2016 American Athletic Conference football season
Sports season
The 2016 American Athletic Conference football season was the 25th NCAA Division I FBS football season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season was the third since the breakup of the former Big East Conference , and the third season with the College Football Playoff in place. The American was considered a member of the "Group of Five" (G5) with Conference USA , the Mid-American Conference , Mountain West Conference , and the Sun Belt Conference . Whereas under the previous system the champion of the conference was guaranteed an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game , the highest-ranked champion member of the G5 received a bid to one of the six major bowls.[ 1]
The American consisted of 12 members: Cincinnati , East Carolina , Houston , Memphis , SMU , South Florida , Temple , Tulane , Tulsa , UCF , UConn , Navy . In June 2015, the Collegiate Commissioner's Association announced that it would postpone final rankings until after the annual Army–Navy Game if Navy or Army are in contention for a spot in the semifinals or a New Years Six bowl. If Navy was the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion and loses to Army, it would be replaced by next highest-ranked Group of 5 champion in the New Years Six Bowl.[ 2]
In the 2016 season, the American had four new coaches. Willie Fritz , formerly the head coach at Georgia Southern, was hired by Tulane to replace Curtis Johnson . After beginning the 2013 season, Johnson lost 22 of his final 27 games against FBS opponents. He finished at Tulane with a 15–4 record through four full seasons. He compiled a 7–9 conference record in the C-USA (2012–2013), and a 3–13 conference record in the American Athletic Conference (2014–2015). On December 1, 2015, UCF hired Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost .[ 3] Frost replaced longtime UCF head coach George O'Leary and interim head coach Danny Barrett , who took over the Knights when O'Leary resigned following an 0–8 start. On December 3, 2015, Memphis hired Arizona State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Norvell , replacing Justin Fuente who took the job at Virginia Tech.[ 4] On December 13, 2015, East Carolina hired Duke (OC /QB ) Scottie Montgomery .[ 5] replacing Ruffin McNeill who was relieved of his duties as ECU head coach after finishing the season with a record of 5–7.[ 6]
The American Athletic Conference Media Day took place August 12 in Newport, Rhode Island .[ 7]
Preseason poll
East Division
1. USF (15), 164 pts
2. Temple (9), 144 pts
3. Cincinnati (6), 130 pts
4. UConn, 89 pts
5. East Carolina, 55 pts
6. UCF, 48 pts
West Division
1. Houston (30), 180 pts
2. Navy, 128 pts
3. Memphis, 124 pts
4. Tulsa, 92 pts
5. SMU, 65 pts
6. Tulane, 41 pts
Predicted American Championship Game Winner : Houston (27) was picked to win the American Championship. Others receiving votes were USF (2), Temple (1)
Head coaches
Recruiting classes
Rankings
Team
ESPN[ 8]
Rivals[ 9]
Scout[ 10]
24/7[ 11]
Signees
Cincinnati
75
75
73
76
21
Connecticut
–
–
101
98
16
East Carolina
–
81
88
77
22
Houston
30
44
51
40
19
Memphis
72
72
69
63
22
Navy
–
–
98
83
36
SMU
67
74
61
72
22
South Florida
63
70
77
61
16
Temple
59
59
76
57
26
Tulane
–
86
100
89
24
Tulsa
–
87
85
92
20
UCF
66
58
74
66
20
Rankings
Legend
Improvement in ranking
Drop in ranking
Not ranked previous week
No change in ranking from previous week
RV
Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
Pre
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
Wk 15
Final
Cincinnati
AP
RV
C
CFP
Not released
Connecticut
AP
C
CFP
Not released
East Carolina
AP
C
CFP
Not released
Houston
AP
15
6
6
6
6
6
13
11
RV
RV
RV
RV
18
RV
RV
C
13
7
7
7
7
5
12
11
24
RV
RV
RV
21
RV
RV
CFP
Not released
20
24
Memphis
AP
RV
C
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
CFP
Not released
Navy
AP
RV
RV
25
24
22
RV
RV
RV
20
RV
C
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
25
22
RV
RV
RV
RV
20
RV
CFP
Not released
25
19
25
SMU
AP
RV
C
CFP
Not released
South Florida
AP
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
24
25
C
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
23
22
CFP
Not released
Temple
AP
RV
RV
23
C
RV
24
CFP
Not released
24
Tulane
AP
C
CFP
Not released
Tulsa
AP
RV
RV
RV
C
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
CFP
Not released
UCF
AP
C
CFP
Not released
Schedule
All Times and Dates are Tentative,[ 12] The 2016 conference football schedule was released February 9[ 13]
Index to colors and formatting
American member won
American member loss
American teams in bold
Week 1
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:00 p.m.
