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AAC MIDWEEK POW6R POINTS

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AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL
MIDWEEK POW6R POINTS

Perfection In The Sunshine State
Six of the 12 American Athletic Conference teams have at least a 3-1 record or better heading into Week 6 of the season, but The American’s two Florida-based teams have distinguished themselves even further. USF and UCF are a combined 8-0 and have won their games by an average margin of 27.9 points, propelling both into this week’s top 25 polls. The Bulls, who have been a fixture in the national rankings all year, are No. 16 in this week’s coaches’ poll, thanks to a school-record 10-game winning streak that trails only Oklahoma’s 14-game streak nationally. The Knights, meanwhile, improved to 3-0 after a 40-13 win against Memphis and hold the No. 25 spot in this week’s polls.

Texas Showdown Saturday
While The American’s two Florida schools remain unblemished in 2017, the conference’s two Texas-based teams have fared quite well for themselves heading into their key West Division matchup this Saturday. SMU is off to a 4-1 start for the first time since 2011, while the Mustangs are the only team in the nation that has scored at least 36 points in every game this season. SMU will have to contend with a 3-1 Houston squad that ranks 14th nationally in points allowed and has forced 135 turnovers since 2013 – the most in the nation in that timeframe.

Navy Begins Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy Quest
Navy has enjoyed a 3-0 start in the American Athletic Conference West Division race, while the Midshipmen put their 4-0 overall record on the line Saturday against Air Force in Annapolis, Maryland (3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network). Head coach Ken Niumatalolo has relied on the same formula that has produced a combined 17-2 regular-season record in conference games since joining The American; the Midshipmen lead the nation in rushing yards (400 ypg) and average time of possession (36:39) and ranked third nationally in fewest penalties. QB Zach Abey comes into Saturday’s game ranked third nationally in rushing (164 ypg) and is one of only two quarterbacks in the national top 20.

American Primetime
Week 6 in The American gets underway with a Friday-night matchup on ESPN as Memphis visits UConn (7 p.m. ET). The Tigers look to bounce back from their first loss of the season, which came after wins against Louisiana-Monroe, UCLA and Southern Illinois. The new-look Huskies come in with The American’s top passing offense (329.9 ypg), led by QB Bryant Shirreffs, who is fourth nationally in pass efficiency rating (182.3) and has registered back-to-back 400-yard games.

Millions and Millions
The Sept. 21 American Athletic Conference East Division game between USF and Temple was seen by a combined 1.02 million viewers on ESPN’s cable and streaming platforms. It was the second straight game for USF that was seen by more than one million viewers, following the Bulls’ Sept. 15 game against Illinois, which drew 1.40 million, and the fifth game with an American Athletic Conference team this season to top the one million mark.