We’re six weeks into the 2015 college football season, and the American Athletic Conference has already made a case for itself as the premier component to the Group of Five.
With a heavy slate scheduled for Week 7 between Friday and Saturday, let’s rank all 12 teams in the AAC.
1. Houston Cougars (5-0, 2-0)
Houston has an excellent chance to move to 7-0 over the next two weeks before getting Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Navy all at home down the stretch. With the energy Tom Herman has the Cougars playing with right now, there’s reason to believe a 12-0 regular season finish is possible.
2. Memphis Tigers (5-0, 2-0)
Now on a 12-game winning streak, we’ll get a look at just how good Justin Fuente’s Memphis Tigers are tomorrow afternoon as they host No. 13 Ole Miss at the Liberty Bowl. Are the Rebels on upset alert?
3. Temple Owls (5-0, 2-0)
Yes, that’s right — a third undefeated team from the AAC. Temple’s defense ranks 13th nationally in points allowed per game (14.4) and 28th in total yards (328.4).
4. Navy Midshipmen (4-1, 2-0)
It couldn’t pull off the major upset, but Navy’s 41-24 loss to Notre Dame last week was promising. The Midshipmen, like Houston and Memphis, are legitimate contenders for the AAC West and a potential New Year’s Six bid.
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-2, 0-2)
Hey, remember the Bearcats? Cincinnati was the preseason favorite to win the American (again), but has failed to live up to expectations. (Again.) With a big-time road contest at BYU looming — and a supposedly healthy Gunner Kiel — UC has an opportunity to get back on track in time to turn around its season.
6. East Carolina Pirates (3-3, 1-1)
Did you predict ECU to be an even .500 at the midway point of the 2015 season after losing Shane Carden, Justin Hardy, and a handful of key defenders over the offseason? Neither did I. Good for the Pirates, who should be able to reach the six-win mark for a bowl appearance.
7. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-2, 0-1)
8. UConn Huskies (3-3, 1-1)
9. USF Bulls (2-3, 0-1)
10. SMU Mustangs (1-5, 0-2)
11. Tulane Green Wave (2-3, 1-1)
12. UCF Knights (0-6, 0-2)
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