AAC Power Ranking: Week 8
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1. Navy (5-1, 4-0): The Midshipmen jump to #1 in the Power Rankings this week. Will Worth is doing a great job in filling at QB after the starter, Tago Smith went down in week 1. Worth scored 5 touchdowns against a pretty good Memphis team in a 42-28 win on Saturday. Navy is in the drivers seat to host the AAC Championship. Tulane and Air Force have really been the only teams that could hold the triple option offense in check. NEXT: @South Florida
2. Temple (5-3, 3-1): After a sluggish start to the season, the Owls have picked it up in conference play. The Temple offense was firing on all cylinders. PJ Walker was making smart decisions and the Owls were not turning the ball over. They now control their own destiny in the AAC East. Owls will have a trap game this week, when Gunner Kiel returns for revenge from last year. NEXT vs. Cincinnati
3. Tulsa (5-2, 2-1): Dane Evans and company blew Tulane out of the building. Tulsa has been on roll lately. Last week they went to Houston, but lost on the last play of the game when they were stopped short of the goal line. If after that they still sit 2-1 in the conference and a game against first place Navy on the schedule. The offense on this team is just so explosive. NEXT: @Memphis
4. South Florida (6-2, 3-1): The Bulls three game win streak came to an end. After flying through their first three conference games, the Bulls offense wasn't enough in their 46-30 lost to Temple. Big matchup on Friday and gives South Florida with a chance to get the bad taste out of their mouth with a huge win. Bulls still lead the east along with Temple. We will have to wait and see how healthy Quinton Flowers is. NEXT: vs. #22 Navy
5. Central Florida (4-3, 2-1): The Knights are moving along very quietly. After a rough start the Knight defense did not allow a point in the 2nd half. Good defense, steady QB play from McKenzie Milton, and no turnovers is how you win. Scott Frost is having a sneaky good year right now. The best part about this win? Central Florida left the field without the Civil ConFLiCT trophy. In case you are unaware, UConn coach Bob Diaco tried to make up rivalry without telling Central Florida. Diaco even made a trophy. NEXT @Houston
6. Memphis (5-2, 2-1): Memphis had their first loss in the AAC on Saturday as they fell to Navy 24-28. Memphis has spoiled two chances to beat Top 25 teams. Schedule does not get any easier for Memphis so they need to win out to have a shot at the AAC West. NEXT vs. Tulsa
7. Houston (6-2, 3-2): A couple weeks ago, Houston had a realistic shot of going to the college football playoff, but a loss to Navy debunked any shot they had. Things got even worse this week when they played 2-4 SMU. Not only were they upset in the game, they were blown out of the water 38-16. The problem was simply they could not get SMU off the field. The stats look like an even game, but SMU just kept moving the chains. With all the film they have, defenses are starting to figure out Greg Ward Jr. Another loss and Houston will be out of contention for the AAC Championship. NEXT: vs. Central Florida
8. Cincinnati (4-3, 1-3): After struggling out of the gates, Cincinnati finally got their first win in conference play. Gunner Kiel looked very good in their 31-19 win over East Carolina. Also Kahlil Lewis had his best game ever as Bearcat. With Gunner Kiel now at the QB position, the Bearcats look like they can at least go on a run and get to a bowl game. NEXT @Temple
9. SMU (3-4, 1-2): QB Matt Davis is really starting to prove himself. We knew SMU had a potent offense, but Chad Morris showed he could finally win a game that counted. This was the game the defense held an opponent under 29 points. If SMU keeps this up we just may see them in a bowl game this year. They have a very winnable game this week. NEXT @Tulane
10. UConn (3-5, 1-4): After jumping out to a 13-0 lead things looked good for the Huskies. Then the 2nd half came...UConn eventually fell to Central Florida 24-16 and did not score a single point in the 2nd half. Bob Diaco's team just can't seem to play 4 good quarters. Last week against USF they played a good half, but flamed out. Even in there win over Cincinnati, the Huskies played terrible in the first half. Of UConn's 7 drives in the second half they punted on 4 and turned it over on 2 and missed a Field Goal on the other, that's not going to get it done. UConn is in a must win this week. NEXT @East Caroline
11. East Carolina (2-5, 0-3): The Pirates lost their 5th straight game on Saturday to Cincinnati 31-19. The Pirates were able to fight back much like they did against South Florida, but turnovers at the wrong time cost them. This time they were inside the Cincinnati 20 with under 6 minutes left and fumbled trailing just 24-19. ECU still has some winnable games left so a bowl game is not out of the question yet, but a win this week is a must. NEXT: vs. UConn
12. Tulane (3-4, 0-3): Tulsa basically did whatever they wanted to the Green Wave on Saturday. Tulane's defense was non-existent in their 50-27 loss. If it wasn't for a few garbage touchdowns from Tulane it would have been worse. Tulane wasn't expected much this year, but after they started hot you can help, but be disappointed if your a Wave fan. Tulane's chances of a bowl game are shrinking and they need a win this week. NEXT vs. SMU
