The first week of the new look American Athletic Conference is in the books following a weekend of lopsided results (in addition to Tulane and Tulsa contributing the first overtime and double overtime game of this NCAA season).
Let's get the Power Rankings rolling for the American Conference. Feel free to weigh in by tweeting @fearthewaveblog or in the comments.
11. UConn Huskies (0-1): L to BYU
While it's tough to tease the bottom out too much at this point, UConn put forth a pretty weak performance in their season opener against the BYU Cougars. In a home matchup, they fell 35-10 to a BYU team that was suffering some serious personnel issues between injuries and team-issued suspensions. Nevertheless, BYU ran all over the Huskies while average 5.5 yards per carry and producing over 200 yards rushing to UConn's 71.
10. Tulane Green Wave (0-1): L to TULSA (AAC)
Tulane is probably the new team in the AAC with the most to prove coming in this year, and the Green Wave nearly made an incredible statement in a Thursday night thriller against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Freshman gunslinger QB? Check, Tanner Lee. Newcomer RB becoming the sixth RB in Tulane history to rush for over 200 yards? Sherman Badie was on it. Double overtime at an away field to start the season? That too. The only thing missing was the ability to close out a resurgent Tulsa team, either by producing more offensively in the second half or better coverage of the deep ball by the Tulane secondary. Sadly, it slipped away, and Tulane will have to make the most of these close games with an extremely tough schedule this year.
9. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-0): W against TULANE (AAC)
Picked to finished last by the AAC Media Poll, Tulsa caught fire in the second half, led by QB Evans in his second season at the helm. A spirited performance helped the team notch their first home win and move past Tulane.
8. USF Bulls (1-0): W against W. CAROLINA
USF barely escaped a huge upset by the Western Carolina Catamounts in a thin 36-31 victory at home. The Bulls looked rougher than expected, though true freshman RB Marlon Mack salvaged a bad game with 200+ yards against the fledgling FCS team. USF will have to show more to survive the conference schedule looking forward.
7. SMU Mustangs (0-1): L to BAYLOR
Tough to judge the Mustangs too harshly for scheduling such a tough game to start the season, but a 45-0 shutout against a talented Baylor team made it look like the Mustangs are not ready to set the world on fire this year or do some damage to serious opponents.
6. Memphis Tigers (1-0): W against AUSTIN PEAY
On one hand, Memphis smoked their first opponent 63-0. On the flip side, that opponent was Austin Peay.
5. Temple Owls (1-0): W against VANDERBILT
Everyone wanted to talk about the "Anchor Down" on the back of the Vanderbilt Commodores jerseys. The Temple Owls didn't feel like talking and smoked this SEC opponent 37-7. The AAC is 1-0 against the SEC so far this season...
4. Houston Cougars (0-1): L to UT-SAN ANTONIO
Houston Cougars got a taste of one of the more dangerous teams you probably haven't heard of yet unless you're a Green Wave fan. UTSA was a thorn in our side last year when Larry Coker (yeah, that one; the guy with the national titles from "The U" days) led his team to a nasty comeback against Tulane in the midst of our run. That was a close game. This one with Houston wasn't. The Roadrunners jacked Houston up with a 27-7 win on the road to show they are still mad about not getting a bowl bid.
3. UCF Knights (0-1): L to PENN STATE
A strong UCF team fell by a field goal to a strong Penn State team in a wacky gimmick game played in Dublin, Ireland. Whatcha gonna do. UCF will look to rebound and establish itself as a contender for the conference, once again.
2. East Carolina (1-0): W against N. CAROLINA CENTRAL
Quarterback Shane Carden and his squad laid out an undermatched opponent to start their season. Next three opponents? Away at South Carolina. Home against Virginia Tech. Away at UNC. We're going to know pretty quickly here how serious ECU is this season.
1. Cincinnati Bearcats (0-0): N/A
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