UT Martin
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
ESPN3
W 28–7
28,520
7:00 p.m.
Maine
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
ASN
W 24–21
29,377
7:00 p.m.
Tulane
Wake Forest
BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC
ESPN3
L 3–7
24,398
September 2
7:00 p.m.
Army
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
CBSSN
L 13–28
34,005
September 3
Noon
No. 3 Oklahoma
No. 15 Houston
NRG Stadium • Houston, TX (Texas Kickoff )
ABC
W 33–23
71,016
September 3
Noon
Fordham
Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
CBSSN
W 52–16
28,238
September 3
6:00 p.m.
Western Carolina
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPN3
W 52–7
44,161
September 3
7:00 p.m.
South Carolina State
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPN3
W 38–0
36,260
September 3
7:00 p.m.
No. 24 (FCS ) Towson
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
ASN
W 56–20
35,976
September 3
7:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri State
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPN3
W 35–17
42,876
September 3
7:00 p.m.
SMU
North Texas
Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX
ASN
W 34–21
24,718
September 3
7:00 p.m.
San Jose State
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
CBSSN
W 45–10
18,748
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 2
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
September 10
Noon
UCF
No. 5 Michigan
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
ABC
L 14–51
109,295
September 10
Noon
Cincinnati
Purdue
Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN
BTN
W 38–20
33,068
September 10
Noon
NC State
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPNU
W 33–30
50,719
September 10
Noon
Lamar
No. 6 Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
ASN
W 42–0
39,402
September 10
1:00 p.m.
Stony Brook
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
ESPN3
W 38–0
22,296
September 10
3:30 p.m.
Connecticut
Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
CBSSN
NAVY 28–24
31,501
September 10
3:30 p.m.
SMU
No. 23 Baylor
McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
FS1
L 13–40
45,499
September 10
3:30 p.m.
Tulsa
No. 4 Ohio State
Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH
ABC
L 3–48
104,410
September 10
7:00 p.m.
Northern Illinois
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
CBSSN
W 48–17
36,557
September 10
8:00 p.m.
Southern
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ESPN3
W 66–21
27,179
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
September 10
Memphis
Week 3
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:30 p.m.
No. 6 Houston
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
ESPN
HOU 40–16
40,015
September 17
Noon
Temple
Penn State
Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA
BTN
L 27–34
100,420
September 17
Noon
Kansas
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPNU
W 43–7
34,448
September 17
1:30 p.m.
Virginia
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
SNY
W 13–10
31,036
September 17
2:00 p.m.
North Carolina A&T
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
ESPN3
W 58–21
16,111
September 17
3:30 p.m.
South Florida
Syracuse
Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY
ESPN3
W 45–20
32,288
September 17
4:00 p.m.
East Carolina
South Carolina
Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC
SEC Network
L 15–20
80,384
September 17
7:00 p.m.
Maryland
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
CBSSN
L 24–30 2OT
43,197
September 17
7:00 p.m.
Navy
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ASN
NAVY 21–14
21,503
September 17
7:00 p.m.
Liberty
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX
ESPN3
W 29–14
22,127
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 4
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
8:00 p.m.
TCU
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Battle for the Iron Skillet )
ESPN
L 3–33
30,987
September 24
Noon
No. 13 Florida State
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
ABC
L 35–55
61,665
September 24
Noon
Charlotte
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
ASN
W 48–20
27,786
September 24
12:30 p.m.
East Carolina
Virginia Tech
Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA
ACCN
L 17–54
63,712
September 24
1:00 p.m.
Syracuse
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
CBSSN
L 24–31
31,899
September 24
3:30 p.m.
Miami (OH)
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (121st Battle for the Victory Bell )
ESPNews
W 27–20
38,112
September 24
4:30 p.m.
Tulsa
Fresno State
Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA
MWTV
W 48–41 2OT
23,273
September 24
7:00 p.m.
UCF
FIU
FIU Stadium • Miami, FL
BeIN Sports
W 53–14
18,524
September 24
7:00 p.m.
