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AAC power rankings, Week 9

 
Navy quarterback Will Worth, right, gets a hug from a midshipmen after an NCAA football game against Houston, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, in Annapolis, Md. Navy won 46-40. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Navy quarterback Will Worth, right, gets a hug from a midshipmen after an NCAA football game against Houston, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, in Annapolis, Md. Navy won 46-40. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Published Oct. 27, 2016

Navy seized control of the American Athletic Conference's West Division last weekend with a win against Memphis, while Temple got a leg up in the East by defeating USF. But there's still more than a month remaining in the regular season and, as SMU showed against Houston, there's as much parity in the AAC as anywhere.

Here's a look at how the league stacks up, according to our panel of beat reporters.

1. Navy (5-1, 4-0 AAC): Senior QB (and Newsome High alumnus) Will Worth turned in the finest outing of his career (201 rushing yards, five total TDs) to lift Navy to a 42-28 defeat of Memphis. The Midshipmen are the only team with an unbeaten record within the American. It was the 14th straight victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, setting a facility record. — Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group

2. Houston (6-2, 3-2): At the beginning of October, Houston was ranked as high as sixth and in the discussion for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Cougars have been in a nosedive ever since with two losses in three games, the latest a 38-16 embarrassment at SMU that knocked them out of the Associated Press' top 25 and ended any chance of defending their AAC title. The Cougars have allowed 115 points and 1,247 yards in three games against Navy, Tulsa and SMU. The offense has been uncharacteristically sloppy with eight turnovers during that stretch. The schedule doesn't get any easier with improved UCF coming to TDECU Stadium on Saturday. — Joseph Duarte, The Houston Chronicle

3. USF (6-2, 3-1): The Bulls not only cost themselves a shot at the best start in program history in a 46-30 loss at Temple, but potentially a spot in the AAC title game. Owls RB Ryquell Armstead ran for 210 yards and two TDs on 20 carries. The Bulls also yielded 528 total yards and were outscored 26-7 after taking a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter. USF will have to mend its issues quickly this week as it welcomes AAC West-leading Navy to Tampa on Friday. — Jeff Odom, Tampa Bay Times

4. Temple (5-3, 3-1): The Owls are now in the driver's seat in the East. If they win their final four games against Cincinnati, UConn, Tulane and East Carolina, they repeat as division champs. Last week, Temple had its best showing of the season against USF, rushing for a season-high 319 yards. Temple special teams came up big as Praise Martin-Oguike blocked an extra point (the fifth blocked kick of his career) and Avery Ellis blocked a punt. Temple's defense is allowing 321 yards per game, second in the AAC and 17th nationally. —Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer

5. Memphis (5-2, 2-1): For the second year in a row, the Tigers played Navy in a game with major West Division implications, and again couldn't slow down the Midshipmen's triple-option offense, giving up 447 rushing yards. Before Saturday, Memphis had not allowed more than 400 rushing yards in a game since 2007 against East Carolina. The good news for the Tigers, however, was that QB Riley Ferguson played one of his better games of the season (25-of-40, 333 yards), and the offense took a step forward. That unit will need to be on point again to keep pace with Tulsa in what could be a shootout Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl. — Tom Schad, The Commercial Appeal

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6. Tulsa (5-2, 2-1): The Golden Hurricane's 50-27 win against Tulane on Saturday was its largest victory margin in an AAC contest. Tulsa overcame injuries to five starters and relied on career-best outings from RB James Flanders (190 rushing yards, two TDs) and WR Josh Atkinson (seven catches, 142 yards) to torch a Green Wave defense that had been causing problems for opponents. For the fourth consecutive week, the Hurricane faces a team from the West, playing at Memphis on Saturday night in a battle of teams with the same record. — Kelly Hines, Tulsa World

7. UCF (4-3, 2-1): Freshman QB McKenzie Milton threw for a season-high 317 yards and three TDs to lead UCF past Connecticut, 24-16 in Hartford. The Knights trailed the Huskies 16-14 at halftime before shutting them out in the second half. UCF played without its top nose guard, Jamiyus Pittman, who suffered an ankle injury last week. Of the Knights' four victories, three have come on the road (UConn, FIU and East Carolina). UCF will look to extend its good road fortune at Houston on Saturday. — Shannon Green, Orlando Sentinel

8. Cincinnati (4-3, 1-3): The return of QB Gunner Kiel energized the Bearcats, who beat East Carolina, 31-19 at Nippert Stadium last week. Kiel, a fifth-year senior, threw for 348 yards and four TDs in his first start this year. He was the primary UC quarterback in 2014 and '15, but a series of events then derailed him. With UC struggling to score, Kiel came alive in practice and regained his job last week. UC faces a tough assignment at Temple this Saturday, with Kiel again expected to start. — Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer

9. SMU (3-4, 1-2): After multiple weeks at the bottom of this poll, SMU finally broke through with an eye-opening win against Houston. The Mustangs didn't just upset the Cougars; they dominated them from start to finish. Redshirt freshman QB Ben Hicks protected the football and tossed three TDs, while the defense recorded a half-dozen sacks, three by DE Jarvis Pruitt. The culture is changing on the Hilltop, and SMU might be gearing up to make a run at a bowl game. — EJ Holland, Dallas Morning News

10. Connecticut (3-5, 1-4): Saturday was a depressing day in East Hartford for the Huskies, who lost to UCF, 24-16. UConn moved the ball well in the open field but produced only one TD in six trips to the red zone. The Huskies held their largest lead of the season in the second quarter, 13-0, but were outscored 24-3 the rest of the way. UConn had only three points in the final 39:41. After the game, the "Civil ConFLiCT" trophy sat alone on a sideline. UCF never showed interest in it. Translation: The UConn-concocted rivalry is dead. — Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant

11. East Carolina (2-5, 0-3): Entering their eighth game of the season, the Pirates are flirting with the wrong kind of history. Mired in a five-game losing streak, ECU hosts fellow AAC struggler Connecticut this week on the heels of a 33-19 setback at Cincinnati. In that game, TB Anthony Scott fumbled inside the Bearcat red zone as the Pirates drove with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Pirates last lost six consecutive games to open the disastrous 2003 campaign that ended 1-11. Their noon kickoff this Saturday will be the Pirates' first home game since Oct. 1. — Nathan Summers, The Daily Reflector

12. Tulane (3-4, 0-3): Tulane is coming off its worst showing of the season after last week's 50-27 loss to Tulsa on the road. The Green Wave offense fell victim to the inconsistency that has troubled it all season in the passing game and along the offensive line. The defense fell behind early because of the Tulsa passing game and got steamrolled in the second half by the Golden Hurricane's running game. With homecoming this week against SMU, Tulane is hoping to regroup and claw its way back to .500 with a little help from what's expected to be a raucous crowd at Yulman Stadium. — Will Guillory, The Times-Picayune