As For Football
An insider's guide for cadets, Old Grads, and Army Football fans.

American Conference Preview: Week 10

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The American Athletic Conference remains one of college football’s most exciting leagues this season. As November arrives, the race for bowl eligibility and the conference championship heats up. Week 10 should bring much-needed clarity to both. Let’s go #AroundtheAmerican.

UTSA Looks to Avoid Letdown Against FAU

The AAC kicks off tonight, on a Thursday, for the fifth consecutive week as high-powered offenses take center stage. UTSA travels to FAU (7:30 PM ET, ESPN).

The Roadrunners want to build their College Football Playoff resume after the committee left them out of Tuesday’s initial rankings. Meanwhile, FAU’s defense needs a bounce-back game after surrendering an average of 51 points and 578 yards over its last three contests. Now, the Owls host one of the conference’s most balanced attacks. UTSA averages 224 passing yards and 185 rushing yards per game. Conversely, FAU’s Air Raid offense faces its toughest test yet. UTSA allows just 205 passing yards per game and holds opposing quarterbacks to a 55 percent completion rate.

Even against FAU’s soft defense, UTSA faces a classic look-ahead spot. The Roadrunners play North Texas next week in a match-up that could preview the American Conference Championship Game. A slip-up against FAU would erase UTSA’s margin for error in both the conference and College Football Playoff races.

USF and East Carolina Share Friday Night Lights

USF and East Carolina have the league’s Friday night showcase match-up (7:30 PM ET, ESPN2). Expect a low-scoring battle between two of the conference’s top defenses. USF holds opponents to 14.8 points per game while ECU surrenders just 20.7 points per game outside of its season opener against Alabama.

With two conference losses each, both programs must treat this as a de facto elimination game. USF may play without starting QB Michael Van Buren, who suffered an undisclosed injury last week against UAB. Thankfully, backup QB Luke Kroemenhoek filled in admirably, rushing for 92 yards. However, he struggled through the air, going just 7/10 passing for 39 yards. While Kroemenhoek should improve those numbers with time, ECU fields a stingy secondary. The Pirates yield just 196.6 passing yards per game and boast a 6-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

East Carolina needs a likely-upset in its final four games to reach a third straight bowl. Sitting at 4-4, the Pirates face tough contests against Army and FAU before closing against in-state rival Charlotte. A victory over USF would generate vital postseason momentum.

Multiple Teams Make Bowl Pushes

Three other 4-4 teams join East Carolina in pushing for bowl eligibility. Two of them, Tulsa and Tulane, meet this Saturday (12:00 PM ET, ESPNU) in a must-win game for both sides. Tulane still faces North Texas and USF. Tulsa will close out against FAU and UTSA. A fifth loss this week severely hurts either team’s postseason chances.

Tulane true freshman QB Trace Johnson aims to build on his career best performance against Charlotte. He threw for 284 yards and engineered a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback. But while Johnson shined, the Green Wave run defense buckled. After allowing just 111 rushing yards per game through seven weeks, Tulane yielded 216 on the ground to Charlotte. That weakness bodes well for a Tulsa offense averaging 158 rushing yards per game at nearly five yards per carry.

Elsewhere, 4-4 UAB looks to keep its bowl hopes alive against 1-7 Charlotte (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN+). The Blazers enjoy a smoother path than their fellow 4-4 peers, following Saturday’s game with a matchup against Temple.

Blazer QB Ryder Burton could post a big stat line against the 49ers. Charlotte allowed Temple QB A’Jani Sheppard and Tulane’s Johnson to put up big numbers, 236 yards and 284 yards passing, respectively. Burton has topped 200 passing yards just twice this season, but he should be in for a big day. However, he may not need to throw much. UAB’s ground game averages a steady 149.1 yards per game and meets a Charlotte defense surrendering 186.6 rushing yards per contest.

Despite their record, Charlotte enters as one of the league’s hottest teams over the last fortnight. The 49ers nearly upset defending champion Tulane last week after beating Temple on the road the week prior. QB Conner Harrell has revitalized the offense, throwing for 560 yards and zero interceptions over his last two games. More importantly, Harrell’s presence opened lanes for the running game. RB Henry Rutledge has racked up 244 rushing yards over the past two weeks, doubling his output from the first six games combined.

Other Notes Around the American

Temple at Navy (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, CBSSN). Two of the AAC’s top rushing attacks clash in Annapolis. Navy averages 295.8 rushing yards per game, while Temple posts 192. Navy holds a strong case as the best 2-6 team in the country after taking Notre Dame to the wire last week — at least for a half. Meanwhile, Temple enters must-win mode to preserve its hopes for its first bowl appearance since 2019.

North Texas at Rice (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, ESPNU). North Texas faces a potential trap game against 1-7 Rice with next week’s UTSA showdown looming. The Mean Green allow a mediocre 161.2 rushing yards per game and notably surrendered 363 rushing yards to Navy. Rice QB Gael Ochoa looks to deliver an encore to his remarkable 12-carry, 259-yard explosion against FAU this week.

Enjoy the games this weekend.

Go Army! Beat Air Force!!!

About the Author

Omar-Rashon Borja

Just a guy being a dude and writing mostly about college football and occasionally other things. Writing helped me through my first heartbreak and my other interests are playing R&B songs on the keyboard, ballroom dance, and most importantly Jesus :) Read more of Omar's work at Redshirt Sports.

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