:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65566843/1178628621.jpg.0.jpg)
Four points and a potential GameDay appearance might not happen. Two teams fighting for the AAC West crown struggled, but came away with victories. As if things weren’t crowded enough, Navy added to the competition with an impressive win. On the East side, Temple woke up UCF as the Knights exploded for 63 points. While they do need some help to get back to the conference championship game, UCF put themselves in a great position.
College Gameday’s headed to Memphis?
Houston gave undefeated SMU all they could handle, but the Coogs couldn’t quite pull off the upset. Tulsa did the same to Memphis, but a missed field goal as time expired gave the Tigers a 42-41 win. Both teams survived, and put themselves in a great position to have ESPN’s College GameDay join them for their Week 10 matchup. Kenneth Gainwell and Shane Buechele are two prime candidates for AAC Player of the Year, and face off in prime time. With ESPN’s favorite college football show typically heading to Power 5 schools, there’s potential for it to come to Memphis. The conference has typically competed well in big time games on a national stage, and the Tigers and Mustangs get a chance to show what they can do.
UConn can score
With how much the Huskies have struggled, it was nice to see they can succeed offensively. UConn justified being favored by 10 points by producing 539 yards in a 56-35 win over UMass. Running back Kevin Mensah had a monster game rushing for 164 yards and five touchdowns. After being the joke of the conference, UConn put those on hold at least for a week.
Navy’s legit
We can officially add Navy to the list of contenders in the conference after Week 9. The Midshipmen jumped out to a 24-0 lead, and hung on late to hold off Tulane 41-38. Malcolm Perry had an off game, but fullback Jamale Carothers picked up the slack with 154 yards and three touchdowns rushing. After just a three win season in 2018, the Midshipmen inserted their names into the AAC West race. Perry’s been largely responsible for their turnaround, but we’re beginning to see it’s not one guy.