# 2018 American Athletic Conference football season

The 2018 American Athletic Conference football season is the 27th NCAA Division I FBS Football season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season is the sixth since the former Big East Conference dissolved and became the American Athletic Conference, and the fifth season with the College Football Playoff in place. The American is considered a member of the "Group of Five" (G5), meaning that the conference shares with the other G5 conferences one automatic spot in the New Year's Six bowl games.

## Previous season

UCF defeated Memphis in the 2017 AAC Championship game' The game was a rematch of the September 30 matchup, which UCF won 40–13.
Seven Teams participated in bowl games, and finished with a record of 4–3. UCF defeated Auburn 34–27 in the Peach Bowl. The Knights finished the regular season 12–0. The effort came just two years after an 0–12 winless season (2015). UCF became the first team in the history of NCAA Division I FBS to improve from a winless regular season to an undefeated regular season in only two years. Memphis lost to Iowa State 20–21 in the 2017 Liberty Bowl. Navy defeated Virginia in the Military Bowl 49–7, Houston lost to Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl 27–33. USF Defeated Texas Tech 38–24 in the Birmingham Bowl. Temple defeated FIU 28–3 in the Gasparilla Bowl, and SMU lost to Louisiana Tech 10–51 in the Frisco Bowl.

## Preseason
### Recruiting classes

National Rankings :
| Team | ESPN | Rivals | 24/7 |
| Cincinnati | 75 | 47 | 47 |
| Connecticut | | 89 | 104 |
| East Carolina | | 85 | 87 |
| Houston | 75 | 60 | 72 |
| Memphis | | 81 | 88 |
| Navy | | 91 | 102 |
| SMU | | 81 | 86 |
| South Florida | 55 | 56 | 64 |
| Temple | | 76 | 80 |
| Tulane | 72 | 65 | 68 |
| Tulsa | | 86 | 97 |
| UCF | 70 | 67 | 70 |

## American Athletic Conference Media Day

The American Athletic Conference Media Day took place July 18 in Newport, Rhode Island.

### Preseason Media Poll

AAC Champion Voting
* UCF – 19
* Memphis – 7
* USF – 3
* Houston – 1
References:

### Fifth Anniversary Football Team

with 2018 marking the Fifth Year of American Athletic Conference Football under the new league, the Conference announced the Fifth Anniversary Team
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY FOOTBALL TEAM AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE :
| Offense | Defense |
| QB – Keenan Reynolds, Navy RB – D'Angelo Brewer, Tulsa RB – Marlon Mack, USF WR – Zay Jones, ECU WR – Anthony Miller, Memphis WR – Courtland Sutton, SMU TE – Jordan Akins, UCF OT – Kofi Amichia, USF OT – Dion Dawkins, Temple OT – Eric Lefeld, Cincinnati OG – E.K. Binns, Navy OG – Adam West, Navy C – Kyle Friend, Temple | DL – Matt Ioannidis, Temple DL – Justin Lawler, USF DL – Ed Oliver, Houston DL – Haason Reddick, Temple DL – Marcus Smith, Louisville LB – Genard Avery, UCF LB – Shaquem Griffin, UCF LB – Tyler Matakevich, Temple LB – Auggie Sanchez, USF CB – Jacoby Glenn, USF CB – Mike Hughes, UCF CB – Parry Nickerson, Tulane S – Clayton Geathers, UCF S – Obi Melifonwu, UConn PK – Jake Elliott, Memphis P – Tom Hornsey, Memphis RS – Tony Pollard, Memphis |

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes

There were two coaching changes after the regular season ended, On December 2, 2017 Scott Frost left UCF to take the Nebraska job, but stayed on to coach in the AAC Championship game and Peach Bowl, UCF ended up hiring Missouri Offensive Coordinator Josh Heupel. On December 7, 2017 SMU coach Chad Morris left to take the Arkansas job, on December 12, 2017 former Cal coach Sonny Dykes was hired as the new SMU coach.

