We’ve got college football starting this week. Let’s talk about contenders and pretenders in the American Conference.
Can Navy Finally Win the League?
After a hot finish in 2024 that included a convincing win over Army and a win over Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl, their first such win since the 1955 Sugar Bowl, Navy has become the talk of the Group of Five. The preseason hype has now reached distracting levels in Annapolis. Electrifying quarterback Blake Horvath and defensive tackle Landon Robinson graced several preseason award watch lists during the offseason.
The Midshipmen return their most dangerous offense since Malcolm Perry led the team alongside an experienced defense. Can Horvath accomplish what Keenan Reynolds and Perry could not? Can he lead the Mids to their first conference crown?
Navy’s offense could actually improve this year, and that’s after last year’s fourteen-point jump in points per game under new offensive coordinator Drew Cronic. Horvath had over 1300 passing yards, 1200 rushing yards, and 30 touchdowns despite missing the entire East Carolina game and three quarters of the Tulane game. BF Alex Tecza (5.3 yards per carry on 251 career attempts) and do-everything “snipe” (Navy’s equivalent to a slotback) Eli Heidenreich will anchor an explosive Navy offense. Heidenreich is arguably the most talented receiver Navy has had since Phil McConkey and is now just 683 yards short of Rob Taylor’s 58-year-old program record for receiving yards.
The Midshipmen have a favorable schedule. They could very easily enter the Notre Dame game undefeated. Moreover, they play Notre Dame in primetime for just the fourth time ever, and the first time on NBC in their 34 years of airing Fighting Irish football. And while the Midshipmen avoid playing Tulane, they face Memphis on Thanksgiving off a short week following a game against a USF squad that should be better in 2025.
The Midshipmen have their best ever combination of talent and schedule ever. Can they win the American Conference, finally?
Experienced Transfer Quarterbacks lead Tulane and Memphis
Former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff transferred to Tulane over the offseason following an Honor Code violation that promised a lengthy suspension. Retzlaff now enters one of the most accomplished quarterback rooms in the country as the likely starter. He will compete with Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza, who earned MAC Offensive Freshman of the Year honors with over 2800 passing yards. Nonetheless, the Green Wave have questions on offense. RB Makhi Hughes, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, transferred and so did 1,000-yard receiver Mario Williams. Williams and Hughes were just two of the five leading receivers from 2024 who left the program.
Tulane’s defense returns four of its top five tacklers and adds pass rusher Maurice Westmoreland from UTEP. Westmoreland had eight sacks for the Miners last year and should immediately boost a pass rush led by 3rd Team All-American Conference DE Kameron Hamilton.
The Green Wave will be in the hunt for the league crown once again. Tough games against defending conference champs Army and a Friday night game against Memphis might be their toughest tests.
Memphis has more turnover than Tulane after an 11-2 season. Well-traveled QB Brendon Lewis will attempt to replace Memphis’ all-time leading passer, Seth Henigan, after stops at Colorado and Nevada. Lewis has over 5000 passing yards and 1500 rushing yards in his career dating all the way back to 2020. But he inherits an offense that lost five of its top six leading receivers and 1,362-yard rusher Mario Anderson. Worse, the offensive line returns just one starter. They gained four experienced players via the transfer portal, though, including center Austin Gentle, a first-team All-Ivy League selection from Harvard.
Memphis’s defense has even more question marks. The Tigers lost a staggering 15 of their top 17 tacklers from 2024. Fortunately, the Tigers received plenty of talented transfers, including linebackers Evertt Roussaw, Sam Brumfield, and Cam Burden, who combined for 238 tackles on their previous teams.
This is a completely different Memphis team, but Head Coach Ryan Silverfield is one of the best coaches in the Group of Five. Fortunately, the Tigers’ toughest tests in the conference come in November, presumably after the team finally finds its rhythm. Memphis hosts Tulane on November 7th and Navy on Thanksgiving. The Tigers have the program foundation to weather the worst turnover the transfer portal could bring and should therefore contend again.
