2020 American Athletic Conference football season
The 2020 American Athletic Conference football season is the 29th NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season is the eighth since the former Big East Conference dissolved and became the American Athletic Conference and the seventh season of the College Football Playoff in place. The American is considered a member of the Group of Five (G5) together with Conference USA (C–USA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference. The entire schedule was released on February 18, 2020.[1]
| 2020 American Athletic Conference football season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
| Sport | Football |
| Duration | September 2020 through January 2021 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and CBS Sports Network |
| 2021 NFL Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Zaven Collins (Tulsa) |
| Picked by | Arizona Cardinals, 16th overall |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Cincinnati |
| Runners-up | Tulsa |
| The American Championship | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Cincinnati y$ | 6 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa y | 6 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Cincinnati 27, Tulsa 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
Memphis secured their third consecutive West division title and faced East champion Cincinnati in the 2019 AAC Championship game.[2]
Seven teams participated in bowl games during the 2019 season; the league went 4–3.
SMU lost to Florida Atlantic 28–52 in the 2019 Boca Raton Bowl.[3] UCF defeated Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl 48–25.[4] Temple lost to North Carolina 13–55 in the Military Bowl.[5] No. 23 Navy defeated Kansas State 20–17 in the 2019 Liberty Bowl.[6] No. 21 Cincinnati defeated Boston College 38–6 in the 2020 Birmingham Bowl after a ninety-minute rain delay.[7] In the latest addition of the Battle for the Bell, Tulane defeated Southern Miss 30–13 in the Armed Forces Bowl.[8]
In the New Year's Six Game, No. 17 Memphis lost to No. 10 Penn State 39–53 in the Cotton Bowl Classic.[9]
Preseason
Departure of UConn
The Huskies' Big East entrance date was confirmed for July 1, 2020 after UConn and The American reached a buyout agreement. At the time this agreement was announced, UConn also announced that its football team would become an FBS independent once it joined the Big East.[10] The American has no immediate plan to add another team to rebalance division, so divisions have been eliminated from the conference for the time being.
Recruiting classes
| Team | ESPN[11] | Rivals[12] | 24/7[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 49 | 39 | 40 |
| East Carolina | 73 | 65 | 74 |
| Houston | 71 | 79 | 72 |
| Memphis | 70 | 65 | |
| Navy | 83 | 127 | |
| SMU | 68 | 70 | |
| South Florida | 109 | ||
| Temple | 77 | 100 | |
| Tulane | 67 | 64 | 69 |
| Tulsa | 84 | 115 | |
| UCF | 66 | 58 | 75 |
American Athletic Conference Media Days
The 2020 American Athletic Conference Media Day was originally scheduled for July 12–14 in Newport, Rhode Island. On May 4, 2020 The American Announced due to the COVID-19 Pandemic media day was canceled.[14]
Preseason media poll
The preseason Poll was released September 1[15]
| Media poll | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCF | 204 (10) |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 201 (7) |
| 3 | Memphis | 192 (2) |
| 4 | SMU | 146 |
| 5 | Navy | 125 (1) |
| 6 | Tulane | 118 |
| 7 | Houston | 114 |
| 8 | Temple | 88 |
| 9 | Tulsa | 49 |
| 10 | East Carolina | 42 |
| 11 | South Florida | 41 |
Head coaches
Coaching changes
At the end of his third season ended in a 4–8 record, South Florida fired Charlie Strong. On December 9, 2019, Jeff Scott, offensive coordinator for Clemson, was hired as the new head coach.[16]
On December 8, 2019 after Norvell's departure to Florida State, Silverfield served as the interim head coach before being promoted to head coach on December 13, 2019.[17]
Coaches
Note: All stats current through the completion of the 2020 season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | AAC record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | Luke Fickell | 4 | 41–21 (.661) | 35–14 (.714) | 21–9 (.700) |
| East Carolina | Mike Houston | 2 | 87–39 (.690) | 7–14 (.333) | 4–12 (.250) |
| Houston | Dana Holgorsen | 2 | 68–54 (.557) | 7–13 (.350) | 5–9 (.357) |
| Memphis | Ryan Silverfield | 1 | 8–4 (.667) | 8–4 (.667) | 5–3 (.625) |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | 13 | 101–67 (.601) | 101–67 (.601) | 30–17 (.638) |
| SMU | Sonny Dykes | 3 | 63–59 (.516) | 22–14 (.611) | 14–9 (.609) |
| South Florida | Jeff Scott | 1 | 1–8 (.111) | 1–8 (.111) | 0–7 (.000) |
| Temple | Rod Carey | 2 | 61–41 (.598) | 9–11 (.450) | 6–9 (.400) |
| Tulane | Willie Fritz | 5 | 183–102 (.642) | 29–33 (.468) | 15–25 (.375) |
| Tulsa | Philip Montgomery | 6 | 31–40 (.437) | 31–40 (.437) | 19–26 (.422) |
| UCF | Josh Heupel | 3 | 28–8 (.778) | 28–8 (.778) | 19–5 (.792) |
Source:[18]
Rankings
| 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 | Wk 16 | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | AP | 20 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| C | 22 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | |
| CFP | Not released | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| East Carolina | AP | |||||||||||||||||
| C | ||||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Houston | AP | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | AP | RV | 16 | 17 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | |||||||
| C | RV | 15 | 20 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Navy | AP | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | |||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| SMU | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 18 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | ||||
| C | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 18 | 16 | 23 | 18 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | AP | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | |||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Temple | AP | |||||||||||||||||
| C | ||||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | AP | |||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 22 | RV | ||||
| C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 25 | RV | |||||
| CFP | Not released | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| UCF | AP | 21 | 14 | 13 | 11 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||||
| C | 21 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||
| CFP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
Schedule
The regular season will begin on September 5, 2020 and will end on November 28, 2020. The season will conclude with the 2020 American Athletic Conference Championship Game on December 19.[19]
Regular season
| Index to colors and formatting |
|---|
| American member won |
| American member lost |
| American teams in bold |
Week One
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 4:30 p.m. | SMU | Texas State | Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX | ESPN | W 31–24 | 7,500 | |
| September 5 | 8:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN (Paint Bucket Bowl) | ESPN | W 37–24 | 4,537 | |
| September 7 | 8:00 p.m. | BYU | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN | L 55–3 | 0 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Cincinnati | East Carolina | Houston | South Florida | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | UCF |
Week Two
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | The Citadel | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPNU | W 27–6 | 0 | |
| September 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane | South Alabama | Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL | ESPN2 | W 27–24 | 6,000 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Cincinnati | East Carolina | Houston | Memphis | Navy | SMU | Temple | Tulsa | UCF | |
Week Three
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ABC | NAVY 27–24 | 0 | |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Austin Peay | No. 13 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | W 55–20 | 0 | |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 11 Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | ESPN | L 16–7 | 14,668 | |
| September 19 | 2:30 p.m. | South Florida | No. 7 Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN | USA | L 52–0 | 10,085 | |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 14 UCF | Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA | ABC | W 49–21 | 11,000 | |
| September 19 | 6:00 p.m. | SMU | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX (Safeway Bowl) | CBSSN | W 65–35 | 8,464 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | East Carolina | Houston | Memphis | Temple |
Week Four
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 13 UCF | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ABC | UCF 51–28 | 305 | |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 22 Army | No. 14 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN | W 24–10 | 0 | |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Tulane | Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS (Battle for the Bell) | Stadium | W 66–24 | 0 | |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN+ | W 50–7 | 7,898 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Houston | Memphis | Navy | South Florida | Temple | Tulsa |
Week Five
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA | ESPNU | L 29–49 | 3,823 | |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | No. 15 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | CIN 28–7 | 0 | |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 25 Memphis | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN2 | SMU 30–27 | 7,898 | |
| October 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Navy | Air Force | Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBSSN | L 7–40 | 5,000 | |
| October 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 11 UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN2 | TLSA 34–26 | 8,874 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 3 | Houston | Temple | Tulane | |
Week Six
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN | HOU 49–31 | 8,164 | |
| October 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Temple | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 31–29 | 4,400 | |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | East Carolina | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN+ | ECU 44–24 | 6,799 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 10 | Cincinnati | Memphis | SMU | Tulsa | UCF | ||
Week Seven
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 16 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 17 SMU | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | SMU 37–34 OT | 0 | |
| October 16 | 9:30 p.m. | No. 14 BYU | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN2 | L 43–26 | 10,092 | |
| October 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN2 | NAVY 27–23 | 3,500 | |
| October 17 | 12:00 p.m. | USF | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | TEM 29–27 | 782 | |
| October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | UCF | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ABC | MEM 50–49 | 10,554 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |
|---|---|---|
| October 17 | Cincinnati | Tulsa |
Week Eight
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN | TLSA 42–13 | 5,142 | |
| October 24 | 12:00 p.m. | Temple | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN+ | MEM 41–29 | 10,321 | |
| October 24 | 2:00 p.m. | Tulane | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN2 | UCF 51–34 | 9,148 | |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | HOU 37–21 | 3,600 | |
| October 24 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 9 Cincinnati | No. 16 SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX | ESPN2 | CIN 42–13 | 7,898 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
|---|---|
| October 24 | East Carolina |
Week Nine
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 30 | 9:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN2 | TLSA 34–30 | 0 | |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Memphis | No. 7 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (rivalry) | ESPN | CIN 49–10 | 0 | |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Temple | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | TULN 38–3 | 1,200 | |