### Coaches

Note: All stats current through the completion of the 2017 season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | AAC record |
| Cincinnati | Luke Fickell | 2 | 10–15 (.400) | 4–8 (.333) | 2–6 (.250) |
| Connecticut | Randy Edsall | 14 | 99–113 (.467) | 77–79 (.494) | 24–32 (.429) |
| East Carolina | Scottie Montgomery | 3 | 6–18 (.250) | 6–18 (.250) | 3–13 (.188) |
| Houston | Major Applewhite | 2 | 7–6 (.538) | 7–6 (.538) | 5–3 (.625) |
| Memphis | Mike Norvell | 2 | 18–8 (.692) | 18–8 (.692) | 12–4 (.750) |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | 11 | 84–48 (.636) | 84–48 (.636) | 18–6 (.750) |
| SMU | Sonny Dykes | 2 | 41–46 (.471) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) |
| South Florida | Charlie Strong | 2 | 63–39 (.618) | 10–2 (.833) | 26–11 (.703) |
| Temple | Geoff Collins | 2 | 7–6 (.538) | 7–6 (.538) | 4–4 (.500) |
| Tulane | Willie Fritz | 3 | 163–84 (.660) | 9–15 (.375) | 4–12 (.250) |
| Tulsa | Philip Montgomery | 4 | 18–20 (.474) | 18–20 (.474) | 10–15 (.400) |
| UCF | Josh Heupel | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) |
Source:

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| | | 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 | Final |
| Cincinnati | AP | | | | | RV | RV | 25 | 20 | RV | RV | 25 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | 24 |
| Cincinnati | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | RV | RV | RV | 23 |
| Cincinnati | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | 24 | | | | |
| Connecticut | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Connecticut | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Connecticut | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| East Carolina | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| East Carolina | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| East Carolina | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Houston | AP | RV | RV | RV | | | | | RV | RV | 17 | RV | | RV | | | |
| Houston | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | RV | RV | 17 | RV | | | | | |
| Houston | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Memphis | AP | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Memphis | C | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | RV | | |
| Memphis | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Navy | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Navy | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Navy | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| SMU | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| SMU | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| SMU | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| South Florida | AP | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 21 | RV | | | | | | |
| South Florida | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 20 | RV | RV | | | | | |
| South Florida | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Temple | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Temple | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Temple | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Tulane | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulane | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulane | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | |
| UCF | AP | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| UCF | C | 23 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 12 |
| UCF | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | |

## Schedule

* Index to colors and formatting
* American member won
* American member loss
* American teams in bold

### Week 1

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 21 UCF | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPNU | UCF 56–17 | 23,081 |
| August 30 | 8:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | CBSSN | L 17–23 $^{OT}$ | 15,478 |
| September 1 | Noon | Villanova | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA (Mayor's Cup) | ESPNews | L 17–19 | 32,357 |
| September 1 | Noon | Houston | Rice | Rice Stadium • Houston, TX (rivalry) | CBSSN | W 45–27 | 26,390 |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Elon | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN3 | W 34–14 | 31,217 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN3 | W 38–27 | 18,356 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Mercer | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN3 | W 66–14 | 33,697 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Cincinnati | UCLA | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA | ESPN | W 26–17 | 54,116 |
| September 1 | 7:30 pm | SMU | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Deton, TX (Safeway Bowl) | Stadium | L 23–46 | 29,519 |
| September 1 | 11:00 p.m. | Navy | Hawaii | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | CBSSN | L 41–59 | 29,702 |
| September 2 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 14 (FCS) North Carolina A&T | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN3 | L 23–28 | 38,640 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 2

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 7 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 16 TCU | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX (Rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 12–42 | 24,216 |
| September 8 | Noon | Arizona | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ABC/ESPN2 | W 45–18 | 32,534 |
| September 8 | Noon | Georgia Tech | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ABC | W 49–38 | 34,182 |
| September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Memphis | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | Navy 22–21 | 31,762 |
| September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Buffalo | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN3 | L 29–36 | 25,511 |
| September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | North Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNU | W 41–19 | 39,298 |
| September 8 | 6:00 pm | South Carolina State | No. 19 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN3 | W 38–0 | 43,269 |
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Cincinnati | Paul Brown Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell) | ESPN3 | W 21–0 | 65,515 |
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 11 (FCS) Nicholls State | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN3 | W 42–17 | 21,092 |
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin TX | LHN | L 21–28 | 90563 |
| September 8 | 10:15 p.m. | Connecticut | No. 20 Boise State | Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID | ESPNU | L 7–62 | 34,515 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 3

