The Cougars begin the toughest part of their schedule this weekend, when they play host to the Cincinnati Bearcats. | File photo/The Cougar
Week 10 of the college football season is quickly approaching, with a long list of interesting match ups between American Athletic Conference teams.
Here is a preview of some of the weekend’s biggest storylines to get you ready for the weekend.
Cougars face first true test in conference
UH is gearing up to play host to the University of Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, and this game will present them with a chance to prove just how good they are.
So far, the Cougars have benefited from an easy conference season, but the Bearcats played well their past two games and their high-flying offense will be sure to test the Cougars.
If the first college football playoff ranking is any indication, the voting committee isn’t impressed with the Cougars so far, as they sit at 25th overall, in contrast to their 17th-place ranking in the AP Poll.
A win over the Bearcats would go a long way to benefiting the Cougars in the eyes of the committee, and it is a good primer for the Cougars’ biggest test of the season, the University of Memphis Tigers, in one week.
Battle of unbeaten teams set to clear up conference picture
Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers and the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen also square off on Saturday, in a game featuring two teams undefeated in the AAC this year.
As far as conference record is concerned, Navy, Memphis and Houston all tied on top of the West division of the AAC, at 4-0 in conference games, so this game has big implications in the race for a spot in the conference championship game.
Memphis is coming off a 41-13 win over Tulane University, which saw the Tigers pull away from the Green Wave late, behind 26-unanswered second-half points, while Navy stole a win late against the University of South Florida Bulls.
This game should be an offensive explosion, and Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds has a chance to make history by breaking the career rushing touchdown record this weekend.
Bulls and Pirates hoping to move closer to bowl eligibility
When the University of South Florida Bulls and East Carolina University Pirates meet up on Saturday night, it won’t be the most-watched game, but it’s an important game for both squads.
USF sits at 4-4 this season and ECU at 4-5, meaning each team is two games out of bowl eligibility.
For the Bulls, this game is especially crucial, because their schedule doesn’t get much easier in the coming weeks.
In the next two weeks, they host Temple and Cincinnati, before closing out the season against the University of Central Florida, so ECU and UCF are the two most winnable games on their schedule for the rest of the season.
As for ECU, they also travel to Orlando to play against UCF, before closing out the year against Cincinnati, making this weekend’s matchup crucial for the teams, and the conference.
