. 3 vote, and so on.