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN | W 59–22 | 27,678 |
| September 15 | Noon | No. 18 UCF | North Carolina | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | ESPNU | Cancelled | |
| September 15 | Noon | Rhode Island | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT (Rivalry) | SNY/ESPN3 | W 56–49 | 20,691 |
| September 15 | Noon | Temple | Maryland | Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | W 35–14 | 32,057 |
| September 15 | Noon | Tulane | UAB | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | Stadium | L 24–31 | 21,991 |
| September 15 | 12:20 p.m. | East Carolina | No. 13 Virginia Tech | Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA | ACCN | Cancelled | |
| September 15 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | Illinois | Soldier Field • Chicago, IL | BTN | W 25–19 | 21,725 |
| September 15 | 3:30 p.m. | Lehigh | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | W 51–21 | 30,011 |
| September 15 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | No. 19 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | BTN | L 20–45 | 110,549 |
| September 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Houston | Texas Tech | Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX | FOX | L 49–63 | 53,484 |
| September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Alabama A&M | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN3 | W 63–7 | 28,834 |
| September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | CBSSN | L 20–29 | 17,349 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
* 1 2 This game has been cancelled in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

### Week 4

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN | TEM 31–17 | 24,217 |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | No. 16 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN | W 56–36 | 44,257 |
| September 22 | Noon | Navy | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX (Gansz Trophy) | ESPNews | SMU 31–30 | 17,531 |
| September 22 | Noon | Ohio | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPNU | W 34–30 | 35,220 |
| September 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | No. 4 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | BTN | L 6–49 | 103,336 |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | Connecticut | Syracuse | Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY | ESPNews | L 21–51 | 36,632 |
| September 22 | 8:00 p.m. | Texas Southern | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN3 | W 70–14 | 29,970 |
| September 22 | 8:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | WMC/ESPN3 | W 52–35 | 27,765 |
| September 22 | 8:00 p.m. | East Carolina | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPNews | USF 20–13 | 34,562 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 5

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 28 | 8:00 p.m. | Memphis | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | TULN 40–24 | 16,631 |
| September 29 | Noon | Temple | Boston College | Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA | ESPNU | L 35–45 | 40,111 |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Pittsburgh | No. 13 UCF | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX | ESPNU | W 45–14 | 44,904 |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Old Dominion | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN3 | W 37–35 | 35,047 |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | CBSSN | CINCI 49–7 | 20,322 |
| September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | Houston Baptist | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX | ESPN3 | W 63–27 | 18,983 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| Sept. 29 | Tulsa, Navy, Houston, South Florida |

### Week 6

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 4 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN | HOU 41–26 | 29,823 |
| October 6 | Noon | Tulane | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPNU | CIN 37–21 | 32,200 |
| October 6 | Noon | East Carolina | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNews | TEM 49–6 | 26,681 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m | Navy | Air Force | Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBSSN | L 7–35 | 40,175 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | Massachusetts | Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA | ELVN | W 58–42 | 7,988 |
| October 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Connecticut | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | CBSSN | MEM 55–14 | 27,581 |
| October 6 | 7:00 p.m. | SMU | No. 12 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | UCF 48–20 | 40,856 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 7

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 12 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 23 South Florida | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN | USF 25–24 | 16,142 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | Temple | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | TEM 24–17 | 30,106 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 10 UCF | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ABC/ESPN2 | UCF 31–30 | 38,831 |
| October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Houston | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | CBSSN | HOU 42–20 | 29,851 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| Oct. 13 | Tulane, SMU, Cincinnati, Connecticut |

### Week 8

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 20 | Noon | Tulsa | Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR | SECN | L 0–23 | 56,691 |
| October 20 | Noon | No. 20 Cincinnati | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNU | TEM 24–17 $^{OT}$ | 33,026 |
| October 20 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNU | SMU 27–23 | 13,987 |
| October 20 | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | HOU 49–36 | 33,924 |
| October 20 | 4:00 p.m. | Memphis | Missouri | Faurot Field • Columbia, MO | SECN | L 33–65 | 52,917 |
| October 20 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 10 UCF | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC (Rivalry) | ESPN2 | UCF 37–10 | 31,159 |
| October 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Connecticut | No. 21 South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | CBSSN | USF 38–30 | 42,127 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 9

