AAC Power Rankings: Week Three

It was another wild week for the American Athletic Conference as another hurricane caused several teams to sit out this weekend. Two conference games were cancelled - USF vs. UConn and Memphis vs. UCF - which allowed the spotlight to shine on some other teams, including Houston’s win over Arizona. Here is how we ranked every AAC team heading into Week 3 of the season.

1. South Florida Bulls (2-0, Last Week: #1)

The Bulls game against UConn was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. They may face the same fate this week as well with Illinois coming to town. There have been rumors that UCF’s game against Georgia Tech might get canceled, and you could expect USF to follow suit if that’s the case.

2. UCF Knights (1-0, LW: #2)

After their game against Memphis was canceled, the Knights might be in for more of the same this week.

3. Houston Cougars (1-0, LW: #4)

Houston experienced its own hurricane when Hurricane Harvey canceled their opener against UTSA. The Cougars finally got back on the field this week, and beat Arizona 19-16. Yet another win against a Power 5 opponent for the Cougars, and they should be 2-0 after this week.

4. Memphis Tigers (1-0, LW: #3)

Originally, the game against UCF was scheduled for Friday, but then the cancellation news came. Memphis now has time to prepare for UCLA, and the time off could be much needed with the injuries sustained on defense. If the Tigers are going to upset the Bruins, they’re going to need to find a way to slow down quarterback Josh Rosen, who has started the season red hot for UCLA.

5. SMU Mustangs (2-0, LW: #5)

Improvement on defense has been the surprise for this team, and the offense continues to light up the scoreboard. Courtland Sutton hauled in four touchdown passes against North Texas, and they’re going to need him to have an even bigger game this week against TCU.

6. Navy Midshipmen (2-0, LW: #6)

The Midshipmen struggled against Tulane, but that speaks more to the Green Wave’s improvement than Navy’s struggles. They now get a week off before hosting Cincinnati, whos looked fairly tough in Luke Fickell’s first two games.

7. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-1, LW: #7)

D'Angelo Brewer had a career game with 262 yards on the ground and the Golden Hurricane proved they will be able to score with just about any team in the country by putting up 66 points. However, in order for them to win the AAC West, the defense has to live up to its end of the deal as they've allowed 101 points in the first two games.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-1, LW: #9)

On our latest podcast, we worried that Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines would run up the score against the Bearcats. Luke Fickell's bunch was impressive as they trailed by just three points in the third before Michigan pulled away. It will be interesting to see how they fare once they begin conference play in two weeks, but up next is an in-state matchup with Miami (Ohio).

9. Temple Owls (1-1, LW: #9)

Good news: Logan Marchi has yet to turn the ball over since being dubbed the starter. Bad news: The Owls have scored three touchdowns in two games. The defense will be the strength of this program as the offense has been putrid to say the least.

10. Tulane Green Wave (1-1, LW: #10)

Willie Fritz's option attack ran well as Jonathan Brantley took over for an injured Jonathan Banks and nearly upset the Midshipmen. However, they're in for a real battle this week as they travel to Norman to take on No. 2 Oklahoma.

11. Connecticut Huskies (1-0, LW: #11)

The Huskies not taking the field against USF due to the hurricane might be a small blessing. It gives Randy Edsall some time to game plan for Virginia, a team that Edsall has some familiarity with from his time at Maryland.

12. East Carolina Pirates (0-2, LW: #12)

It was another embarrassing performance from the Pirates, and the score isn't really an indicator of how bad this game got out of hand. WVU rushed out to 49-3 lead at the half before pulling the reigns on Will Grier and the Mountaineers offense in the second half. Scottie Montgomery's seat is getting pretty warm.