Three things we learned from the AAC in Week 14

Just like that, the 2019 college football regular season is over. For everyone except Army and Navy. The AAC Championship Game is decided, and it’s the same two teams that just played. How will each team adjust to what they saw Saturday? Will it be a closely contested game again? Navy just missed winning the West, but they have one more game and a fullback that’s going to be a nightmare in the future to stop. Looking forward to the future, the AAC did well in terms of bowl eligible teams, including a handful of surprises. In our final installment of this series, let’s take a look at three things we learned from the AAC this past week.

Cincinnati and Memphis will face off again

Memphis ended any doubt about returning to the AAC Championship Game for a third consecutive year. The Tigers held off Cincinnati 34-24 to win the West, and the two teams will play each other again in the conference championship. Saturday’s contest was a tightly contested battle, and both teams can make adjustments for next week. Will Memphis be able to beat the Bearcats two games in a row? There’s no reason to believe they can’t, but Cincinnati kept things interesting for the entire game Saturday. The sequel figures to be just as entertaining.

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Jamale Carothers is going to be a problem

It seems like facing the Houston Cougars means someone on the other team is due for a big game. Navy’s Jamale Carothers took his turn, rushing for 188 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs. The Midshipmen hung on to beat the Cougars 56-41, and Carothers played a huge role in the win. He even caught a critical fourth down pass that went for 47 yards and a first down. Navy remains the biggest surprise of the conference, and Carothers will play a big role in the offense for the next couple years.

Seven teams are headed to bowl games

Memphis, Cincinnati, UCF, Tulane, SMU, Navy, and Temple all ended the season with bowl eligible records. Navy, Memphis and Cincinnati all have one more game left, but it will be interesting to see where each team ends up. Memphis is hoping to win the conference, which would put them in the New Year’s Six bowl game, potentially against Alabama. Cincinnati and SMU surprised us with double digit win seasons this year, and Navy can also do the same with a win over Army on December 14th. Tulane and UCF didn’t have the seasons they envisioned, but can still end the year with a win.