# 2021 American Athletic Conference football season

The 2021 American Athletic Conference football season was the 30th NCAA Division I FBS Football season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season was the ninth since the former Big East Conference dissolved and became the American Athletic Conference and the eighth season of the College Football Playoff in place. The American was 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.

## Previous season

Cincinnati secured their second consecutive championship game appearance and faced Tulsa in the 2020 AAC Championship game.
Six teams participated in bowl games during the 2020 season; the league went 1–5.
Tulane lost to Nevada 38-27 in the 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. UCF lost to BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl 49-23. Memphis defeated Florida Atlantic 25–10 in the Montgomery Bowl. Houston lost to Hawaii 28-14 in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. No. 24 Tulsa lost to Mississippi State 28-26 in the 2020 Armed Forces Bowl in a game that ended with a benches clearing brawl.
In the New Year's Six Game, No. 8 Cincinnati lost in an instant classic to No. 9 Georgia 24–21 in the Peach Bowl.

## Preseason
### Recruiting classes

Rankings :
| Team | Rivals | 24/7 |
| Cincinnati | 39 | 45 |
| East Carolina | 100 | 97 |
| Houston | 85 | 84 |
| Memphis | 48 | 47 |
| Navy | 68 | 104 |
| SMU | 61 | 51 |
| South Florida | 56 | 64 |
| Temple | | 117 |
| Tulane | 85 | 81 |
| Tulsa | | 127 |
| UCF | 54 | 58 |

### American Athletic Conference Media Days

The 2021 American Media day was held virtually August 3 and 4, 2021
•2021 The American Virtual Football Media Days

#### Preseason media poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021. Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Cincinnati | 262 (22) |
| 2 | UCF | 241 (2) |
| 3 | SMU | 188 |
| 4 | Houston | 181 |
| 5 | Memphis | 168 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 153 |
| 7 | Tulane | 132 |
| т-8 | East Carolina | 85 |
| т-8 | Navy | 85 |
| 10 | Temple | 46 |
| 11 | South Florida | 43 |

### Preseason awards

| Award | Head Coach/Player | School | Position |
| Lott Trophy | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati | CB |
| Dodd Trophy | Luke Fickell | Cincinnati | HC |
| Maxwell Award | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB |
| Maxwell Award | Calvin Austin | Memphis | WR |
| Maxwell Award | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | RB |
| Maxwell Award | Reggie Roberson Jr. | SMU | WR |
| Maxwell Award | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB |
| Bednarik Award | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | CB |
| Bednarik Award | Myjai Sanders | Cincinnati | DE |
| Bednarik Award | Quindell Johnson | Memphis | S |
| Bednarik Award | Diego Fagot | Navy | LB |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB |
| Doak Walker Award | Rahjai Harris | East Carolina | RB |
| Doak Walker Award | Mulbah Car | Houston | RB |
| Doak Walker Award | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | RB |
| Doak Walker Award | Cameron Carroll | Tulane | RB |
| Doak Walker Award | Shamari Brooks | Tulsa | RB |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Calvin Austin | Memphis | WR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Rashee Rice | SMU | WR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Reggie Roberson Jr. | SMU | WR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Keylon Stokes | Tulsa | WR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Jaylon Robinson | UCF | WR |
| John Mackey Award | Josh Whyle | Cincinnati | TE |
| John Mackey Award | Grant Calcaterra | SMU | TE |
| Rimington Trophy | Kody Russey | Houston | OL |
| Rimington Trophy | C.J. Perez | Temple | OL |
| Rimington Trophy | Sincere Haynesworth | Tulane | OL |
| Outland Trophy | Dylan Parham | Memphis | G |
| Outland Trophy | Jaylon Thomas | SMU | T |
| Outland Trophy | Corey Dublin | Tulane | G |
| Outland Trophy | Tyler Smith | Tulsa | T |
| Outland Trophy | Cole Schneider | UCF | DT |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Diego Fagot | Navy | LB |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | CB |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Myjai Sanders | Cincinnati | DE |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Jaxon Player | Tulsa | DT |
| Lou Groza Award | Blake Mazza | SMU | PK |
| Paul Hornung Award | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | WR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Nathaniel Dell | Houston | WR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Danny Gray | SMU | WR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Jha'Quan Jackson | Tulane | WR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Keylon Stokes | Tulsa | WR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Holton Ahlers | East Carolina | QB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Marcus Jones | Houston | DB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Preston Brady | Memphis | LS |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Shaine Hailey | SMU | LB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Mitchell Brinkman | South Florida | CB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Re-Al Mitchell | Temple | QB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Nick Anderson | Tulane | LB |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Chris Paul | Tulsa | OG |
| Walter Camp Award | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB |
| Walter Camp Award | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB |
| Manning Award | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB |
| Manning Award | Michael Pratt | Tulane | QB |
| Manning Award | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Clayton Tune | Houston | QB |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Sean Dykes | Memphis | TE |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | RB |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Reggie Roberson, Jr. | SMU | RB |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Deneric Prince | Tulsa | RB |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Keylon Stokes | Tulsa | WR |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | Jaylon Robinson | UCF | WR |
| Ray Guy Award | Jonn Young | East Carolina | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Laine Wilkins | Houston | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Daniel Davies | Navy | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Adam Barry | Temple | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Ryan Wright | Tulane | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Lachlan Wilson | Tulsa | P |
| Ray Guy Award | Andrew Osteen | UCF | P |
| Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year Award | Tama Tuitele | Navy | LB |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Clayton Tune | Houston | QB |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | QB |

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes

On January 27, 2021 Josh Heupel departed UCF to Tennessee. Gus Malzahn was hired to serve as the new head coach on February 15, 2021.

### Coaches

Note: All stats current through the completion of the 2021 regular season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | AAC record |
| Cincinnati | Luke Fickell | 5 | 53–21 (.716) | 47–14 (.770) | 29–9 (.763) |
| East Carolina | Mike Houston | 3 | 94–44 (.681) | 14–19 (.424) | 4–12 (.250) |
| Houston | Dana Holgorsen | 3 | 68–54 (.557) | 7–13 (.350) | 5–9 (.357) |
| Memphis | Ryan Silverfield | 2 | 8–4 (.667) | 8–4 (.667) | 5–3 (.625) |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | 14 | 101–67 (.601) | 101–67 (.601) | 30–17 (.638) |
| SMU | Sonny Dykes | 4 | 63–59 (.516) | 22–14 (.611) | 14–9 (.609) |
| South Florida | Jeff Scott | 2 | 1–8 (.111) | 1–8 (.111) | 0–7 (.000) |
| Temple | Rod Carey | 3 | 61–41 (.598) | 9–11 (.450) | 6–9 (.400) |
| Tulane | Willie Fritz | 6 | 185–112 (.623) | 31–43 (.419) | 16–32 (.333) |
| Tulsa | Philip Montgomery | 7 | 37–46 (.446) | 37–46 (.446) | 24–29 (.453) |
| UCF | Gus Malzahn | 1 | 85–42 (.669) | 8–4 (.667) | 5–3 (.625) |
Source:

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop 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 | Final |
| Cincinnati | AP | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Cincinnati | C | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cincinnati | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 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 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 17 |
| Houston | C | RV | | | | | RV | RV | RV | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 17 |
| Houston | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | 24 | 24 | 21 | 20 | |
| Memphis | AP | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Memphis | C | | | 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 | | | | | RV | 24 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 23 | RV | RV | | | |
| SMU | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 24 | RV | RV | | | |
| SMU | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| South Florida | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| South Florida | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 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 | | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulane | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | C | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tulsa | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| UCF | AP | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UCF | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UCF | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |

## Schedule

The regular season will begin on September 2, 2021 and will end on November 27, 2021. The season will conclude with the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Game on December 4.
At Media Day American Commissioner Mike Aresco said games will not be rescheduled this year because of COVID & if teams can’t play, they will have to forfeit

### 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 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Boise State | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN | W 36–31 | 43,928 |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Appalachian State | Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Duke's Mayo Classic) | ESPNU | L 19–33 | 36,752 |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | South Florida | NC State | Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC | ACC Network | L 0–45 | 52,633 |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 23 (FCS) UC Davis | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN+ | L 17–19 | 15,085 |
| September 4 | Noon | Temple | Rutgers | SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | L 14–61 | 52,519 |
| September 4 | Noon | No. 2 Oklahoma | Tulane | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK | ABC | L 35–40 | 42,206 |
| September 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) | No. 8 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell) | ESPN+ | W 49–14 | 37,978 |
| September 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Marshall | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | L 7–49 | 30,131 |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Texas Tech | Houston | NRG Stadium • Houston, TX (Texas Kickoff) | ESPN | L 21–38 | 43,478 |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 22 (FCS) Nicholls | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN+ | W 42–17 | 30,263 |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Abilene Christian | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN+ | W 56–9 | 23,373 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Two

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 11 | Noon | South Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN2 | L 17–20 | 40,816 |
| September 11 | Noon | Tulsa | Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | FS1 | L 23–28 | 52,127 |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 13 Florida | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ABC | L 20–42 | 64,692 |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Morgan State | Tulane | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | ESPN+ | W 69–20 | 2,100 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | Murray State | No. 7 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | W 42–7 | 33,498 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | Air Force | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBS | L 3–23 | 36,997 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | Temple | Akron | InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH | ESPN+ | W 45–24 | 14,474 |
| September 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Bethune-Cookman | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN+ | W 63–14 | 38,443 |
| September 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Houston | Rice | Rice Stadium • Houston, TX (rivalry) | CBSSN | W 44–7 | 26,253 |
| September 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | Arkansas State | Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR (Paint Bucket Bowl) | ESPN+ | W 55–50 | 19,501 |
| September 11 | 7:00 p.m. | North Texas | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Safeway Bowl) | ESPN+ | W 35–12 | 29,121 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Three

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | 7:30 p.m. | UCF | Louisville | Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY | ESPN | L 35–42 | 39,022 |
| September 18 | Noon | No. 8 Cincinnati | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ESPN | W 38–24 | 52,656 |
| September 18 | Noon | Boston College | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNU | L 3–28 | 25,290 |
| September 18 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | CBSSN | W 39–37 | 15,326 |
| September 18 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 9 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | FS1 | L 20–41 | 76,540 |
| September 18 | 4:00 p.m. | Mississippi State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN2 | W 31–29 | 43,461 |
| September 18 | 6:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV (rivalry) | CBSSN Facebook | W 42–38 | 24,833 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Grambling State | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN+ | W 45–0 | 22,998 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida A&M | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN+ | W 38–17 | 29,475 |
| September 18 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulane | No. 17 Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 21–61 | 54,198 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| September 18 | Navy |

#### Week Four

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 25 | Noon | SMU | TCU | Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX (rivalry) | FS1 | W 42–34 | 46,672 |
| September 25 | Noon | Wagner | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | W 41–7 | 20,179 |
| September 25 | 3:30 p.m. | UTSA | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | L 28–31 | 29,264 |
| September 25 | 5:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN+ | W 41–34 | 14,881 |
| September 25 | 6:00 p.m. | Charleston Southern | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN+ | W 31–28 | 39,218 |
| September 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Navy | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPNU | HOU 28–20 | 25,054 |
| September 25 | 8:00 p.m. | UAB | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | L 21–28 | 16,023 |
| September 25 | 10:15 p.m. | South Florida | No. 15 BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | ESPN2 | L 27–35 | 60,217 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| September 25 | UCF | No. 8 Cincinnati |

#### Week Five

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Houston | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK (rivalry) | ESPN | HOU 45–10 | 15,890 |
| October 2 | Noon | Memphis | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNU | TEM 34–31 | 28,573 |
| October 2 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Cincinnati | No. 9 Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | NBC | W 24–13 | 77,622 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN+ | ECU 52–29 | 33,475 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | UCF | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 34–30 | 30,871 |
| October 2 | 4:00 p.m. | South Florida | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPNU | SMU 41–17 | 23,355 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Six

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Houston | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN | HOU 40–22 | 15,026 |
| October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | No. 5 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN | CIN 52–3 | 37,978 |
| October 9 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 24 SMU | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD (Gansz Trophy) | CBSSN | SMU 31–24 | 28,563 |
| October 9 | 6:00 p.m. | East Carolina | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN+ | UCF 20–16 | 41,649 |
| October 9 | 9:00 p.m. | Memphis | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN2 | TLSA 35–29 | 17,593 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| October 9 | South Florida |

#### Week Seven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Navy | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN | MEM 35–17 | 30,042 |
| October 16 | Noon | UCF | No. 3 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ABC | CIN 56–21 | 37,978 |
| October 16 | Noon | Tulsa | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPNU | TLSA 32–31 | 21,767 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 16 | East Carolina | Houston | No. 23 SMU | Temple | Tulane |

#### Week Eight

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane | No. 21 SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN | SMU 55–26 | 22,843 |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPN2 | UCF 24–7 | 39,328 |
| October 23 | Noon | No. 2 Cincinnati | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN2 | CIN 27–20 | 32,004 |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN+ | USF 34–14 | 25,430 |
| October 23 | 9:20 p.m. | East Carolina | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPNews | HOU 31–24 $^{OT}$ | 22,925 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
* ^α This game was initially scheduled for ESPNU at 4PM ET, but moved to 9:20PM ET on ESPNews because of a rain delay..
| Date | Bye Week |
| October 23 | Tulsa |

#### Week Nine

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 28 | 7:30 p.m. | South Florida | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN | ECU 29–14 | 32,015 |
| October 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Navy | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN2 | NAVY 20–17 | 16,279 |
| October 30 | Noon | UCF | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | UCF 49–7 | 19,595 |
| October 30 | Noon | No. 2 Cincinnati | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | CIN 31–12 | 17,012 |
| October 30 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 19 SMU | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | HOU 44–37 | 25,676 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| October 30 | Memphis |

#### Week Ten

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 6 | Noon | No. 23 SMU | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | MEM 28–25 | 30,191 |
| November 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Temple | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN+ | ECU 45–3 | 32,817 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 2 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (College GameDay) | ESPN2 | CIN 28–20 | 37,978 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | No. 8 Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | L 6–34 | 77,096 |
| November 6 | 4:00 p.m. | Tulane | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | UCF 14–10 | 41,030 |
| November 6 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 20 Houston | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPNU | HOU 54–42 | 28,667 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Eleven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 12 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 2 Cincinnati | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN2 | CIN 48–28 | 30,708 |
| November 13 | Noon | UCF | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPNU | SMU 55–28 | 23,175 |
| November 13 | Noon | No. 17 Houston | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+ | HOU 37–8 | 18,440 |
| November 13 | Noon | East Carolina | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN+ | ECU 30–29 $^{OT}$ | 28,431 |
| November 13 | 4:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNU | TLSA 20–13 $^{OT}$ | 22,784 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| November 13 | Navy |

#### Week Twelve

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 19 | 9:00 p.m. | Memphis | No. 17 Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN2 | HOU 31–13 | 28,712 |
| November 20 | Noon | South Florida | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | TULN 45–14 | 14,496 |
| November 20 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | No. 3 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN | CIN 48–14 | 37,978 |
| November 20 | 3:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | ECU 38–35 | 28,001 |
| November 20 | 4:00 p.m. | UConn | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL (Civil Conflict) | ESPN+ | W 49–17 | 37,454 |
| November 20 | 4:00 p.m. | Temple | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN+ | TLSA 44–10 | 16,731 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Thirteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 26 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 4 Cincinnati | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ABC | CIN 35–13 | 38,014 |
| November 26 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL (War on I-4) | ESPN | UCF 17–13 | 41,157 |
| November 27 | Noon | No. 19 Houston | UConn | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | CBSSN | W 45–17 | 12,685 |
| November 27 | Noon | Navy | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNU | NAVY 38–14 | 16,708 |
| November 27 | 4:00 p.m. | Tulsa | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN2 | TLSA 34–31 | 17,158 |
| November 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | MEM 33–28 | 27,416 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Fourteen (American Athletic Conference Championship)

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 4 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 16 Houston | No. 3 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ABC | CIN 35–20 | 37,978 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

#### Week Fifteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 11 | 3:00 p.m. | Navy | Army | Metlife Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (122nd Army-Navy Game/Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBS | W 17–13 | 82,282 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
* ↑ Originally scheduled to be played as a home game, the game against Oklahoma was moved to Norman, Oklahoma on August 30, 2021, due to safety concerns related to Hurricane Ida. Tulane will remain the designated home team despite Oklahoma hosting the game.
* ↑ Originally scheduled to be played as a home game, the game against Morgan State was moved to Birmingham, Alabama due continued storm repairs taking place in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida. Tulane remained the designated home team.

## Postseason
### Bowl games

In 2021 the American will send teams to the Military Bowl, Fenway Bowl, and Hawaii Bowl annually. The American will have four selections from the following bowls:Frisco Bowl, Cure Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl. Birmingham Bowl, First Responder Bowl and Myrtle Beach 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.

#### Cancelled bowls

The following bowl games tied in with the American Athletic Conference had their 2021 editions canceled :
* ^A Memphis was originally slated to play in the Hawaii Bowl against Hawaii on December 24. Hawaii was forced to withdraw from the bowl game due to a shortage of available players, stemming from a combination of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team, players already out with injury, and players who transferred away from the school at the conclusion of the regular season.
* ^B East Carolina was originally slated to play in the Military Bowl against Boston College on December 27. On December 26 the game was cancelled after Boston College had over 40 players unavailable to play in the Military Bowl against East Carolina. In a statement, Boston College said it did not have enough players to field a team because of coronavirus issues, season-ending injuries, opt-outs and transfers.
* ^C SMU was originally slated to play in the Fenway Bowl against Virginia on December 29. Virginia was forced to withdraw game due to the number of COVID cases impacting its roster, preventing safe participation. As a result of this withdrawal, the game and associated activities will no longer take place
Legend :
* American win
* American loss
| Bowl game | Date | Site | Television | Time (EST) | American team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | December 20, 2021 | Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC | ESPN | 2:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Old Dominion | W 30–17 | 6,557 |
| Gasparilla Bowl | December 23, 2021 | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN | 7:00 p.m. | UCF | Florida | W 29–17 | 63,669 |
| Hawaii Bowl | December 24, 2021 | Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Honolulu, HI | ESPN | 8:00 p.m. | Memphis | Hawaii | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| Military Bowl | December 27, 2021 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN | 2:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Boston College | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| Birmingham Bowl | December 28, 2021 | Protective Stadium • Birmingham, AL | ESPN | 12:00 p.m. | No. 20 Houston | Auburn | W 17–13 | 47,100 |
| Fenway Bowl | December 29, 2021 | Fenway Park • Boston, MA | ESPN | 11:00 a.m. | SMU | Virginia | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| College Football Playoff |||||||||
| Cotton Bowl Classic | December 31, 2021 | AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. | No. 4 Cincinnati | No. 1 Alabama | L 6–27 | 76,313 |
Rankings from Final CFP rankings. All times Eastern Time Zone. American teams bolded.

### Selection of teams

* Bowl-eligible (7): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, UCF, Tulsa
* Bowl-ineligible: (4): Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulane

## American vs other conferences
### American vs Power Five matchups

The following games include American teams competing against Power Five conferences teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, BYU/Notre Dame, Pac-12 and SEC). All rankings are from the AP Poll at the time of the game.
| Date | Conference | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| September 2 | ACC | South Florida | NC State | Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC | L 0–45 |
| September 4 | Big 12 | Texas Tech | Houston | NRG Stadium • Houston, TX | L 21–38 |
| September 4 | Big Ten | Temple | Rutgers | SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | L 14–61 |
| September 4 | Big 12 | No. 2 Oklahoma | Tulane | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK | L 35–40 |
| September 11 | SEC | South Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | L 17–20 |
| September 11 | SEC | No. 13 Florida | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | L 20–42 |
| September 11 | Big 12 | Tulsa | Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | L 23–28 |
| September 17 | ACC | UCF | Louisville | Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY | L 35–42 |
| September 18 | Big Ten | No. 8 Cincinnati | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | W 38–24 |
| September 18 | SEC | Mississippi State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 31–29 |
| September 18 | ACC | Boston College | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | L 3–28 |
| September 18 | SEC | Tulane | No. 17 Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | L 21–61 |
| September 18 | Big Ten | Tulsa | No. 9 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | L 20–41 |
| September 25 | Independent | South Florida | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | L 27–35 |
| September 25 | Big 12 | SMU | TCU | Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX | W 42–34 |
| October 2 | Independent | No. 7 Cincinnati | No. 9 Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 24–13 |
| November 6 | Independent | Navy | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | L 6–34 |

### American vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include American teams competing against teams from C-USA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt.
| Date | Conference | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| September 2 | Sun Belt | East Carolina | Appalachian State | Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC | L 19–33 |
| September 4 | Mountain West | Boise State | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | W 36–31 |
| September 4 | MAC | Miami (OH) | No. 8 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium• Cincinnati, OH | W 49–14 |
| September 4 | C-USA | Marshall | Navy | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | L 7–49 |
| September 11 | C-USA | Houston | Rice | Rice Stadium • Houston, TX | W 44–7 |
| September 11 | Sun Belt | Memphis | Arkansas State | Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | W 55–50 |
| September 11 | Mountain West | Air Force | Navy | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | L 3–23 |
| September 11 | C-USA | North Texas | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | W 35–12 |
| September 11 | MAC | Temple | Akron | InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH | W 45–24 |
| September 18 | C-USA | East Carolina | Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV | W 42–38 |
| September 18 | C-USA | SMU | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | W 39–37 |
| September 25 | C-USA | UTSA | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | L 28–31 |
| September 25 | C-USA | UAB | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | L 21–28 |
| September 25 | Sun Belt | Arkansas State | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | W 41–34 |

### American vs FBS independents matchups

The following games include American teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn or UMass.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| November 20 | UConn | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | W 49–17 |
| November 27 | No. 19 Houston | UConn | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | W 45–17 |
| December 11 | Army | Navy | MetLife Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ | W 17–13 |

### American vs FCS matchups

The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| September 2 | UC Davis | Tulsa | H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | L 17–19 |
| September 4 | Abilene Christian | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | W 56–9 |
| September 4 | Nicholls | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 42–17 |
| September 11 | Murray State | No. 7 Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 42–7 |
| September 11 | Morgan State | Tulane | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 69–20 |
| September 11 | Bethune-Cookman | UCF | Bounce House • Orlando, FL | W 63–14 |
| September 18 | Grambling State | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | W 45–0 |
| September 18 | Florida A&M | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | W 38–17 |
| September 25 | Charleston Southern | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | W 31–28 |
| September 25 | Wagner | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | W 41–7 |

### Records against other conferences

| Power 5 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | 0–3 |
| Big Ten | 1–2 |
| Big 12 | 1–3 |
| BYU/Notre Dame | 1–2 |
| Pac-12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 2–4 |
| Power 5 Total | 5–11 |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| C–USA | 3–1 |
| Independents (Excluding BYU & Notre Dame) | 8–0 |
| MAC | 1–2 |
| Sun Belt | 2–0 |
| Other FBS Total | 14–3 |
| FCS Opponents | Record |
| Football Championship Subdivision | 9–1 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | 28–15 |
| Power Conferences 5 | Record |
| ACC | 0–0 |
| Big Ten | 0–0 |
| Big 12 | 0–0 |
| BYU/Notre Dame | 0–0 |
| Pac-12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 2–1 |
| Power 5 Total | 2–1 |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| C–USA | 1–0 |
| Independents (Excluding BYU & Notre Dame) | 0–0 |
| MAC | 0–0 |
| Mountain West | 0–0 |
| Sun Belt | 0–0 |
| Other FBS Total | 1–0 |
| Total Bowl Record | 3–1 |

## Awards and honors
### Player of the week honors

| Week | Offensive | Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Defensive | