I have been participating in this since the start of the year but have not posted it anywhere. Each beat writer does a one-paragraph blurb on the team he covers, and all of us rank the teams 1-12.
I will publish the consensus each week and then list my own rankings at the bottom.
AAC POWER POLL
1. USF (5-0, 2-0 AAC): The No. 18 Bulls amassed a season-high 390 rushing yards in a 61-31 romp of East Carolina, extending their program-best win streak to 10 games. Only Oklahoma (14 games) owns a longer current streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision (Clemson also has won 10 in a row). After a bye week, the Bulls host Cincinnati on Oct. 14. If they score at least 30 in that one, it will be their 23rd consecutive game of 30 or more points, tying an FBS record set by Oregon in 2011-12.
-- Joey Knight, Tampa Bay Times
2. UCF (3-0, 1-0 AAC): Adrian Killins’ 96-yard touchdown run set the tone for the Knights, who amassed more than 600 yards of total yards for the first time since 2013 in a decisive 40-13 win over Memphis on Saturday night at Spectrum Stadium. The defense forced four turnovers while holding the Tigers to 25 percent completions on third downs. UCF ranks fourth in the nation in opponents’ third-down conversion rate, allowing just 21 percent on the season. The Knights travel to Cincinnati this Saturday looking to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1988.
-- Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
3. Navy (4-0, 3-0 AAC): A battle between teams picked third and fourth in the West division turned into a rout as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and pulled away to beat Tulsa, 31-21. Quarterback Zach Abey continued his impressive season by rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns as the Mids took the early lead in the West with a 3-0 conference mark. Navy looks to start a season 5-0 for the first time since 2004 when it hosts service academy rival Air Force on Saturday.
-- Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group
4. Memphis (3-1, 0-1 AAC): In arguably the most-ballyhooed game in the conference last week, the Tigers fell flat and were routed by UCF, 40-13. They committed five turnovers, allowed the Knights to accumulate more than 600 yards of offense and were, as coach Mike Norvell put it, “dominated … in every phase.” Memphis will try to get back on track Friday night against UConn.
-- Tom Schad, The Commercial Appeal
5. Houston (3-1, 1-0 AAC): In search of a spark on offense, the Cougars made a switch at quarterback with longtime backup Kyle Postma replacing Kyle Allen. Postma threw for 226 yards and a touchdown and ran for 81 yards as the offense continued to have its ups and downs in a 20-13 win over Temple. All eyes this week will be on the status of All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who is dealing with an MCL sprain and is likely to be a game-time decision Saturday against SMU.
-- Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
6. SMU (4-1, 1-0 AAC): It wasn't pretty at times, what with 11 penalties and some inconsistent offense, but SMU walked away with a 49-28 win over Connecticut on Saturday. Quarterback Ben Hicks completed 73 percent of his passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, but coach Chad Morris grew frustrated with some of Hicks' overthrows. Morris tried to light a spark for the offense by having backup DJ Gillins run the offense to start the second half. Morris ultimately decided Hicks gave the team the best chance to win at the time but this position is one to keep an eye on moving forward, beginning Saturday against Houston.
-- Adam Grosbard, Dallas Morning News
7. Tulane (2-2, 0-1 AAC): The Green Wave had an open date to gear up for a home game against Tulsa, which has beaten Tulane in 11 of the past 12 years, winning nine of them by at least three touchdowns. For the first time in that stretch, though, Tulane is favored (by three points). This is a really important game for the Green Wave, which is 4-21 in league action since joining the AAC. Win and coach Willie Fritz will have the first tangible proof he is changing the culture of the program.
-- Guerry Smith, The New Orleans Advocate
8. Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1 AAC): A terrible start doomed the Bearcats in a 38-21 home loss to Marshall. UC trailed 24-0 by halftime, and three turnovers led to 21 Marshall points. The Bearcats touchdowns were scored by redshirt freshman running back Gerrid Doaks, true freshman running back Michael Warren II and true freshman wide receiver Javan Hawes. Next: Unbeaten UCF, at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.
-- Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer
9. Tulsa (1-4, 0-1 AAC): For the third week in a row, the Hurricane lost a winnable game, falling 31-21 at home to Navy on Saturday. Tulsa built an impressive 14-0 lead in the first quarter before surrendering 31 unanswered points. Until the fourth quarter, Chad President had thrown for only 17 yards amid continued offensive struggles. With bowl eligibility slipping out of reach, Tulsa visits Tulane on Saturday to face a third consecutive option-based offense.
-- Kelly Hines, Tulsa World
10. Temple (2-3, 0-2 AAC): The Owls showed some fight in Saturday’s 20-13 home loss to Houston. Trailing 20-0 after Houston scored on the opening second-half drive, Temple finally got its running game in gear and ran for a season-high 142 yards, including 150 in the second half after minus-eight in the first. Logan Marchi threw three interceptions for the second straight game. With little realistic chance of defending their AAC title, Temple now has to concentrate on becoming bowl-eligible. Saturday the Owls visit East Carolina, a team the Owls beat, 37-10 in last year’s regular season finale to clinch the AAC East Division title.
-- Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer
11. East Carolina (1-4, 1-1 AAC): The Pirates fell to 1-4 thanks to a defense that still cannot find a 60-minute effort or enough stops to set the stage for wins. Quarterback Thomas Sirk turned in his most complete effort with 300 yards passing and 87 more on the ground, but South Florida posted four unanswered scoring marches in the second half to put the Pirates away, 61-31. The game happened in front of the smallest announced regular-season crowd since 2006, which does not bode well for this Saturday's noon kickoff against fellow AAC East struggler Temple.
-- Nathan Summers, The Daily Reflector
12. Connecticut (1-3, 0-2 AAC): The Huskies represented themselves well in coming back to tie SMU 28-28 on the first play of the first quarter but fizzled from there, losing 49-28. The positives: Bryant Shirreffs has set a career high for passing yards in consecutive games (406 vs. ECU, 408 vs. SMU) and the UConn offense is humming. Four players have had 100-plus receiving yards in a game this season for UConn, but the defense remains in shambles. The Huskies are home Friday night against Memphis.
-- Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant
MY RANKINGS
1) USF
2) UCF
3) Navy
4) Houston
5) Memphis
6) SMU
7) Tulane (I've had Wave 7th the last 3 weeks. This is 1st time it has been that high in the consensus)
8) Tulsa
9) Temple
10) Cincinnati
11) East Carolina
12) UConn
I will publish the consensus each week and then list my own rankings at the bottom.
AAC POWER POLL
1. USF (5-0, 2-0 AAC): The No. 18 Bulls amassed a season-high 390 rushing yards in a 61-31 romp of East Carolina, extending their program-best win streak to 10 games. Only Oklahoma (14 games) owns a longer current streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision (Clemson also has won 10 in a row). After a bye week, the Bulls host Cincinnati on Oct. 14. If they score at least 30 in that one, it will be their 23rd consecutive game of 30 or more points, tying an FBS record set by Oregon in 2011-12.
-- Joey Knight, Tampa Bay Times
2. UCF (3-0, 1-0 AAC): Adrian Killins’ 96-yard touchdown run set the tone for the Knights, who amassed more than 600 yards of total yards for the first time since 2013 in a decisive 40-13 win over Memphis on Saturday night at Spectrum Stadium. The defense forced four turnovers while holding the Tigers to 25 percent completions on third downs. UCF ranks fourth in the nation in opponents’ third-down conversion rate, allowing just 21 percent on the season. The Knights travel to Cincinnati this Saturday looking to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1988.
-- Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
3. Navy (4-0, 3-0 AAC): A battle between teams picked third and fourth in the West division turned into a rout as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and pulled away to beat Tulsa, 31-21. Quarterback Zach Abey continued his impressive season by rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns as the Mids took the early lead in the West with a 3-0 conference mark. Navy looks to start a season 5-0 for the first time since 2004 when it hosts service academy rival Air Force on Saturday.
-- Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group
4. Memphis (3-1, 0-1 AAC): In arguably the most-ballyhooed game in the conference last week, the Tigers fell flat and were routed by UCF, 40-13. They committed five turnovers, allowed the Knights to accumulate more than 600 yards of offense and were, as coach Mike Norvell put it, “dominated … in every phase.” Memphis will try to get back on track Friday night against UConn.
