AAC Power Rankings: ECU Drops, Memphis Takes Over as No. 1

The aacfootballfever.com staff members provided their American Athletic Conference power rankings on Sunday afternoon, and for the first time since Week 2, the East Carolina Pirates are not the No. 1 team. In fact, they’re not even in the Top 3.

As I predicted in last week’s rankings, another shift in power was approaching—and Cincinnati made that come to life. Mitch Wilcox and I were at Paul Brown Stadium for the Thursday night AAC showdown, and though neither defense was all too appealing, it was an exciting bout between the two best offensive units in the conference, and it just so happened that Gunner Kiel and the Bearcats had enough time (57 seconds) to get the final score of the game.

Once No. 18 in the AP Top 25 and almost a sure lock for an Access Bowl, ECU is on a downward trend, having not put together a full-strength performance in nearly two months. The Pirates have back-to-back losses for the first time since Nov. 5-12 of 2011, and are now playing for their seniors and what looks to be the Birmingham Bowl.

The race for the AAC title is now between three teams: Memphis, Cincinnati, and Central Florida. The Tigers have already put away the Bearcats and avoid the Knights, so you’d think for now, they’re the favorite to take the crown and possibly achieve their first 10-win season in school history.

*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.