| October 31 | 2:00 p.m. | UCF | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN+ | UCF 44–21 | 8,630 | |
| October 31 | 7:30 p.m. | Navy | No. 22 SMU | Gerald R. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Gansz Trophy) | ESPN2 | SMU 51–37 | 7,898 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
|---|---|
| October 31 | South Florida |
Week Ten
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 18 SMU | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | SMU 47–23 | 2,577 | |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | South Florida | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN+ | MEM 34–33 | 10,300 | |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulane | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN+ | TULN 38–21 | 3,500 | |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | No. 6 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ABC | CIN 38–10 | 0 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 7 | Navy | Tulsa | UCF | |||||
Week Eleven
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | East Carolina | No. 7 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN2 | CIN 55–17 | 0 | |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Army | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | W 38–12 | 1,200 | |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN2 | HOU 56–21 | 8,266 | |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 19 SMU | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN2 | TLSA 28–24 | 3,900 | |
| November 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Temple | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | UCF 38–13 | 8,768 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 14 | Memphis | Navy | ||||||
Week Twelve
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane | No. 25 Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN | TLSA 30–24 2OT | ||
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | ECU 28–3 | ||
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN+ | W 56–14 | 9,684 | |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 7 Cincinnati | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN | CIN 36–33 | 10,668 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 21 | Houston | Navy | SMU | South Florida | ||||
Week Thirteen
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 27 | 3:30 p.m. | UCF | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL (War on I-4) | ESPN | UCF 58–46 | 8,801 | |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | SMU | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN+ | ECU 52–38 | 3,500 | |
| November 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBS Sports Network | MEM 10–7 | 0 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 28 | Cincinnati | Houston | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | |||
Week Fourteen
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Memphis | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | TULN 35–21 | 2,400 | |
| December 5 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 24 Tulsa | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN2 | TLSA 19–6 | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 5 | Cincinnati | East Carolina | Houston | SMU | South Florida | Temple | UCF | |
Week Fifteen
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 12 | 3:00 p.m. | Navy | Army | Michie Stadium • West Point, NY (121st Army-Navy Game/Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBS | L 0–15 | 12,722 | |
| December 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN2 | MEM 27–30 | 9,475 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 12 | Cincinnati | Tulsa | ||||||
Championship game
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 23 Tulsa | No. 9 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ABC | CIN 27–24 | 5,831 | |
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
Postseason
For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The American will annually send teams to the Military Bowl, Fenway Bowl, and a third annual spot alternating between the Armed Forces Bowl and Hawaii Bowl annually. The American will have annually four appearances in the following bowls: Birmingham Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, Frisco Bowl, Cure Bowl, First Responder Bowl, Myrtle Beach Bowl and New Mexico Bowl. The American champion will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of Group of Five conferences in the final College Football Playoff rankings. American teams are also eligible for the College Football Playoff if they're among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking.[20]
Cancelled bowls
The following annual bowl games tied in with the American Athletic Conference had their 2020 editions canceled :
- Frisco Bowl scheduled for December 19 between SMU and UTSA was canceled due to COVID-19 complications within the SMU program. As a result, UTSA accepted a bid to the First Responder Bowl.[21]
- Military Bowl[22] and Birmingham Bowl[23] were canceled due to a lack of available teams to play.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| American win | |
| American loss | |
| Bowl game | Date | Site | Television | Time (EST) | AAC team | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | December 22 | Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | Nevada | 27–38 | |
| Boca Raton Bowl | December 22 | FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL | ESPN | 7:00 p.m. | UCF | BYU | 23–49 | |
| Montgomery Bowl | December 23 | Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL | ESPN | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | Florida Atlantic | 25–10 | |
| New Mexico Bowl | December 24 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | Hawaii | 14–28 | |
| Armed Forces Bowl | December 31 | Amon G. Carter Stadium, Ft. Worth, TX | ESPN | 12:00 p.m. | No. 24 Tulsa | Mississippi State | 26–28 | |
| New Year's Six bowl game | ||||||||
| Peach Bowl | Jan. 1, 2021 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | ESPN | 12:30 p.m. | No. 8 Cincinnati | No. 9 Georgia | 21–24 | |
Rankings are from CFP rankings.[24] All times Eastern Time Zone. American teams shown in bold.
American vs other conferences
American vs Power 5 matchups
The following games include American teams competing against Power Five conferences teams from the (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Notre Dame, BYU and SEC). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most power five games for the American have been canceled, All of the Power Five conferences initially announced that they would go on with their season as scheduled, but with cuts to non-conference games in order to overcome logistical concerns and reduce travel. The Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC were all limiting play to in-conference opponents only.[26][27] The ACC and Big 12 are allowing one non-conference game each.[28] The Big Ten and Pac 12 have postponed fall sports due to COVID-19 concerns.[29]
| Date | Conference | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | Independent | BYU | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | 55–3 |
| September 19 | Big 12 | Tulsa | Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | 16–7 |
| September 19 | ACC | UCF | Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA | 49–21 |
| September 19 | ACC | South Florida | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN | 52–0 |
| October 16 | Independent | BYU | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | 46–23 |
American vs Group of Five matchups
The following games include American teams competing against teams from C-USA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt. On August 8, the MAC announced the postponement of all fall sports for the 2020 season, including football.[30] On August 10, the Mountain West followed the MAC as the second Group of Five conference to postpone fall sports indefinitely.[31] On August 10, Rice announced it was the delaying the start of it season until September 26.[32]
| Date | Conference | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Sun Belt | SMU | Texas State | Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX | 31–24 |
| September 5 | Sun Belt | Arkansas State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | 37–24 |
| September 12 | Sun Belt | Tulane | South Alabama | Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL | 27–24 |
| September 19 | C-USA | SMU | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | 65–35 |
| September 26 | C-USA | Tulane | Southern Miss | M.M Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS | 66–24 |
| October 3 | Sun Belt | East Carolina | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA | 29–49 |
| October 3 | MWC | Navy | Air Force | Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO | 7–40 |
American vs FBS independents matchups
The following games include American teams competing against FBS Independents which include Army, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn and UMass. UConn, announced that they would opt out of the 2020 season.[33][34] UMass announced that they would opt of playing fall football and hopes to construct a season in spring 2021.[35] New Mexico State announced that they would opt out of playing fall football and try to play in spring 2021.[36]
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Army | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | 24–10 |
| November 14 | Army | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | 38–12 |
| December 12 | Navy | Army | Michie Stadium • West Point, NY | 0–15 |
American vs FCS matchups
The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs. All conferences and teams have postponed their fall conference schedules,[37] The Big South, (James Madison, Elon, Villanova from the CAA), Missouri Valley Football Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, SoCon, and Southland Conference[38] are allowing the option of playing out-of-conference games only
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | The Citadel | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | 27–6 |
| September 19 | Austin Peay | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | 55–20 |
| September 19 | Stephen F. Austin | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | 50–7 |
| November 21 | Stephen F. Austin | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | 56–14 |
Records against other conferences
|
Regular Season
|
Post Season
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
Player of the week honors
| Week | Offensive | Defensive | Specialist | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Position | Player | Team | Position | Player | Team | Position | |||||
