From Friday afternoon football to a game against the SEC, this week’s American Conference slate may be the wackiest we’ve seen in a long time. As September ends, teams will want to end their non-conference slates on a high note before entering the American Gauntlet. Without further ado, let’s go #AroundtheAmerican.
Navy Faces UAB on Friday Night
After Army’s tilt with Temple, Navy and UAB will take the second leg of an unprecedented ESPN Friday tripleheader, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Midshipmen and Blazers will face off in what looks like a must-win for both schools. It’s odd to use that word in Week Four, but both schools badly need a win if for different reasons.
Navy needs a win to keep pace in the American Conference title race after a shocking loss to FAU. Many expected the Midshipmen to contend for their first conference title. However, Navy had no answers for FAU’s pass offense, allowing 386 yards through the air. Luckily, they face a run-heavy UAB team averaging just 159 passing yards per game.
On offense, the Midshipmen may have an identity crisis at quarterback. More struggles from starting QB Braxton Woodson could land presumed backup QB Jackson Gutierrez at the helm. Gutierrez threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns in relief last week, leading the Midshipmen to 23 unanswered points in a 38-30 loss.
UAB (1-2) needs a win to boost its bowl hopes. The Blazers will have their hands full against Navy’s Wing-T attack. Opponents have averaged 192 rushing yards against UAB in their first three games. If they can’t get that fixed this week, they’ll likely start the season 1-3.
A place you want to be on Friday night😉#WinAsOne pic.twitter.com/tZgoo5dR02
— UAB Football (@UAB_FB) September 23, 2026
American Conference Teams Reignite Old Conference Rivalries
Three American Conference schools will go back in time and play old conference rivals. Tulane faces fellow original Conference USA member Southern Mississippi in the 35th Battle for the Bell (7 PM ET, ESPN+). The Golden Eagles lead the series, 24-10. Tulane’s struggling offense should find some room to work against Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles allowed 436 yards of total offense in last week’s 48-20 loss to UConn.
Given the Golden Eagles’ porous run defense, star Tulane RB Jaylin Lucas should rebound after his minus-two-yard performance against Kansas State. UConn ran for 213 yards against Southern Mississippi last week, so look for a breakout game from Lucas this week.
Florida Atlantic travels to former Sun Belt rival Louisiana-Monroe (8 PM ET, ESPN+). The Owls meet the Warhawks for the first time since 2012. They’ve lost seven of the teams’ nine all-time meetings but now have the best-looking squad they’ve had since former Head Coach Lane Kiffin left. Moreover, Qwl QB Caden Veltkamp faces an easier test against this Warhawks’ defense. Veltkamp threw for 202 yards against a talented FIU defense that stymied USF. By comparison, ULM gave up 417 passing yards to Mississippi State in their season opener. Look for FAU to come out firing on all cylinders.
Rice travels to California to face former WAC foe Fresno State in the late-night time slot (10 PM ET, The CW). The Owls are 1-6 all-time against the Bulldogs, but they got the last laugh in their latest meeting, earning a 30-6 win in the 2014 Hawai’i Bowl. Rice’s option offense faces another tough run defense in Fresno State. The Bulldogs are allowing just 114 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry. We should learn a lot about this Rice team this week.
Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Week @CBSSportsCFB 🔥#WIP🏝️ pic.twitter.com/yLrPSdsQG0
— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) September 21, 2026
Tulsa Looks For a Second Power Four Win
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane can continue building its College Football Playoff resume and potentially crack the Top 25 with a win over Arkansas (8 PM ET, SEC Network+). More importantly, the Golden Hurricane look to beat Arkansas for the first time since 1976 and snap a 20-game losing streak in the series.
Perhaps surprisingly, Arkansas looks like an easier challenge for Tulsa than Oklahoma State. The Razorbacks have blowout losses to their two Power Four opponents, and their only win came against North Alabama. Moreover, Arkansas has a one-dimensional attack averaging just 75 rushing yards per game on 2.3 yards per carry. Tulsa’s stingy defense has headlined the Golden Hurricane’s 3-0 start. Tulsa has allowed 27 total points in three games and held opponents to just 3.1 yards per carry. If they can shut down the Razorbacks’ passing game, they’ll win this game, too.
A Golden Hurricane win not only puts Tulsa into the pole position seat in the Group of Six’s race to the College Football Playoff, it might also restore some of the American Conference’s credibility overall. The conference’s reputation took a hit last week after numerous failures against the Power Four and two losses to the Pac-12.
Keeping it cool for the road trip! ❄️#ReignCane pic.twitter.com/c0foHt3my5
— Tulsa Football (@TulsaFootball) September 23, 2026
Other Notes From Around the League
East Carolina and North Texas host in-state FCS schools this weekend. East Carolina hosts North Carolina Central (4 PM ET, ESPN+), while North Texas hosts Houston Christian (7:30 ET, ESPN+).
Mean Green QB Tayven Jackson threw for 483 yards last week. He may not need even half that amount against a Houston Christian squad that already lost 31-3 to Rice. Meanwhile, ECU QB Mitch Griffis will try to rebound from last week’s benching against Old Dominion. He faces a respectable North Carolina Central pass defense that allows just 215 passing yards per game.
USF makes a unique road trip to Bowling Green this week (5 PM ET, ESPN+). The Bulls face a winless Falcon squad that has lost three games by an average score of 44-9. The Bulls should avoid looking ahead to their October 3rd clash with conference contender Temple, but so far, they’ve been equal to every task they’ve faced.
Charlotte plays a Sun Belt school for the second consecutive week when it hosts Louisiana on Saturday (6:30 PM ET, ESPN+). The 49ers must address their run defense woes against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Charlotte allows 162 rushing yards per game. This week, they’ll face a Louisiana rushing offense that averages more than 200 rushing yards per game. Unfortunately, this could put the 49ers in position for another long day at the office.
Finally, UTSA looks for its second win over a Pac-12 opponent with its game against Colorado State (12 PM ET, ESPN+). The Roadrunners may face a Colorado State team without its starting quarterback. Rams starting QB Haus Hejny, who had nine touchdowns in the team’s first two games, left last week’s game against BYU with a non-contact injury. The injury derailed the Rams’ upset bid, leading to a 41-23 loss.
¡Por La Ciudad! 🪅#210TriangleOfToughness | #VamosRunners pic.twitter.com/KOTNkq1urH
— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) September 23, 2026
It’s a fun slate this week, friends. We’ll see you out there.
Go Army! Beat Temple!!!
