America’s Conference looks to build on a solid Week One that saw a Power Four win, a blowout win over a Big Ten team, and several heroic individual performances. Week Two has multiple opportunities for a signature Power Four victory and an early conference game. Boise State’s loss puts the American in prime position to impress the Playoff Committee this week.

The Bulls Seek First Win Against Florida

USF at Florida, 4:15 ET, SEC Network

South Florida became the talk of the country for a brief moment last week. Their dominant win over preseason College Football Playoff frontrunner Boise State made people put USF in the American Conference conversation. Still, their win over the #25 team in the country was not enough to get them a spot in the AP Poll. Surely, a win over #13 Florida would get that done. 

USF has never beaten Florida despite three prior meetings. In fact, the Gators are the only one of the state’s four Power Four programs that USF has never defeated. 

QB Byrum Brown can jumpstart his Heisman candidacy with a win over Florida. There is not much to say about Florida yet since they are fresh off an easy win over FCS Long Island from the Northeast Conference, one of the FCS’ weaker leagues. We’ll see how they look against stiffer competition this weekend.

He’s on a roll! @JhalynShuler has been named the Bronco Nagurski defensive player of the week!#ComeToTheBay | #StayInTheBay pic.twitter.com/7SMlM6Ea8q

— USF Football (@USFFootball) September 3, 2025

Bill Belichick and North Carolina Travel to Charlotte

North Carolina at Charlotte, 7 PM ET, ESPN+

Stop me if you thought this was a sentence you’d ever hear back in 2023. “Bill Belichick will coach a game at Jerry Richardson Stadium.” Well, the Bill Belichick media circus will arrive at Charlotte’s humble 15,000-seat stadium this Saturday. The 49ers will look for their second Power Four win ever against North Carolina. 

Alas, Charlotte struggled defending the pass mightily against Appalachian State last week, allowing 404 yards. Luckily for the 49ers, North Carolina QB Gio Lopez mustered just 69 yards before Coach Belichick benched him for backup QB Max Johnson against TCU on Monday. Charlotte’s offense could also gain some confidence against a Tar Heel unit that allowed 542 yards of total offense to TCU. The 49ers could not find any rhythm on offense against App State, gaining just 218 yards in the loss. There might never be a better time to get a win over North Carolina as the Tar Heels begin rebuilding. 

𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 Volume 2 ⛏️

🆚 North Carolina
🗓️ Saturday, Sept. 6
🕖 7 p.m.
📺 ESPN+
🏟️ Jerry Richardson Stadium
🎟️ https://t.co/SOlToAOCPw#BrickXBrick🧱 pic.twitter.com/759rVIvXhy

— Charlotte Football (@CharlotteFTBL) September 1, 2025

One Last Bayou Bucket

Houston at Rice, 7 PM ET, ESPN+

Southwest Conference lifers will shed a tear when Rice and Houston play for the last time in the foreseeable future. The two crosstown rivals have met 47 times since the rivalry began way back in 1971. 

Rice’s option offense looked steady against Louisiana last week. Despite scoring only 14 points, they did not turn the ball over and ran for 206 yards. Their well-rested defense responded by allowing 239 yards. 

That same formula of ball control and mistake-free football could be enough to beat Houston. The Cougars looked unimpressive in a 27-0 win over FCS Stephen F. Austin. Three of Houston’s scoring drives ran 41 yards or less, including a 41-yard touchdown drive and a three-yard drive that led to a mere field goal.

If Rice stays disciplined and wins the field position battle, this will be a close game. Rice will have added motivation with their former starting running back, RB Dean Connors, now starting for Houston. Connors had over 2500 yards from scrimmage in three years with the Owls.

🎥 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐖.#𝐖𝐄 pic.twitter.com/Bzsn39CLVy

— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) September 1, 2025

Payback on I-35

Texas State at UTSA, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN+

Almost exactly a year ago, I wondered whether UTSA was in rebuild mode after an embarrassing 49-10 loss to Texas State. What a difference a year makes. UTSA rebounded from a tough start to make and win a bowl game and then entered 2025 as a preseason contender for the American Conference crown. 

