Week Eight of college football is in the books, and it's time for a new edition of the American Athletic Conference Power Rankings. 

11. SMU Mustangs - (0-6 / 0-2 in AAC) - LOST to CINCINNATI 

Easy one. SMU is without a head coach with no light at the end of the tunnel. They have no hope for this season. I just wish they were on our schedule. Next. 

10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-6 / 1-2 in AAC) - LOST to USF 

Tulsa is in a death spiral. Coach Blankenship's program gave up a commanding lead at home to lose to a struggling USF Bulls squad with 17 points allowed in the fourth quarter alone. Yikes. I wish we had that first game back, but so it goes. 

9. UConn Huskies (1-5 / 0-3 in AAC) - No Action 

UConn had a weak to recover from a road loss to our Tulane Green Wave. Until they find a way to compete even against the bottom tier of our conference, UConn will remain in the doghouse. 

8. Tulane Green Wave (2-5 / 1-2 in AAC) - LOST to UCF 

Yargh. Tulane had a real chance to start a run when our defense held UCF to 20 points, but a struggling offense was not able to produce a tying score. Still, they have a bit more upside than those bottom three teams and a few appealing upset matchups on the docket. First up: a home battle with the Cincinnati Bearcats after a week to prepare. Let's roll. 

7. South Florida Bulls (3-4 / 2-1 in AAC) - WIN against TULSA 

Well, the USF managed to earn a winning record in the conference with a huge comeback against Tulsa. Don't get me wrong. The Golden Hurricane is not a strong team, but for the time being, USF has put itself in the middle of the conference. 

6. Memphis Tigers (3-3 / 1-1 in AAC) - No Action 

I've been a fan of Memphis all season, but a home loss to Houston kills the momentum they built from a smackdown at Cincinnati. They have a favorable stretch of SMU, Tulsa, and Temple as their next three games. They will need to win all three to put themselves back into the conversation as a contender for the conference. 

5. Temple Owls (4-2 / 2-1 in AAC) - LOST to HOUSTON 

Owls, Owls, Owls. One of the feel good stories of 2014. A 4-1 start was a great thing for a program that was once straight-up disowned by the Big East (the old Big East, that is). But still, a 31-10 beating at the hands of the Houston Cougars won't cut it. Were wins against Delaware State, Vanderbilt, UConn, and Tulsa great tests, or are we about to see some serious regression? Let's watch. 

4. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-3 / 1-1 in AAC) - WIN against SMU 

The good news? The Bearcats are now coming off of a 41-3 shellacking of a conference opponent. The bad news? They had a three game losing streak coming into that win. I do not believe Cinci is a serious contender to win this conference at this stage, but they are still very dangerous behind QB Gunner Kiel. 

3. Houston Cougars (4-3 / 2-1 in AAC) - WIN against TEMPLE 

Houston just took care of business in back-to-back week by silencing plucky newcomers Memphis and Temple with nice wins. They do have a loss to UCF on their record, but still, they have USF, Tulane, and Tulsa as their next three matchups. Houston controls its own fate if it wants to put itself in the mix, as they do not play ECU. 

2. UCF Knights (4-2 / 2-0 in AAC) - WIN against TULANE 

UCF did not look like a great team against Tulane. In fact, the offensive line looked like a much bigger problem than the absence of big-time QB Blake Bortles. That being said, they are playing at another level than the rest of the teams, and I would say they are the only real viable threat to ECU's run here. 

1. East Carolina Pirates (5-1 / 2-0 in AAC) - No Action 

East Carolina did not have a game this week, but they are up to #18 in the rankings and expect them to keep rising with UConn and Temple as their next two games. 

That's it for now. Hit me on Twitter @fearthewaveblog or leave your comments. 

The upswing of the AAC continued this week when the East Carolina Pirates dropped 70 points on a #24 University of North Carolina squad. Even the Temple Owls had a 59-0 game... albeit one against a school called Delaware State. Let's see where everyone ranks.

The top half of the conference saw little movement, as we saw some winning this week. The bottom half? Still a lot of question marks.

11. SMU Mustangs - LW #11, 0-3 Record, L to #6 TEXAS A&M 

SMU notched another major loss with with a 58-6 loss at home when they faced the #6 Aggies squad. The program is in disarray, and they have to be close to just calling it a rebuilding year and moving on.

