AAC Power Rankings: Week 2

Well, this is weird. College football’s begun, but not everyone’s played after two weeks. I guess we just have to get used to this feeling. Six of the eleven AAC teams have yet to play a game, but I guess we’ll try and put together some power rankings. Given that this year’s a weird year, we’ll change things up a bit here. We’re not including the teams that haven’t participated yet. So if you’re a fan of Cincinnati, Temple, UCF, ECU, Houston, or Tulsa, we don’t hate you. Just give it some time for things to normalize (or at least as normal as possible).

1. Memphis Tigers (1-0)

Memphis won their first game 37-24 over Arkansas State and were headed for a matchup against Houston this weekend. Unfortunately, rumors of a party bus after the win over the Red Wolves surfaced, and now the game is being postponed due to concerns over positive COVID cases. Houston has since moved on to play Baylor this weekend, and the Tigers will look towards the next game while they recover this weekend. Brady White and the offense appeared to get into rhythm as the game went on two weeks ago, so it’s tough to wait longer to see them play again.

2. Tulane Green Wave (1-0)

Stop us if you’ve heard this before. Tulane came back to win an incredibly entertaining game against a team wearing red and white. If you’re a Houston fan, I’m sorry. Tulane came back from a 24-6 deficit to beat South Alabama 27-24. New quarterback Keon Howard only threw for 190 yards, but a good chunk of them came on the final few drives to put the Green Wave ahead. They’ll have to clean up a few aspects of their game for AAC play, but for now they’re riding a high. Next up: Navy.

3. SMU Mustangs (1-0)

The Mustangs had two weeks to regroup and fix any mistakes made against Texas State. And hopefully get some chemistry back offensively. Shane Buechele and the passing attack struggled out of the gate against the Bobcats, but are hoping that was just the first game jitters. They did get things going in the second half, and they’ll need every bit of offensive firepower when they take on North Texas on the road this weekend.

4. USF Bulls (1-0)

Jeff Scott began his USF coaching tenure with an entertaining 27-6 win over The Citadel. A botched punt led to points, and the Bulls rushed for 302 yards in the win. Kelley Joiner and Johnny Ford combined for 158 yards on the ground, and despite only throwing for 102 yards, 11 Bulls players caught passes. Things will probably get worse as conference play begins, but USF is undefeated for now. Until they play Notre Dame this weekend.

5. Navy Midshipmen (0-1)

You have to respect Ken Niumatalolo even more after taking responsibility for his team’s poor performance in Week 1 against BYU. It didn’t help that a few players decided to enter the transfer portal, including quarterback Perry Olsen. So it’s safe to say that the Midshipmen didn’t start 2020, but that could change easily. Fans will move on quickly if they find a way to beat Tulane this weekend.