No. 6 Houston
Texas State
Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX
ESPNU
W 64–3
33,133
September 24
8:00 p.m.
Bowling Green
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPNews
W 77–3
38,713
September 24
8:00 p.m.
Louisiana–Lafayette
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ESPN3
W 41–39 4OT
24,253
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
September 24
Navy
Week 5
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
8:00 p.m.
Connecticut
No. 6 Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
ESPN
HOU 42–14
40,873
October 1
Noon
UCF
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC (rivalry)
CBSSN
UCF 47–29
46,042
October 1
Noon
SMU
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
ESPNews
TEM 45–20
22,401
October 1
3:30 p.m.
Navy
Air Force
Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy )
CBSSN
L 14–28
43,063
October 1
3:30 p.m.
Tulane
UMass
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA
ASN
W 31–24
14,892
October 1
7:00 p.m.
South Florida
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
ESPNU
USF 45–20
35,108
October 1
7:00 p.m.
Memphis
No. 16 Ole Miss
Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS
ESPN2
L 28–48
65,889
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
October 1
Tulsa
Week 6
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
8:00 p.m.
Temple
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPN
MEM 34–27
34,743
8:00 p.m.
Tulane
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPNU
Postponed [a]
8:00 p.m.
SMU
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
ESPN2
TLSA 43–40 OT
20,089
October 8
11:30 a.m.
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
CBSSN
CONN 20–9
24,169
October 8
Noon
East Carolina
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
ESPNews
USF 38–22
30,397
October 8
3:00 p.m.
No. 6 Houston
Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
CBSSN
NAVY 46–40
34,531
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
^[a] The October 7th game in Orlando between Tulane and UCF was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew and rescheduled for November 5, a date which both teams had open.[ 14]
Week 7
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:30 p.m.
No. 25 Navy
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPN
Postponed [b]
8:00 p.m.
Memphis
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ESPNU
MEM 24–14
21,098
October 15
7:00 p.m.
Connecticut
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
CBSSN
USF 42–27
30,297
October 15
7:00 p.m.
Tulsa
No. 13 Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
ESPN2
HOU 38–31
38,221
October 15
7:30 p.m.
Temple
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPNU
TEM 26–25
38,299
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
October 15
Cincinnati
SMU
^[b] The October 13th game in Greenville, NC between Navy and East Carolina was postponed due because of flooding associated with Hurricane Matthew , the game will be rescheduled for November 19, a date which both teams had open.[ 15]
Week 8
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:00 p.m.
South Florida
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
ESPN
TEM 46–30
25,950
October 22
Noon
UCF
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT (Civil Conflict )
ESPNews
UCF 24–16
28,008
October 22
3:30 p.m.
Memphis
No. 24 Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
CBSSN
NAVY 42–28
35,943
October 22
3:45 p.m.
Tulane
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
ESPNU
TLSA 50–27
22,349
October 22
7:00 p.m.
East Carolina
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
CBSSN
CIN 31–19
32,022
October 22
7:00 p.m.
No. 11 Houston
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (rivalry )
ESPN2
SMU 38–16
25,079
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 9
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:00 p.m.
No. 22 Navy
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL
ESPN2
USF 52–45
31,824
October 29
Noon
UCF
Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
ESPNU
HOU 31–24
35,846
October 29
Noon
Connecticut
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPNews
ECU 41–3
41,370
October 29
3:30 p.m.
Cincinnati
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
CBSSN
TEM 34–13
29,763
October 29
4:00 p.m.
SMU
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ESPNews
SMU 35–31
25,780
October 29
8:00 p.m.
Tulsa
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPNews
TLSA 59–30
36,894
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 10
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
7:00 p.m.
Temple
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
ESPN2
TEM 21–0
22,316
November 5
11:30 a.m.
Notre Dame
Navy
EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL (Rip Miller Trophy )
CBS
W 28–27
50,867
November 5
3:30 p.m.
BYU
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
CBSSN
L 3–20
37,522
November 5
4:00 p.m.
Memphis
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX
ESPNews
MEM 51–7
24,379
November 5
5:00 p.m.
Tulane
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPN3
UCF 31–6
31,571
November 5
8:00 p.m.