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 27 | Noon | Massachusetts | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT (Rivalry) | ESPNU | L 17–22 | 24,150 |
| October 27 | 3:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX | CBSSN | CIN 26–20 $^{OT}$ | 16,121 |
| October 27 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 21 South Florida | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ABC/ESPN2 | HOU 57–36 | 31,631 |
| October 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Tulane | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPNU | TULN 24–17 | 16,133 |
| October 27 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 3 Notre Dame | Navy | SDCCU Stadium • San Diego, CA (Rip Miller Trophy) | CBS | L 22–44 | 63,626 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| Oct. 27 | Memphis, UCF, Temple, East Carolina |

### Week 10

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Temple | No. 9 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN | UCF 52–40 | 41,153 |
| November 3 | Noon | Memphis | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNU | MEM 59–41 | 29,127 |
| November 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | CBSSN | TULN 41–15 | 31,388 |
| November 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPNU | CIN 42–0 | 36,318 |
| November 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Connecticut | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | CBSSN | TULSA 49–19 | 17,451 |
| November 3 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 17 Houston | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX (rivalry) | ESPNU | SMU 45–31 | 23,654 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 11

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | MEM 47–21 | 27,905 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | SMU | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPN3 | SMU 62–50 | 19,096 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | No. 11 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN2 | UCF 35–24 | 44,738 |
| November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNews | TULN 24–18 | 20,860 |
| November 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | CBSSN | TEMP 59–49 | 30,862 |
| November 10 | 7:00 p.m. | South Florida | No. 25 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPNU | CIN 25–23 | 29,310 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 12

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 15 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulane | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN | HOU 48–17 | 24,209 |
| November 16 | 9:00 p.m. | Memphis | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX | ESPN2 | MEM 28–18 | 15,794 |
| November 17 | Noon | South Florida | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNews | TEM 27–17 | 21,029 |
| November 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 37–29 | 31,517 |
| November 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Connecticut | East Carolina | Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium • Greenville, NC | CBSSN | ECU 55–21 | 27,234 |
| November 17 | 8:00 p.m. | Cincinnati | No. 11 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ABC | UCF 38–13 | 47,795 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 13

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 23 | Noon | Houston | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ABC | MEM 52–31 | 27,790 |
| November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | CBSSN | CIN 56–6 | 21,230 |
| November 23 | 4:15 p.m. | No. 8 UCF | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL (War on I–4) | ESPN | UCF 38–10 | 57,626 |
| November 24 | Noon | Navy | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNU | TULN 29–28 | 20,042 |
| November 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Temple | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPNU | TEM 57–7 | 18,203 |
| November 24 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | Tulsa | H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | CBSSN | TLSA 27–24 | 17,159 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 14

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 1 | Noon | East Carolina | NC State | Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC | ACCN Extra | L 3–58 | 57,223 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### AAC Championship game

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 1 | 3:30 pm | Memphis | No. 7 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | ABC | UCF 56–41 | 45,176 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 15

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 8 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 22 Army | Navy | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBS | L 10–17 | 66,729 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Bowl games

Legend :
* The American win
* The American loss
| Bowl game | Date | Site | Television | Time | American team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| Cure Bowl | December 15 | Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL | CBSSN | 2:30 p.m. | Tulane | Louisiana | 41–24 | 19,066 |
| Gasparilla Bowl | December 20 | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN | 8:00 p.m. | South Florida | Marshall | 20–38 | 14,135 |
| Birmingham Bowl | December 22 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | ESPN | Noon | Memphis | Wake Forest | 34–37 | 25,717 |
| Armed Forces | December 22 | Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | Army | 14–70 | 44,738 |
| Independence | December 27 | Independence Stadium • Shreveport, LA | ESPN | 1:30 p.m. | Temple | Duke | 27–56 | 27,492 |
| Military Bowl | December 30 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN | Noon | Cincinnati | Virginia Tech | 35–31 | 32,832 |
| New Years Six bowl games |||||||||
| Fiesta Bowl | January 1 | State Farm Stadium • Glendale, AZ | ESPN | 1:00 p.m. | No. 8 UCF | No. 11 LSU | 32–40 | 57,246 |
(Rankings from final CFP Poll; All times Eastern)

