AAC Power Rankings after Week 6

It shouldn’t be a surprise that we have a new leader in the AAC. That doesn’t mean that the conference is decided. Despite a clear top dog, the AAC West remains crowded. Cincinnati upset UCF to take control of the AAC East lead, and controls their own destiny. Also, a familiar team heads back to the bottom of the conference rankings.

1. SMU

A 6-0 start puts the Mustangs at the top of the AAC, a spot that not many (if any) thought they’d reach at all this season. They were one field goal away from losing to Tulsa, but they found a way to win in triple overtime.

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2. Cincinnati

If you take down the champs, you deserve to be in the Top 2. Cincinnati bested UCF 27-24 to give the Knights their second loss of the season. Now they must prove they’ve moved on after an emotional win when they head to Houston.

3. Memphis

Kenneth Gainwell continues to explode against opposing defenses, and this week’s victim was UL-Monroe. It wasn’t the most comfortable win for the Tigers, but the offense did more than enough to secure the win.

4. Tulane

Army gave the Green Wave all they could handle, but Tulane’s offense was too much. We should expect another great offensive output this week when UConn comes to town.

5. UCF

Dillon Gabriel, once again, had little time to be effective passing the ball. Gabriel Davis did everything he could to help his quarterback out, but Cincinnati put too much pressure on the freshman quarterback. UCF finds themselves in unfamiliar territory, and must now find a way to turn things around after their second loss in three games.

6. Temple

Temple beat ECU 27-17, but didn’t look great. It wasn’t the tune up they needed before facing the Memphis Tigers, and things could get ugly this week.

7. Houston

A much needed break gave the Cougars a chance to heal and reevaluate where their team is at before a big week. Cincinnati comes to town after an emotional win, and Houston could be posed to pull off an upset.

8. Navy

Navy took a step towards the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy by jumping on Air Force early and hanging on late. Next they get a Tulsa team that came so close to upsetting SMU.

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9. Tulsa

Tulsa’s a much better team than anyone expected thanks largely to the emergence of Zach Smith at quarterback. It’s a position that held the Golden Hurricane back the last few years, and they could pull off a few upsets in the second half of the season.

10. ECU

For as bad as Temple looked, the Pirates looked worse. ECU’s chances at making a bowl game remain slim, but seem to be decreasing as the season continues.

11. USF

Yes, the Bulls beat UConn, but it wasn’t the blowout it should have been. USF was only up 13 at halftime and finished with a 26 point win. Charlie Strong dealt with a little drama before the game, including Blake Barnett not making the trip and Johnny Ford being suspended. It feels like this teams at a tipping point, and doesn’t need much for an implosion.

12. UConn

Back to the bottom for the Huskies. That’s about all we have to say.