East Carolina
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
ESPNews
TLSA 45–24
17,557
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
November 5
South Florida
Houston
Week 11
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
November 12
Noon
Tulsa
Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
CBSSN
NAVY 42–40
36,397
November 12
Noon
Cincinnati
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPNU
UCF 24–3
30,346
November 12
Noon
SMU
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPNews
SMU 55–31
42,908
November 12
3:30 p.m.
Tulane
Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
CBSSN
HOU 30–18
36,552
November 12
7:00 p.m.
South Florida
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ESPNU
USF 49–42
37,218
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Date
Bye Week
November 12
Connecticut
Temple
Week 12
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
8:00 p.m.
No. 3 Louisville
Houston
TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
ESPN
W 36–10
42,822
8:00 p.m.
Memphis
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
CBSSN
MEM 34–7
25,796
November 19
1:00 p.m.
Connecticut
Boston College
Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA
ACCN Extra
L 0–30
36,220
November 19
3:30 p.m.
Temple
Tulane
Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
ASN
TEM 31–0
16,497
November 19
4:00 p.m.
Navy
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
ESPNews
NAVY 66–31
39,480
November 19
7:00 p.m.
South Florida
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX
CBSSN
USF 35–27
18,417
November 19
8:00 p.m.
Tulsa
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
ESPNews
TLSA 35–20
35,141
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 13
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
Noon
No. 18 Houston
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
ABC
MEM 48–44
36,527
8:30 p.m.
Cincinnati
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
ESPNU
TLSA 40–37
18,550
November 26
Noon
UCF
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL (War on I-4 )
CBSSN
USF 48–31
36,056
November 26
3:30 p.m.
Navy
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Gansz Trophy )
ESPNU
NAVY 75–31
21,283
November 26
4:00 p.m.
Tulane
Connecticut
Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT
ESPNews
TULN 38–13
20,764
November 26
7:30 p.m.
East Carolina
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA
ESPNews
TEM 37–10
28,373
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
American Athletic Conference Championship Game
Date
Time
Visiting team
Home team
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
Ref.
December 3
Noon
Temple
No. 20 Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
ABC
TEM 34–10
22,815
# Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Week 15
Bowl games
American Athletic Conference bowl games[ 16] for the 2016 season are:
Bowl game
Date
Site
Television
Time (EST )
AAC team
Opponent
Score
Attendance
Las Vegas Bowl
December 17
Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV
ABC
3:30 p.m.
Houston
San Diego State
10–34
29,286
AutoNation Cure Bowl
December 17
Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL
CBSSN
5:30 p.m.
UCF
Arkansas State
13–31
27,213
Miami Beach Bowl
December 19
Marlins Park • Miami, FL
ESPN
2:30 p.m.
Tulsa
Central Michigan
55–10
15,262
Marmot Boca Raton Bowl
December 20
FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL
ESPN
7:00 p.m.
Memphis
WKU
31–51
24,726
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
December 23
Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX
ESPN
4:30 p.m.
#25 Navy
Louisiana Tech
45–48
40,542
Military Bowl
December 27
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
ESPN
3:30 p.m.
#24 Temple
Wake Forest
26–34
26,656
Birmingham Bowl
December 29
Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama
ESPN
2:00 p.m.
South Florida
South Carolina
46–39 OT
31,229
Rankings are from CFP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.
Selection of teams
Bowl eligible: Houston, Memphis, Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa, UCF
Bowl-ineligible: Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Tulane, SMU
Records against FBS conferences
2016 records against FBS conferences
Through Dec 29, 2016
The American vs. Power Conferences
Index to colors and formatting
American member won
American member loss
Date
Visitor
Home
Winning Team
Opponent Conference
September 1
Tulane
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
ACC
September 3‡
#3 Oklahoma
#15 Houston
Houston
Big 12
September 10
Cincinnati
Purdue
Cincinnati
Big Ten
September 10
UCF
#5 Michigan
Michigan
Big Ten
September 10
NC State
East Carolina
East Carolina
ACC
September 10
SMU
#23 Baylor
Baylor
Big 12
September 10
Tulsa
#4 Ohio State
Ohio State
Big Ten
September 17
Maryland
UCF
Maryland
Big Ten
September 17
Virginia
Connecticut
Connecticut
ACC
September 17
East Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina
SEC
September 17
Kansas
Memphis
Memphis
Big 12
September 17
South Florida
Syracuse
South Florida
ACC
September 17
Temple
Penn State
Penn State
Big Ten
September 24
Syracuse
Connecticut
Syracuse
ACC
September 24
East Carolina
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
ACC
September 24
TCU
SMU
TCU
Big 12
September 24
#13 Florida State
South Florida
Florida State
ACC
October 1
Memphis
#16 Ole Miss
Ole Miss
SEC
November 5‡
Notre Dame
Navy
Navy
IND
November 17
#3 Louisville
Houston
Houston
ACC
November 19
Connecticut
Boston College
Boston College
ACC
December 27‡
Wake Forest
#23 Temple
Wake Forest
ACC
December 29‡
South Carolina
#25 South Florida
South Florida
SEC
‡This game was played at a neutral site
Players of the Week
Week
Offensive
Defensive
Special Teams
Player
Position
Team
Player
Position
Team
Player
Position
Team
Week 1
Greg Ward Jr.
