As the race for the conference title and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff intensifies, the American keeps outdoing itself. This week, a historic passing performance and an instant classic between league frontrunners took top billing. Even the league’s overshadowed games gave us some truly thrilling finishes.
Without further ado, let’s go Around the American.
Mestemaker’s Record-Breaking Night
The American Conference Week began in spectacular fashion. North Texas overcame an early 10-point deficit against Charlotte to win, 54-20. UNT QB Drew Mestemaker threw for 608 yards, both a school and conference record. Mestemaker became the first quarterback to throw for over 600 yards in a game since Dillon Gabriel threw for 601 for UCF against Memphis back in 2020. Shockingly, Mestemaker only needed 49 pass attempts and 37 completions to get to 608. Three different Mean Green receivers exceeded 100 yards, including Wyatt Young, who put up 190 on just nine catches.
The Mean Green now stand 7-1. They have a massive game against Navy this weekend. That may very well prove to be the toughest test in their quest for the conference championship and the College Football Playoff.
Memphis Comes From Behind to Shock USF
Everything seemed to go as expected for the first three quarters of the USF-Memphis game. The Bulls led 31-17 after three quarters and looked well on their way to virtually eliminating Memphis from the American Conference and College Football Playoff races. However, Memphis stormed back with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win, 34-31. The Tigers replicated their comeback against Arkansas and saved their season. QB Brendon Lewis came back from injury to throw for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His counterpart, USF QB Byrum Brown, performed admirably in a losing effort with 390 total yards.
Both teams have a slim margin of error going forward, but the American Conference race will sort itself out in the coming weeks. USF has a clash with Navy on the schedule, while Memphis has showdowns with Tulane and Navy.
Navy Starts 7-0 for the First Time Since 1978
The last time Navy started 7-0, the Midshipmen found themselves in the inaugural Holiday Bowl in 1978. This Midshipmen team has grander aspirations after their 42-32 win over Florida Atlantic. Navy QB Blake Horvath ran for 174 yards and four touchdowns, while overlooked SB Brandon Chatman ran for 141 yards in his first career 100-yard game.
Despite the 7-0 start, the national media continues to disrespect Navy, leaving them unranked. The Midshipmen will have a chance to earn their respect soon enough, though. Navy begins an arduous stretch this week with games against North Texas, Notre Dame, USF, and Memphis upcoming before the Army-Navy Game.
A Pair of Owls Win Overtime Thrillers
Temple stopped an overtime two-point conversion to escape Tulsa with a 38-37 win. Temple QB Evan Simon threw for five touchdowns and once again did not throw an interception. His TD-INT ratio now stands at 21-to-0. Yes, that is correct. Eight games into the season, Simon still has not thrown an interception in 209 passes. His year deserves more coverage and a possible Davey O’Brien Award nod. Temple is now 5-3 and a win away from reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019.
One of the conference’s other Owls, Rice, kept its bowl hopes alive with a 37-34 overtime upset of UConn. RB Quinton Jackson ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns for Rice, while QB Chase Jenkins had a season-high 191 passing yards. The Owls are now 4-4, but have challenging games against Memphis, North Texas, and South Florida remaining. Still, new Head Coach Scott Abel’s squad has become one of the more impressive turnaround stories in the conference.
It's a new Game Week!#GoArmy x #BeatAirForce pic.twitter.com/IF52FsXRHR
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 27, 2025
We’ve got a really solid set of games coming up this weekend. Enjoy them, friends!
Go Army! Beat Air Force!!!