| WEEK 1 & WEEK 2 (Sept. 12)[39] |
Brady White | Memphis | QB | Cameron Sample | Tulane | DE | Chris Naggar | SMU | K | ||||
| WEEK 3 (Sept. 19)[40] | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB | Diego Fagot | Navy | LB | Bijan Nichols Chris Naggar (2) |
Navy SMU |
K K | ||||
| WEEK 4 (Sept. 26)[41] | Dillon Gabriel (2) | UCF | QB | Jarell White | Cincinnati | LB | Daniel Obarski | UCF | K | ||||
| WEEK 5 (Oct. 3)[42] | Shane Buechele | SMU | QB | Zaven Collins | Tulsa | LB | Chris Naggar (3) Lachlan Wilson |
SMU Tulsa |
K P | ||||
| WEEK 6 (Oct. 10)[43] | Marquez Stevenson | Houston | WR | Terrell Adams | Navy | LB | Jake Verity | East Carolina | K | ||||
| WEEK 7 (Oct. 17)[44] | Dillon Gabriel (3) Brady White (2) |
UCF Memphis |
QB QB |
Arnold Ebiketie | Temple | DE | Chris Naggar (4) | SMU | K | ||||
| WEEK 8 (Oct. 24)[45] | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB | Zaven Collins (2) | Tulsa | LB | Dalton Witherspoon | Houston | K | ||||
| WEEK 9 (Oct. 31)[46] | Desmond Ridder (2) | Cincinnati | QB | Myjai Sanders | Cincinnati | DE | Daniel Obarski (2) | UCF | K | ||||
| WEEK 10 (Nov. 7)[47] | Brady White (3) | Memphis | QB | Patrick Johnson | Tulane | DE | Spencer Shrader | South Florida | K | ||||
| WEEK 11 (Nov. 14)[48] | Desmond Ridder (3) | Cincinnati | QB | Jarell White (2) Zaven Collins (3) |
Cincinnati Tulsa |
LB LB |
Marcus Jones | Houston | PR | ||||
| WEEK 12 (Nov. 21)[49] | Desmond Ridder (4) Davis Brin |
Cincinnati Tulsa |
QB QB |
Zaven Collins (4) | Tulsa | LB | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | KR | ||||
| WEEK 13 (Nov. 28)[50] | Holton Ahlers | East Carolina | QB | Quindell Johnson | Memphis | S | Riley Patterson | Memphis | K | ||||
| WEEK 14 (Dec. 5)[51] | Michael Pratt | Tulane | QB | Jaxon Player | Tulsa | DT | Zack Long | Tulsa | K | ||||
American Athletic Individual Awards
The following individuals received postseason honors as chosen by the league's head coaches.[52]
| Award | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Desmond Ridder, QB | Cincinnati |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Zaven Collins, LB | Tulsa |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Chris Naggar, K | SMU |
| Rookies of the Year | Rahjai Harris Ulysses Bentley IV |
East Carolina SMU |
| Coach of the Year | Luke Fickell | Cincinnati |
All-Conference Teams
|
|
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* Denotes Unanimous Selection
All Conference Honorable Mentions:
- UCF: Lokahi Pauole (OG)
- Cincinnati: Darrick Forrest (S), Darius Harper (OT)
- ECU: Xavier Smith (LB)
- Houston: Braylon Jones (OG), Damarion Williams (CB)
- Memphis: Sean Dykes (TE), Morris Joseph (DL)
- SMU: Richard McBryde (LB)
- Temple: Jadan Blue (WR)
- Tulane: Joey Claybrook (OT)
- Tulsa: Dante Bivens (OG), Dylan Couch (OG), Allie Green IV (CB), Kendarin Ray (S), Gerard Wheeler (C)
All-Americans
The 2020 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Athletic, and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).
Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.[53][54]
| Position | Player | School | Selector | Unanimous | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Team All-Americans | |||||
| LB | Zaven Collins | Tulsa | AFCA, AP, ESPN, FWAA, TSN, WCFF | * | |
| DB | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | AFCA, AP, FWAA, TSN, WCFF | ||
| KR | Marcus Jones | Houston | AFCA, AP, FWAA, TSN, WCFF | ||
| Position | Player | School | Selector | Unanimous | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Team All-Americans | |||||
| LB | Zaven Collins | Tulsa | PS | ||
| DB | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | PS, USAT | ||
| DB | James Wiggins | Houston | Athletic | ||
*CBS Sports All-America Team
*ESPN All-America Team
*The Athletic All-America Team
*USA Today All-America Team
*AP All-America Team
*The Sporting News All-America Team
*Football Writers' Association of America All-America Team
*American Football Coaches Association All-America Team
*2020 Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team
*Phil Steele All-America Team
National award winners
Lombardi Award (top player):
Zaven Collins, Tulsa
Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman")
Brady White, Memphis
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defensive Player)
Zaven Collins, Tulsa
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player)
Zaven Collins, Tulsa
[55]
NFL Draft
The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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