Camp is over and game prep is here! #UptownFootball pic.twitter.com/lYlIZ4rKhp
— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) August 18, 2025
Could USF, UTSA, ECU, or North Texas Be This Year’s Army?
Last year, Army overcame a fifth-place preseason projection to win the conference in its first year. Three schools might fit that Cinderella shoe this year, but each must first overcome a variety of obstacles. USF Head Coach Alex Golesh has led USF to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 2017, and now the program has its highest ceiling since 2017’s team that went 10-2. QB Byrum Brown’s health remains the biggest question. Injuries limited Brown to just five starts in 2024 after an outstanding 2023 campaign in which he put up over 4,000 total yards, 809 of which came on the ground. Brown has two experienced receivers in Joshua Porter and Keshaun SIngleton, and he has an experienced O-Line with five returning full-time starters.
Though the Bulls have one of the hardest non-conference schedules in the country with games against Boise State, Florida, and Miami (FL), they could still improve on last year’s 7-6 record. If he’s truly healthy, Brown’s presence should make key games against Navy and Memphis much closer than they were last year. Indeed, Brown’s health could be the most important variable of the 2025 American Conference season.
After a slow start, UTSA ended the season on a high note, winning four of their last five games. Returning QB Owen McCown should compete with Blake Horvath and Jake Retzlaff for American Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. McCown threw for 3,424 passing yards and 25 touchdowns last year. And he’s just one of nine players with starting experience returning on offense. The Roadrunners are much less experienced on defense, losing 11 of their top 13 tacklers from last year. The departures of Martavius French and Jimmori Robinson, who combined for 34 tackles for loss last year, hurt the most. Still, the Roadrunners have a realistic path to the conference title, avoiding both Navy and Memphis, while hosting Army and Tulane at the Alamodome. This Roadrunners team is a staggering 24-2 at home since 2021!
East Carolina also finished the season strong after a 3-4 start and the firing of longtime Head Coach Mike Houston. The Pirates’ offense found its spark when it switched to QB Katin Houser. Houser threw for 2,006 yards in seven starts after taking over in the second half against Army. The Pirates won their next four games to reach bowl eligibility. This resurgent finish, capped with a win over NC State in the Military Bowl, helped Interim Head Coach Blake Harrell earn the full-time job. Losing 1,166-yard rusher Rahjai Harris hurts the offense, but they Pirates return two backs in Marlon Gunn and London Montgomery. They combined for 583 yards rushing last year. WR Anthony Smith should be Houser’s top target after averaging nearly 20 yards per catch on 41 receptions in 2024.
Unfortunately, East Carolina has one of the toughest schedule draws in the league. The Pirates face Army and Tulane on Thursday nights, travel to UTSA, and then host Memphis in November.
North Texas rode an offense that averaged 34 points per game to a bowl appearance last year. They also improved a bit on defense. The Mean Green’s points allowed per game dropped by three points, and their yards per game allowed decreased by 15. Transfer quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, who threw for 56 touchdown passes at Albany, should thrive in Eric Morris’ Air Raid scheme. More importantly, UNT’s improved defense returns nine starters. The Mean Green host UTSA and Navy, while avoiding Memphis and Tulane. Opportune scheduling and a solid defense could put the Mean Green into the conference championship race if enough dominoes fall around them.
Scrimmage 2 Recap 📽️#ComeToTheBay | #StayInTheBay pic.twitter.com/Ovt1vHzEAp
— USF Football (@USFFootball) August 12, 2025
A Make-or-Break Year For Trent Dilfer Plus New Coaches Galore
UAB rose from extinction to become a consistent bowl team from 2017 to 2022. Unfortunately, the Trent Dilfer regime looks to have sent the Blazers back to the doldrums. Dilfer has gone 7-17 in his two years with the team. Another losing season could make him disappear from the Magic City. Thankfully, QB Jalen Kitna returns for a second year in Dilfer’s system. Kitna was brilliant against USF and Tulsa, combining for 788 yards and eight touchdowns. However, inexperience surrounds Kitna on offense, and the defense has many new faces, too. S Sirad Bryant provides leadership as one of just four returning starters on defense. Bryant had 60 tackles and led a pass defense that allowed 180 passing yards and a 55% completion percentage in 2024.
Charlotte, FAU, Rice, Temple, and Tulsa all debut new coaches this year. Tim Albin leads Charlotte after coaching Ohio to its first MAC title since 1968. He has just seven full-time starters from 2024 on the team. Just two starters return on offense, while five return on defense. 2024 leading tackler Reid Willford and Shay Taylor, a 3rd Team All-MAC performer on Albin’s 2024 Ohio team, anchor a defense that looks to improve on last year’s 35-points allowed per game.
New Head Coach Zach Kittley brings his Air Raid scheme to Boca Raton to turn around a 3-9 Florida Atlantic squad. The Owls return seven starters and had 3000-yard passer Caden Veltkamp transfer in from Western Kentucky. Kittley was the offensive coordinator at WKU during Bailey Zappe’s 61-touchdown season back in 2021. With just two returning starters on defense, though, the Owls may not make a bowl this year. However, they ought to be exciting.
Sometimes, to move forward we have to go backward. Rice employed the triple option from 1994 to 2005 and had some of its most competitive teams since JFK asked, “Why does Rice play Texas?” Although not the same scheme, the Owls will once again be an option team under new Head Coach Scott Abell. Abell used his shotgun option offense to lead Davidson to their first three FCS playoff appearances ever from 2020-2022. Unfortunately, however, neither QB Drew Devillier nor QB AJ Padgett look very mobile despite both having starting experience. The pair have a combined 71 carries for 48 yards! QB Chase Jenkins looks like the best runner in the quarterback room, averaging nearly six yards per carry on 15 rushes.
Temple may have had one of the best hires of the offseason. Not only did K.C. Keeler lead Sam Houston to a bowl appearance in just their second year of FBS play, he is a proven winner with ties to the Philadelphia metro area from his 11-year stint at Delaware. Keeler has 261 career wins at three different programs and is a two-time national FCS runner-up. He inherits an offense with five experienced linemen and no shortage of talent. QB Gevani McCoy won the Jerry Rice Award for best freshman in the FCS in 2022 and started for Oregon State last season. Incumbent starting QB Evan Simon returns after throwing for 2,032 yards and 15 touchdowns, though he struggled at times behind a line that allowed 37 sacks last year. The defense returns just three starters from a 3-9 team and loses linebackers D.J. Woodbury and Tyquan King, each of whom eclipsed 100 tackles in 2024.
Finally, new Head Coach Tre Lamb takes over Tulsa after successful stints at FCS Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State. He earned a combined 27-25 record and made two FCS Playoff appearances in the FCS. QB Kirk Francis brings experience with 10 career starts, but the Golden Hurricane defense was a disaster in 2024, allowing a whopping 43 points per game. Five starters return on a unit that has nowhere to go but up.
“We will have a confidence in our preparation, so we can just let it rip.”
— 3 Man Front (@3ManFront) August 15, 2025
HC of @UAB_FB @DilfersDimes talks about the traits of the 2025 Blazers 🔥@WJOX945 | #WinAsOne pic.twitter.com/dHpe0kRAyD
Final Thoughts
How will all of this shake out?
We’ll have to wait and see.
Last year’s American Conference featured a small handful of contenders and a lot of teams that couldn’t quite get their acts together early in the season. Some of those got right down the stretch, and some now have new coaches. Many of these teams could use a bit of consistency, but consistency has been hard to come by for Group of Five teams in the Transfer Portal Era.
Cover image via Flickr: West Point – The U.S. Military Academy.
