Twelve weeks in, and the American Conference picture remains as blurry as ever. While some fans of the conference will perhaps lament the self-cannibalism that could ultimately prevent the league from playing in the College Football Playoff, your eternal optimist appreciates the league for its tremendous depth. That depth was on full display this week. After week 12, four teams sit atop the conference standings with a single conference loss and a shot at College Football Playoff glory.
Without further ado, let’s go Around the American.
Navy beats USF in a Shootout
Many eliminated Navy from the College Football Playoff race after the Midshipmen suffered a 39-point loss to Notre Dame, its second of the season. However, Navy proved that elimination premature in a 41-38 win over #24 USF. QB Braxton Woodson came off the bench for an injured Blake Horvath and ran for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 64-yard scamper with 3:59 left sealed the game. RB Eli Heidenreich broke Rob Taylor’s 58-year old career receiving yards mark with a five-reception, 146-yard performance.
USF has now been virtually eliminated from the American Conference Championship race and subsequently the College Football Playoff race. Navy remains one of four front runners for a spot in the conference championship game. Navy has this Saturday off before traveling to Memphis for a Thanksgiving night showdown. The Mids must win that one and will likely be at the mercy of the conference’s tie-breaking procedures if the other three one-loss teams do not lose.
East Carolina Stays Alive, Beats Memphis
Memphis suffered its second letdown of the season when it lost to East Carolina this week, 31-27. East Carolina QB Katin Houser threw for 332 yards and the game-winning 31-yard touchdown pass to WR Payton Mangrum with 68 seconds remaining to eliminate Memphis from both the conference championship race and the College Football Playoff race.
East Carolina does not have the most attractive resume, but theirs isn’t a bad one. The Pirates have one-score losses to an NC State squad that gave Georgia Tech its only loss as well as to Tulane. The Pirates also lost, 34-13, to #12 BYU but turned the ball over twice in the red zone and threw a pick-six in that one. They could have easily won that game and fundamentally reshaped the College Football Playoff race.
Although the Pirates may not have the resume of North Texas or James Madison, with enough chaos, there remains a slight possibility that East Carolina makes the Playoff. The important thing is that they kept themselves alive.
Tulsa Notches a “Power Conference” Win Over Oregon State
Tulsa grabbed headlines in the American for the first time since early in the season with a statement win, 31-14, over Oregon State. RB Dominic Richardson ran for 166 yards to lead a rising Golden Hurricane rushing attack that ran for 283 yards. Richardson brought his season total to 862 yards. A strong finish could bring the journeyman sixth-year senior the first 1,000-yard season of his career.
Normally, a win over a 2-8 team would not mean much. However, Tulsa’s win came a few weeks after CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel predicted on air that the new-look PAC-12 would make the College Football Playoff most years. Talk about bulletin board material. One of the American’s worst teams dominating one of two PAC-12 holdovers just reminded college football fans that the conference is still the preeminent non-Power conference.
About next season… 👀
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 7, 2025
🗣️ Rick Neuheisel last Saturday during the Beavs vs. Cougs matchup on CBS.#BackThePac x @CBSSports https://t.co/Tb8hNEYLvC pic.twitter.com/M5y1hFyCy9
Other Notes From Around the League
North Texas RB Caleb Hawkins scored five touchdowns and ran for 198 yards against hapless UAB in a 53-24 drubbing. Hawkins now has 16 touchdowns and should be a shoe-in for Freshman All-American honors. The Mean Green moved to 9-1 and earned a spot in the AP Poll for the first time since 1959.
Tulane intercepted three passes from FAU QB Caden Veltkamp, while their own QB Jake Retzlaff scored three touchdowns in a 35-24 win. This put the Green Wave into the four-way tie for first place in the conference. USF’s loss then re-inserted the Green Wave back into the College Football Playoff race. Blowout losses to Ole Miss and UTSA tarnish the Green Wave’s resume, but Tulane has two Power Four wins under its belt, more than any other Group of Five playoff candidate.
UTSA outgained Charlotte 521 yards to 197 in a 28-7 win to even their record at 5-5. RB Will Henderson III led the way for the Roadrunners with 185 rushing yards on just 19 carries. Meanwhile, early season sensation Robert Henry Jr. mustered just one yard on eight carries. Somehow, we touted Henry as a Doak Walker frontrunner not so long ago, and yet here we are. Some might say that Henderson’s rise points to the Roadrunners’ backfield depth. Alas, there’s two sides to every story.
UTSA faces a difficult but manageable path to earning a sixth consecutive bowl. The Roadrunners face ECU and then Army to close the year.
Go Army! Beat Tulsa!!!