The narratives are heavy in this one. Texas State is the program on the rise and on its way to the refurbished PAC-12 next year. Some wonder if there is a changing of the guard in the region. But UTSA can quiet these wonders with a win over the Bobcats. 

RB Robert Henry Jr. can build on his electric, 16-carry, 177-yard performance against Texas A&M. It helps that Texas State struggled to defend the run last week, allowing Eastern Michigan’s top two rushers to average eight yards per carry on 14 carries. 

This should be a high-scoring affair. 

The Roadrunners defense will have their hands full against a Texas State offense that ran for an astonishing 392 yards and ten yards per carry last. UTSA-Texas State is a real candidate for best game in the conference this week between the storylines and high-scoring potential.

Mama, there goes that man‼️#210TriangleOfToughness | #210wned pic.twitter.com/EZq2TnGTvG

— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) August 31, 2025

Other American vs. FBS Games

UAB at Navy, 3:30 PM ET, CBSSN

UAB and Navy will play the season’s first conference game. Alabama State QB Andrew Body threw for 312 yards and ran for another 119 against the Blazers. Expect Navy QB Blake Horvath to make an early Heisman statement against this porous UAB defense. On the bright side, the Blazers’ offensive attack looks much more balanced. RB Jevon Jackson ran for 166 yards while UAB QB Jalen Kitna threw for 247 in a 52-42 shootout win.

North Texas at Western Michigan, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN+

North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker played lights out last week against FCS Lamar, but Western Michigan provides a tougher test. The Broncos allowed just 23 points and forced two turnovers against Michigan State last week. They should hold Mestemaker below last week’s 329 yards. Still, the Broncos’ offense struggled, giving the Mean Green another opportunity for much-needed improvement.

Memphis at Georgia State, 7 PM ET, ESPN+

Quarterback Brendon Lewis leads the dynamic Memphis offense against a Georgia State squad that allowed 695 yards to Ole Miss last week. But hey, sometimes wild things happen at Center Parc Stadium. Vanderbilt notably lost to Georgia State weeks before upsetting Alabama last year.

Tulane at South Alabama, 7 PM ET, ESPN+

Tulane hopes South Alabama does not catch them looking ahead to their showdown with Duke. After running for 113 yards, QB Jake Retzlaff should have no trouble finding running room against a South Alabama defense that allowed 181 rushing yards to Morgan State. This rivalry feels like it should have a name. Maybe the “Mardi Gras Bowl”? Or the “King Cake Bowl”?

We’ll workshop it.

Tulsa at New Mexico State, 9 PM ET, ESPN+

Tulsa and New Mexico State were members of the Missouri Valley Conference together from 1971 to 1983 and will meet for just the fifth time since New Mexico State left that conference back in 1984. Tulsa’s defense should thrive against a New Mexico State offense that could only muster 19 points and 305 yards against Bryant. The Aggies struggled to six points in the first half and only gained 78 yards on the ground.

First Game 🤝 First DUB for Coach Tre Lamb 🌀 #ReignCane pic.twitter.com/AEj8ujzXFM

— Tulsa Football (@TulsaFootball) August 31, 2025

American vs. FCS Games

— Howard at Temple, 2 PM ET, ESPN+
— Campbell at East Carolina, 6 PM ET, ESPN+
— Florida A&M at Florida Atlantic, 6 PM ET, ESPN+

Temple QB Evan Simon hopes to top his six-touchdown performance against UMass this week against a Howard defense that allowed justr nine points to always formidable Florida A&M. Likewise, Florida Atlantic hopes to get their Air Raid off the ground against the aforementioned Florida A&M defense that gave up just 10 points and 145 passing yards to Howard. Finally, East Carolina will try not to have an emotional hangover after its loss to in-state rival NC State when they host Campbell on Saturday.

Owls on top🦉#BuiltToRise x #AmericanFB pic.twitter.com/zF4JZtFW8M

— The American (@American_Conf) August 30, 2025

Go Army! Beat K-State!!!