## American vs other conferences
### American vs Power conference matchups

This is a list of the power conference teams (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Notre Dame, Pac-12 and SEC) The American will playing during the 2018 season.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| August 30 | Wake Forest | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | 17–23 $^{OT}$ |
| September 1 | Cincinnati | UCLA | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA | 26–17 |
| September 7 | TCU | SMU | Ford Staduium • Dallas, TX | 12–42 |
| September 8 | Arizona | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | 45–18 |
| September 8 | North Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | 41–19 |
| September 8 | Georgia Tech | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | 49–38 |
| September 8 | Tulsa | Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | 21–28 |
| September 15 | Temple | Maryland | Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD | 35–14 |
| September 15 | South Florida | Illinois | Soldier Field • Chicago, IL | 25–19 |
| September 15 | SMU | Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | 20–45 |
| September 15 | Houston | Texas Tech | Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX | 49–63 |
| September 22 | Tulane | Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | 6–49 |
| September 22 | Connecticut | Syracuse | Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY | 21–51 |
| September 29 | Pittsburgh | No. 13 UCF | Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, FL | 45–14 |
| September 29 | Temple | Boston College | Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA | 35–45 |
| October 20 | Memphis | Missouri | Faurot Field • Columbia, MO | 33–65 |
| October 20 | Tulsa | Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR | 0–23 |
| October 27 | Notre Dame | Navy | SDCCU Stadium • San Diego, CA | 22–44 |
| December 1 | East Carolina | NC State | Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC | 3–58 |

### Records against other conferences

| Power Conferences | Record |
| ACC | 3–4 |
| Big Ten | 2–2 |
| Big 12 | 0–3 |
| Notre Dame | 0–1 |
| Pac-12 | 2–0 |
| SEC | 0–2 |
| Power Conference Total | 7–12 |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| C-USA | 3–2 |
| Independents (excluding Notre Dame) | 1–1 |
| MAC | 2–1 |
| Mountain West | 0–3 |
| Sun Belt | 2–2 |
| Other FBS Total | 8–8 |
| FCS Opponents | Record |
| CAA | 2–1 |
| MEAC | 1–1 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| Southland | 3–0 |
| Southern | 1–0 |
| SWAC | 2–0 |
| FCS Total | 10–2 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | 25–22 |
| Power Conferences | Record |
| ACC | 1–2 |
| SEC | 0–1 |
| Power Conferences Total | 1–3 |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| C-USA | 0–1 |
| Independent | 0–1 |
| Sun Belt | 1–0 |
| Other FBS Total | 1–2 |
| Total Bowl Record | 2–5 |

## Awards and honors
### Players of the week

| Week | Offensive | Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special Teams | Special Teams | Special Teams |
| Week | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team |
| Week 1 | McKenzie Milton | QB | UCF | Bryan Wright Ed Oliver | LB DT | Cincinnati Houston | Thomas Bennett | P | Tulsa |
| Week 2 | D'Eriq King | QB | Houston | Sean Williams | S | Memphis | Terrence Horne, Jr. | KR | South Florida |
| Week 3 | Darrell Henderson Blake Barnett | RB QB | Memphis South Florida | Michael Dogbe | DT | Temple | Bennett Moehring | K | Navy |
| Week 4 | McKenzie Milton | QB | UCF | Quincy Roche | DE | Temple | Reggie Roberson Jr. | WR/KR | SMU |
| Week 5 | McKenzie Milton | QB | UCF | Nate Harvey | DE | East Carolina | Jake Verity | K | East Carolina |
| Week 6 | Jordan Cronkrite | RB | USF | Titus Davis | DE | UCF | Isaiah Wright | WR | Temple |
| Week 7 | McKenzie Milton | QB | UCF | Ed Oliver | DT | Houston | Matthew Wright Coby Weiss | K K | UCF USF |
| Week 8 | D'Eriq King | QB | Houston | Nate Evans Austin Robinson | LB LB | UCF Houston | Matthew Wright | K | UCF |
| Week 9 | D'Eriq King | QB | Houston | James Wiggins | S | Cincinnati | Cole Smith | K | Cincinnati |
| Week 10 | Ben Hicks | QB | SMU | Cortez Broughton Kyran Mitchell | DT LB | Cincinnati SMU | Merek Glover | K | SMU |
| Week 11 | Ryquell Armstead | RB | Temple | Roderic Teamer | S | Tulane | Pop Williams | WR | Memphis |
| Week 12 | Holton Ahlers | QB | East Carolina | Titus Davis | DE | UCF | Isaiah Wright | WR | Temple |
| Week 13 | Justin McMillian | QB | Tulane | Arquon Bush | CB | Cincinnati | Isaiah Wright | WR | Temple |