-- Tom Schad, The Commercial Appeal
5. Houston (3-1, 1-0 AAC): In search of a spark on offense, the Cougars made a switch at quarterback with longtime backup Kyle Postma replacing Kyle Allen. Postma threw for 226 yards and a touchdown and ran for 81 yards as the offense continued to have its ups and downs in a 20-13 win over Temple. All eyes this week will be on the status of All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who is dealing with an MCL sprain and is likely to be a game-time decision Saturday against SMU.
-- Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
6. SMU (4-1, 1-0 AAC): It wasn't pretty at times, what with 11 penalties and some inconsistent offense, but SMU walked away with a 49-28 win over Connecticut on Saturday. Quarterback Ben Hicks completed 73 percent of his passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, but coach Chad Morris grew frustrated with some of Hicks' overthrows. Morris tried to light a spark for the offense by having backup DJ Gillins run the offense to start the second half. Morris ultimately decided Hicks gave the team the best chance to win at the time but this position is one to keep an eye on moving forward, beginning Saturday against Houston.
-- Adam Grosbard, Dallas Morning News
7. Tulane (2-2, 0-1 AAC): The Green Wave had an open date to gear up for a home game against Tulsa, which has beaten Tulane in 11 of the past 12 years, winning nine of them by at least three touchdowns. For the first time in that stretch, though, Tulane is favored (by three points). This is a really important game for the Green Wave, which is 4-21 in league action since joining the AAC. Win and coach Willie Fritz will have the first tangible proof he is changing the culture of the program.
-- Guerry Smith, The New Orleans Advocate
8. Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1 AAC): A terrible start doomed the Bearcats in a 38-21 home loss to Marshall. UC trailed 24-0 by halftime, and three turnovers led to 21 Marshall points. The Bearcats touchdowns were scored by redshirt freshman running back Gerrid Doaks, true freshman running back Michael Warren II and true freshman wide receiver Javan Hawes. Next: Unbeaten UCF, at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.
-- Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer
9. Tulsa (1-4, 0-1 AAC): For the third week in a row, the Hurricane lost a winnable game, falling 31-21 at home to Navy on Saturday. Tulsa built an impressive 14-0 lead in the first quarter before surrendering 31 unanswered points. Until the fourth quarter, Chad President had thrown for only 17 yards amid continued offensive struggles. With bowl eligibility slipping out of reach, Tulsa visits Tulane on Saturday to face a third consecutive option-based offense.
-- Kelly Hines, Tulsa World
10. Temple (2-3, 0-2 AAC): The Owls showed some fight in Saturday’s 20-13 home loss to Houston. Trailing 20-0 after Houston scored on the opening second-half drive, Temple finally got its running game in gear and ran for a season-high 142 yards, including 150 in the second half after minus-eight in the first. Logan Marchi threw three interceptions for the second straight game. With little realistic chance of defending their AAC title, Temple now has to concentrate on becoming bowl-eligible. Saturday the Owls visit East Carolina, a team the Owls beat, 37-10 in last year’s regular season finale to clinch the AAC East Division title.
-- Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer
11. East Carolina (1-4, 1-1 AAC): The Pirates fell to 1-4 thanks to a defense that still cannot find a 60-minute effort or enough stops to set the stage for wins. Quarterback Thomas Sirk turned in his most complete effort with 300 yards passing and 87 more on the ground, but South Florida posted four unanswered scoring marches in the second half to put the Pirates away, 61-31. The game happened in front of the smallest announced regular-season crowd since 2006, which does not bode well for this Saturday's noon kickoff against fellow AAC East struggler Temple.
-- Nathan Summers, The Daily Reflector
12. Connecticut (1-3, 0-2 AAC): The Huskies represented themselves well in coming back to tie SMU 28-28 on the first play of the first quarter but fizzled from there, losing 49-28. The positives: Bryant Shirreffs has set a career high for passing yards in consecutive games (406 vs. ECU, 408 vs. SMU) and the UConn offense is humming. Four players have had 100-plus receiving yards in a game this season for UConn, but the defense remains in shambles. The Huskies are home Friday night against Memphis.
-- Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant
MY RANKINGS
1) USF
2) UCF
3) Navy
4) Houston
5) Memphis
6) SMU
7) Tulane (I've had Wave 7th the last 3 weeks. This is 1st time it has been that high in the consensus)
8) Tulsa
9) Temple
10) Cincinnati
11) East Carolina
12) UConn
