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American Conference Preview: Week 11

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With three weeks left in the regular season, the American Athletic Conference race has officially reached crunch time. Three teams sit at the top of the standings with one or fewer conference losses, setting up a massive Saturday showdown in San Antonio that could decide the league’s title game hosting rights. Meanwhile, a logjam of middle-tier contenders, including East Carolina, Tulsa, UAB, and Tulane, enter Week 11 fighting for their postseason lives with bowl eligibility hanging in the balance.

Without further ado, let’s go #AroundtheAmerican.

Memphis and USF Kick Off the American Slate

The American hopes to continue its run of electric Thursday nights when Memphis travels to USF (8:00 PM ET tonight, ESPN). Before the season, many expected this matchup to carry both conference championship and College Football Playoff implications. Even after losing some luster, we’ve still got real stakes surrounding this contest.

Memphis has climbed back into the driver’s seat for a spot in the conference championship game with a 4-1 league record. FAU’s upset win over UTSA catapulted the Tigers from the middle of the pack straight to the front, leaving Memphis as one of just three American Conference schools with one or fewer conference losses.

Meanwhile, USF effectively dropped out of league contention after suffering a third conference loss to East Carolina last week. The Bulls’ offense sputtered again, managing just 17 points. Backup QB Luke Kromenhoek made his first start and threw accurately, completing 17/21 passes, though his efficiency failed to generate enough points in a 20-17 loss.

Expect a defensive battle tonight. USF enters allowing 15.1 points per game, while Memphis surrenders 23.6. Tonight’s trip to Tampa represents the Tigers’ greatest remaining test, as Memphis closes the regular season against 3-6 Navy and 2-7 Temple.

Potential Conference Championship Game Preview in San Antonio?

UTSA-North Texas stands as the conference’s undisputed game of the week (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPNU). The Mean Green remain the lone undefeated team in conference play, while UTSA sits right behind them at 4-1. North Texas can all but punch its ticket to the title game with a road win before closing against Tulane and UAB.

The stakes loom even higher for UTSA. The Roadrunners face a must-win scenario following their blowout 60-29 loss at FAU. With a loss, UTSA could plummet from College Football Playoff frontrunner to out of the American Conference Championship race in a span of two weeks. A win, though, creates a three-way tie atop the standings and hands the Roadrunners a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker over North Texas.

North Texas RB Jaheim White should feast against UTSA’s porous run defense. FAU’s Air Raid offense gashed the Roadrunners for 339 rushing yards last week, and White ranks among the nation’s elite backs with 1,186 yards and 13 touchdowns. North Texas can do all of what FAU does, but they do it better. Still, UTSA can match North Texas’ firepower. The Roadrunners’ balanced attack faces a Mean Green defense yielding 30.9 points and 172 rushing yards per contest.

This is the game to watch, friends.

High-Octane Offenses Clash in Tulsa

The American’s most entertaining matchup this week lacks championship implications, yet it features two offenses fresh off signature explosions. Both FAU and Tulsa scored exactly 60 points last week and now collide head-to-head (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN+).

FAU shook up the American Conference race with its stunning 60-29 rout of UTSA last weekend. WR Easton Messer continued his tear, hauling in seven receptions for 85 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown. You can make a strong case that Messer has played better than anyone in college football over the past three weeks, racking up 35 receptions for 385 yards, eight receiving touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and a punt-return score in that span.

Similarly, Tulsa shocked the league with a 60-10 thrashing of Tulane last week, tallying 562 total yards against the Green Wave. QB Baylor Hayes threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns while WR Oran Singleton Jr. caught 13 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. The Golden Hurricane finally looked like the Playoff dark horse many predicted back in August.

Tulsa aims to clinch bowl eligibility with a victory, while FAU (6-3) can position itself for one of college football’s last-ever premier postseason slots, potentially against a Power Four opponent.

Other Notes From Around the American

Charlotte at East Carolina (Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

East Carolina looks to clinch bowl eligibility against its in-state rival. Fresh off a 20-17 upset over USF, the Pirates host a Charlotte squad that nearly knocked off UAB last week. The 49ers entered the fourth quarter tied with the Blazers before fading in a 23-12 loss, extending a gritty stretch of competitive outings against Temple and Tulane.

UAB at Temple (Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

UAB hopes to secure its first bowl berth since 2022 when it travels to face Temple (2-7). Although the Blazers struggled to put away Charlotte (1-8) last week, RB Rod Robinson II powered a steady ground attack with 102 of UAB’s 178 rushing yards. They now face a Temple run defense surrendering 189 yards per game. Meanwhile, Owls QB Jaxon Smolik looks to build on a three-touchdown outing against Navy after making his first start since suffering an injury against Toledo back on September 19.

Rice at Tulane (Saturday, 2:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Tulane faces a must-win game as the Green Wave (4-5) try to extend their postseason streak to five years ahead of brutal season-ending matchups against North Texas and USF. Tulsa dominated Tulane on both sides of the ball last week, outgaining the Green Wave 562-204 in a 60-10 rout. Tulane may even turn to a fourth quarterback this weekend after true freshman QB Trace Johnson threw for just 69 yards and an interception, giving way to short-yardage specialist Dagan Bruno (43 passing yards, one garbage-time score). That uncertainty plays right into the hands of Rice QB Gael Ochoa and his team’s shotgun option attack. Tulane surrendered 224 rushing yards to Tulsa last week, and while Ochoa cooled off on the ground against North Texas (47 rushing yards) following his 259-yard explosion against FAU. Still, he threw efficiently, completing 8/13 passes for 172 yards.

What games are on your radar for Week 11, friends?

Go Army! Beat East Carolina!

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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