### Conference awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the American Athletic Conference football coaches at the end of the season
2018 American Athletic Conference Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Offensive Player of the Year | McKenzie Milton |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Nate Harvey |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Isaiah Wright |
| Rookie of the Year | Desmond Ridder |
| Coach of the Year | Luke Fickell |
2018 All-American Athletic Conference Football Teams :
| First Team | First Team | Second Team | Second Team |
| Offense | Defense | Offense | Defense |
| WR – Trevon Brown, ECU WR – Marquez Stevenson, Houston WR – James Proche, SMU OT – Dino Boyd, Cincinnati OT – Jake Brown, UCF OG – Cole Schneider, UCF OG – Dustin Woodard, Memphis C – Jordan Johnson, UCF TE – Mitchell Wilcox, USF QB – McKenzie Milton, UCF RB – Darrell Henderson^, Memphis RB – Ryquell Armstead, Temple K – Jake Verity, ECU RS – John Williams, Memphis RS – Isaiah Wright, Temple | DL – Cortez Broughton, Cincinnati DL – Nate Harvey, ECU DL – Ed Oliver, Houston DL – Michael Dogbe, Temple LB – Nate Evans, UCF LB – Perry Young, Cincinnati LB – Austin Robinson, Houston LB – Shaun Bradley, Temple CB – Nevelle Clarke, UCF CB – Rock Ya-Sin, Temple S – Richie Grant, UCF S – Delvon Randall, Temple P – James Smith, Cincinnati | WR – Gabe Davis, UCF WR – Damonte Coxie, Memphis WR – Ventell Bryant, Temple OT – Wyatt Miller, UCF OT – Trevon Tate, Memphis OG – Jovahn Fair, Temple OG – Tyler Bowling, Tulsa C – Garrett Campbell, Cincinnati TE – Josiah Deguara, Cincinnati QB – D'Eriq King, Houston RB – Michael Warren II, Cincinnati RB – Adrian Killins, UCF K – Matthew Wright, UCF RS – Adrian Killins, UCF | DL – Titus Davis, UCF DL – Marquise Copeland, Cincinnati DL – Brendon Hayes, UCF DL – Kimoni Fitz, Cincinnati DL – Patrick Johnson, Tulane LB – Pat Jasinski, UCF LB – Bryce Huff, Memphis LB – Khalid McGee, USF LB – Zachery Harris, Tulane CB – TJ Carter, Memphis CB – Donnie Lewis, Tulane S – James Wiggins, Cincinnati S – Roderic Teamer, Tulane P – Thomas Bennett, Tulsa |
| $^^$ - denotes unanimous selection Additional players added to the All-American teams due to ties in the voting ||||

## NFL Draft

The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2019 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | School | Draft Round | Round Pick | Overall Pick | Team |
| Ed Oliver | DT | Houston | 1 | 9 | 9 | Buffalo Bills |
| Rock Ya-Sin | CB | Temple | 2 | 2 | 34 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Trysten Hill | DT | UCF | 2 | 26 | 58 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Darrell Henderson | RB | Memphis | 3 | 6 | 70 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Tony Pollard | RB | Memphis | 4 | 26 | 128 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Isaiah Johnson | CB | Houston | 4 | 27 | 129 | Oakland Raiders |
| Ryquell Armstead | RB | Temple | 5 | 2 | 140 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Emeke Egbule | LB | Houston | 6 | 27 | 200 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Donnie Lewis | CB | Tulane | 7 | 7 | 221 | Cleveland Browns |
| Cortez Broughton | DT | Cincinnati | 7 | 28 | 242 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Michael Dogbe | DE | Temple | 7 | 35 | 249 | Arizona Cardinals |