QB
Houston
Trent Martin
LB
Tulsa
Brandon Wilson
CB
Houston
Week 2
Quinton Flowers
QB
USF
Alohi Gilman
LB/DB
Navy
Sherman Badie
RB
Tulane
Week 3
Greg Ward Jr.
QB
Houston
Steven Taylor
LB
Houston
Bobby Puyol
K
UConn
Week 4
Riley Ferguson
QB
Memphis
Jeremy Brady
S
Tulsa
Andrew DiRocco
K
Tulane
Week 5
Greg Ward Jr.
QB
Houston
Haason Reddick
DE
Temple
Adrian Killins
RB
UCF
Week 6
Will Worth
QB
Navy
Josiah Powell
LB
Navy
Bennett Moehring
K
Navy
Week 7
Will Worth
QB
Navy
Jarvis Pruitt
DE
SMU
Aaron Boumerhi
K
Temple
Week 8
James Flanders
RB
Tulsa
Shaquem Griffin
LB
UCF
Jake Elliott
K
Memphis
Week 9
Riley Ferguson
QB
Memphis
Drico Johnson
DB
UCF
Aaron Boumerhi
K
Temple
Week 10
Quinton Flowers
QB
USF
Horace Richardson
CB
SMU
Dane Roy
P
Houston
Week 11
Week 12
Awards and honors
Conference awards
The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the American Athletic Conference football coaches at the end of the season
2016 All-American Athletic Conference Football Teams
First Team
Second Team
Offense
Defense
Offense
Defense
WR – Zay Jones , East Carolina
WR – Courtland Sutton , SMU
WR – Keevan Lucas, Tulsa
OT – Kofi Amichia , South Florida
OT – Dion Dawkins , Temple
OG – Adam West, Navy
OG – Black Belcher, Tulsa
C – Chandler Miller, Tulsa
TE – Daniel Montiel, Memphis
QB – Quinton Flowers , South Florida
RB – Marlon Mack , South Florida
K – Jake Elliott , Memphis
RS – Tony Pollard, Memphis
DL – Haason Reddick , Temple*
DL – Ed Oliver , Houston*
DL – Tanzel Smart , Tulane
DL Justin Lawler , SMU
LB – Shaquem Griffin , UCF
LB – Eric Wilson , Cincinnati
LB – Steven Taylor, Houston
LB – Genard Avery , Memphis
LB – Nico Marley, Tulane
CB Horace Richardson, SMU
CB – Howard Wilson , Houston
S – Darrion Millines, SMU
S – Obi Melifonwu , UConn
P – Spencer Smith, Memphis
WR – Noel Thomas , UConn
WR – Anthony Miller , Memphis
WR – Rodney Adams , South Florida
OT – Blake Copeland, Navy
OT – Evan Plagg, Tulsa
OG – Dominique Threatt, South Florida
OG – Tyler Bowling, Tulsa
C – Maurice Morris, Navy
TE – Mitchell Wilcox, South Florida
QB – Greg Ward Jr. , Houston
RB – Jahad Thomas , Temple
RB – D'Angelo Brewer , Tulsa
K – Aaron Boumerhi, Temple
RS – D'Ernest Johnson , South Florida
DL – Jamiyus Pittman, UCF
DL – Cortez Broughton , Cincinnati
DL – Deadrin Senat , South Florida
DL – Praise Martin-Oguike, Temple
LB – Tyus Bowser , Houston
LB – Micah Thomas, Navy
LB – Auggie Sanchez, South Florida
LB – Avery Williams , Temple
CB – Shaquill Griffin , UCF
CB – Brandon Wilson , Houston
CB – Deatrick Nichols, South Florida
CB – Parry Nickerson , Tulane
S – Garrett Davis, Houston
S – Sean Chandler, Temple
P – Worth Gregory, ECU
^ - denotes unanimous selection Additional players added to the all-conference teams due to ties in the voting.[ 17]
NFL Draft
The American had a conference-record 15 players selected in the 2017 NFL draft , which placed it as the fifth most prolific conference in the draft. The American made headlines by having more selections than the Big 12 Conference , a Power 5 Conference.[ 18]
The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2017 NFL draft .
Attendance
Team
Stadium
Capacity
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Game 6
Game 7
Total
Average
% of Capacity
Cincinnati
Nippert Stadium
40,000
28,520
40,015†
38,112
35,108
32,022
37,522
25,796
237,095
33,870
84.68%
Connecticut
Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field
40,642
29,377
31,036
31,899†
24,169
28,008
22,316
20,764
187,569
26,795
65.93%
East Carolina
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
50,000
44,161
50,719†
46,042
41,370
42,908
39,480
—
264,680
44,113
88.23%
Houston
TDECU Stadium
40,000
39,402
40,873
38,221
35,846
36,552
42,822†
—
233,716
38,953
97.38%
Memphis
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
59,308
42,876†
34,448
38,713
34,743
36,894
37,218
36,527
261,419
37,345
62.97%
Navy
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
34,000
28,238
31,501
34,531
35,943
36,397†
—
—
166,610
33,322
98.01%
SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
32,000
22,127
30,987†
25,079
24,379
18,417
21,283
—
142,272
23,712
74.10%
South Florida
Raymond James Stadium
65,890
35,976
36,557
61,665†
30,397
30,297
31,824
36,056
262,772
37,538
56.97%
Temple
Lincoln Financial Field
69,176
34,005†
22,296
27,786
22,401
25,950
29,763
28,373
190,574
27,225
39.36%
Tulane
Yulman Stadium
30,000
27,179†
21,503
24,253
21,098
25,780
16,497
—
136,310
22,718
75.73%
Tulsa
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
30,000
18,748
16,111
20,089
22,349†
17,557
18,550
—
113,404
18,900
63.00%
UCF
Bright House Networks Stadium
44,206
36,260
43,197
38,299†
31,571
30,346
35,141
—
214,814
35,802
80.99%
Games highlighted in green were sell-outs
†Season High
Attendance for neutral site games
[ 19]
References
^ About the College Football Playoff. ESPN.
^ "Playoff committee will wait for Army-Navy game if necessary" . FOXSports.com . Retrieved June 16, 2015 .
^ "Frost a Knight - UCF Knights - Official Athletics Site" . www.ucfknights.com . Archived from the original on December 3, 2015.
^ Calkins, Geoff (December 3, 2015). "ASU's Mike Norvell tapped to coach U of M football" . The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved December 3, 2015 .
^ Keeley, Laura (December 13, 2015). "Duke offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery named ECU head coach" . The News & Observer . Retrieved December 13, 2015 .
^ ESPN.com news services (December 4, 2015). "East Carolina fires Ruffin McNeill" . ESPN . Retrieved December 4, 2015 .
^ 2016 Football Media Day
^ "RecruitingNation Class Rankings top75-ESPN" . ESPN . Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "2016 Rivals Team Rankings" . Rivals.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "2016 Scout.com College Football Team Recruiting Rankings" . Scout.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "2016 Football Recruiting Composite Team Rankings" . 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "AAC Football Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "American Athletic Conference Athletic Directors Conclude Winter Meetings" . American Athletic Conference . SideArm Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2016 .
^ "Hurricane Matthew forces Knights to move football, volleyball contests" . UCFKnights.com . Sidearm Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2016 .
^ "Navy-East Carolina Football Game Rescheduled For Nov. 19" . ECUPirates.com . SideArm Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ "American Bowl Lineup 2014–2019" . American Athletic Conference . SideArm Sports.
^ "American Athletic Conference Announces 2016 Football Honors" .
^ "Record Haul from the American in the 2017 NFL Draft" .
^ "NCAA Football Attendance Report" . NCAA . NCAA.
Current teams Championships & awards Seasons (1991-2012) Seasons (post-breakup)
Conference seasons Inter-conference All-Americans