10. UConn Huskies - LW #8, 1-3 Record, L to U. SOUTH FLORIDA 

Tulane didn't exactly put up a perfect effort against Duke, but UConn took a much harder hit in a rough, rain-soaked Thursday night loss to a struggling USF Bulls team. UConn does not look good right now, and virtually no aspect of their game is clicking at the moment.

9. Tulane Green Wave - LW #9, 1-3 Record, L to DUKE 

Duke is a good football team. They won their division last year and took Johnny Football to the wire. It doesn't look like it, but the Green Wave was not far off from this being a competitive matchup, but a disastrous second half let the game get away. Tulane will need to rebound this week with a big opportunity to upset a Big Ten opponent in the Rutgers Scarlet Knight. Don't forget we did it in 2010 at their Homecoming. Game on.

8. Tulsa Golden Hurricane - LW #10, 1-2, No Action 

7. South Florida Bulls - LW #7, 2-2 Record, W over UCONN 

USF got their first conference win against UConn, but they didn't exactly do it in style. They're on the upswing right now though.

6. Temple Owls - LW #6, 2-1 Record, W over DELAWARE STATE 

5. Houston Cougars - LW #5, 2-2 Record, W over UNLV 

Hey, Houston showed a sign of life with a 47-14 win over the UNLV Rebels. They needed a rebound game, and that was it. That said, that won't do anything to jump them over a red hot Memphis Tigers squad.

4. Memphis Tigers - LW #4, 2-1 Record, W over MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 

What? The Memphis Tigers are showing up in football. Yes, it's sort of real. They took a ranked UCLA to the wire on the road. Then they come home, put 46,000 people in the Liberty Bowl, and take down an in-state rival by 19 points. This is an historic season for Memphis, and they will try to keep the good times rolling.

3. UCF Knights - LW #3, 1-2 Record, W over BETHUNE COOKMAN 

Memphis is playing great, but this is where the upper echelon of the conference starts. UCF was the last AAC team to get a win this year. Fun fact.

2. Cincinnati Bearcats - LW #2, 2-0 Record, W over MIAMI (OH) 

Cinci notched its second straight win, but it wasn't pretty, as they escaped by only one score over a weaker Redhawks team. They will get a chance to make a statement when they face in-state rival Ohio State this weekend.

1. East Carolina Pirates - LW #1, 3-1 Record, W over #24 UNC 

East Carolina just laid 70 on a solid ACC team. Shane Carden is the real McCoy, and this ECU team looks hungry. Cinci is going to need to fire it up to seriously challenge the Pirates for the conference crown, because East Carolina is the real deal. They are now ranked #23 in the country, as the first AAC team to earn a ranking this season.

This is a new feature I want to update every couple weeks on what Tulane's opponents are doing. As you can see, Georgia Tech and Duke have established strong 4-0 starts after beating the Green Wave.

There is more trouble on the way with Memphis, ECU, and Cincinnati all playing very strong football right now. These next couple games will be critical wins in the Green Wave's effort to get back to bowl season.

1. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-2) [Tulane Loss] 

Tulsa had the week off but will play Texas State next week with a great chance to get back to .500.

2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0) [Tulane Loss] 

The Ramblin' Wreck pulled off a great upset of the Virginia Tech Hokies, handing another loss to the team that previously beat Ohio State on the road.

3. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (2-2) [Tulane Win] 

The Lions, coming into this week ranked #3 in FCS, dropped another game against SE Missouri. They will have to get their season back on track after losing some momentum in this stretch.

4. Duke Blue Devils (4-0) [Tulane Loss] 

Duke's victory over Tulane earned the Blue Devils another appearance in the Top 25. They are now #23 after a convincing 4-0 start.

5. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-1) [Away at Rutgers] 

Rutgers is coming off a victory when they host the Tulane Green Wave next week. They survived a comeback at the hands of the Navy Midshipmen this weekend, but they received news today that Paul James, their star running back with five touchdowns this season, has had season ending surgery.

6. UConn Huskies (1-3) [Home at Yulman] 

If Tulane can pull off a nice game against their Big Ten opponent, they will have a really good chance to get back to .500 when they host the UConn Huskies. UConn dropped another game in a messy matchup with the USF Bulls this week. Their offense has been stagnant, and the defense hasn't been much better.

7. UCF Golden Knights (1-2) [Home at Yulman] 

UCF became the last AAC team to win a game this year after a 41-7 win over Bethune Cookman. They have a week off, and then they will try their hand against a struggling Houston Cougars team to get back to .500.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) [Home at Yulman] 

Cinci started this season extremely late (after even the Cincinnati Bengals), but they are off to a 2-0 start after beating the Miami (OH) Wildcats this past weekend 31-24. They will have a tough test against the Ohio State Buckeyes this week, but a win would really galvanize this team.

9. Houston Cougars (2-2) [Away at Houston] 

The Cougars had a fairly disastrous start to this season, which included a loss to a very good BYU. They showed some signs that things are back on track when they wrecked the UNLV Rebels 47-14. Their offense can be potent when it's clicking, and they will look to build momentum.

10. Memphis Tigers (2-1) [Home at Yulman, Homecoming] 

Wow. The Memphis Tigers are by far the biggest surprise in the AAC so far this year. They are 2-1 after a nice home win over Middle Tennessee. The Tigers even packed the Liberty Bowl for the game. Their lone loss was a near upset to #10 UCLA while on the road. Memphis is playing tough football right now.

11. #24 East Carolina Pirates (3-1) [Away at ECU]

East Carolina is looking like the best team in the AAC. A week after beating Virginia Tech, East Carolina took down #24 UNC in absolute beatdown, the kind where QB Shane Carden puts 70 points on the board against the Tar Heels. The Pirates are a very solid football team right now, and they will be ranked #24 this week.

12. Temple Owls (2-1) [Home at Yulman] 

The Owls put up a 59-0 victory against an undermatched Delaware State squad this week. That warmup game should give the Owls a good look when they face a middling UConn next week.

Week Three of the American Athletic Conference's 2014 campaign is in the books, and the Tulane Green Wave has nabbed its first win of the season. Let's see where the rest of the AAC's teams fell this week after quite a few losses and very few wins.

AAC Football Power Rankings: Week 3

11. SMU Mustangs - LW #11, 0-2 Record, No Action 

SMU had a much needed week off following their coach's resignation. They will need it, as they are hosting #6 Texas A&M this week. Ouch.

10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane - LW #9, 1-2, L to FLORIDA ATLANTIC 

Not a huge fan of ranking Tulsa under Tulane, but hey, they survived a double OT thriller at home and have been broken ever since. Most recently, the Florida Atlantic Owls drubbed the Golden Hurricane 50-21. Tulsa is out of sorts, and they will need some spark to get their season back on track. Stock falling.

9. Tulane Green Wave - LW #10, 1-2, W against SOUTHEASTERN 

We are going to know Tanner Lee has clicked when second half Tanner looks like first half Tanner. They aren't there yet, but this team has upside. Sherman Badie, the freshman from John Curtis, is averaging 9.4 yards per carry right now. That wasn't a typo. The win over a strong FCS team definitely pumps some momentum into this season, especially given the widespread hype that Tulane would be upset by the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. That said, Tulane is a heavy underdog on a road trip to see the 3-0 Duke Blue Devils this Saturday. They will need stability from start to finish to hang in there with a talented and tested Duke team.

8. UConn Huskies - LW #9, 1-2 Record, L to BOISE STATE 

UConn took a beating at home against a decent Boise State team, which drops the Huskies to 1-2 on the year. They will have a shot at a win when they head to South Florida to play a struggling Bulls squad. So far, UConn has come out flat, so they will look to make a move against the AAC competition.

7. South Florida Bulls - LW #7, 1-2 Record, L to NC STATE 

Are you getting a sense yet that the American Conference had a bad week? South Florida looked terrible in an absolute smackdown at the hands of NC State. They have an opportunity to rebuild this week when they host a struggling UConn.

6. Temple Owls - LW #5, 1-1 Record, No Action 

5. Houston Cougars - LW #4, 1-2 Record, L to BYU 

Houston suffered a blowout in the first half against a very solid BYU Cougar team (in a Cougars vs. Cougars weeknight matchup). They managed to make it competitive in the second half, but honestly, Houston has not been sharp at all so far. They will need to really change their trajectory to have a chance to win the conference, as some expected going into this year.

4. Memphis Tigers - LW #5, 1-1 Record, No Action 

This is ridiculous. But Memphis didn't play this week, and pretty much everyone decided to lose if they feature a big A on their field. Moreover, the Tigers are coming off a near road upset of a highly ranked UCLA team, so I'll just leave them here. Next.

3. UCF Knights - LW #2, 0-2 Record, L to MISSOURI 

UCF is going to be the last team in the American Conference to get a win in the 2014 college football season. Just let that sink in, and you will understand the woes of our conference in this early season. They lost a gimmicky game in Ireland to Penn State and got wrecked by a strong Missouri team. They are a cut above the rest of the AAC, but the Knights are definitely a shell of last year's team. That said, Teenage Mutant Ninja Bortles has been one of the stronger fantasy football names of this season. So they have that.

2. Cincinnati Bearcats - LW #1, 1-0 Record, W against AKRON 

Wooooo! Competence! And yes, Cinci finally decided to play a game of football, and they won! And their quarterback throws a lot of touchdowns. We may actually have a two horse race in this conference, after all. They should have another warmup game against a Miami (OH) team that just was crushed by a weak Michigan Wolverines squad.

1. East Carolina Pirates - LW #3, 2-1 Record, W against #17 VIRGINIA TECH 

Whoa. East Carolina laid out a Virginia Tech team coming off a momentous win at Ohio State. Not only did they steal VT's thunder, but ECU became the first AAC to take down a ranked team this season. More importantly, it turns out South Carolina is pretty damn good, so their performance last week against USC looks even better. Look for ECU to seriously contend this season while riding Shane Carden's impressive quarterback play toward the postseason.

Week Two is officially in the books, and we have some movement in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Power Rankings.

Below, you will see a listing of the teams in rank order, their rank last week, and the most recent result.

Sound off @fearthewaveblog on Twitter.

AAC Power Rankings - Week Two: 


11. SMU Mustangs - LW #7, 0-2 Record, L to U. OF NORTH TEXAS 

SMU suffered a big drop this week. After getting shellacked by Baylor, we thought they might just be rusty. A 43-6 beatdown by the hands of UNT (a team Tulane beat last year) led to the resignation of their coach and shaky waters ahead. Likely moving down further with time.

10. Tulane Green Wave - LW #10, 0-2 Record, L to GEORGIA TECH 

This kills you, but Tulane has a lot to prove after a monumental week in the program's history. In front of a sellout crowd at the brand new Yulman Stadium, Royce LaFrance opened the game with a fumble recovery to get the fans fired up. Unfortunately, on an extremely hot and humid Louisiana Saturday, things slipped away, and ultimately standout QB Tanner Lee was benched. The second half allowed the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech to break it open, and Tulane was left winless once again. They will get another chance with Southeastern Louisiana coming to Yulman for the first ever night game.

9. Tulsa Golden Hurricane - LW #9, 1-1 Record, L to OKLAHOMA 

Well, reality came back to Tulsa 52-7 beatdown at home by the Oklahoma Sooners.

8. UConn Huskies - LW #10, 1-1 Record, W against STONY BROOK 

Not going to give them much credit for beating Stony Brook of the CAA. Let's see what else they will do down the stretch.

7. USF Bulls - LW #8, 1-1 Record, L against MARYLAND 

USF gave up a fourth quarter lead to almost secure another victory for the American Conference against the Power Five.

6. Temple Owls - LW #5, 1-1 Record, L against NAVY 

Temple could not complete a comeback against future conference rival Navy. The Owls are back to .500.

5. Memphis Tigers - LW #6, 1-1 Record, L against #11 UCLA 

I hate to move a team up after a loss, but no one in the rear made a move. And everyone lost. So what are you going to do? Furthermore, who saw the Tigers going punch-for-punch with the #11 UCLA Bruins on the road? Tough to judge the Tigers by this performance alone, but things seem to be turning around in Memphis.

4. Houston Cougars - LW #4, 1-1 Record, W against GRAMBLING STATE 

47-0 win against Grambling State after a beatdown suffered against UTSA last week. Moving on.

3. East Carolina Pirates - LW #2, 1-1 Record, L against #21 SOUTH CAROLINA 

The Pirates led going into the second quarter. Pretty sure South Carolina would have imploded if Shane Carden and the gang had stuck this one out.

2. UCF Knights - LW #3, 0-1 Record, No Action 

Snooze. Getting a break after the weird Ireland trip. What are we hoping to do with that gimmick?

1. Cincinnati Bearcats - LW #1, 0-0 Record, No Action 

The Bearcats will start their regular season after the Cinci Bengals in the NFL. Who made this schedule up?

Let me know what you think about the American Athletic Conference Power Rankings: Week Two. 

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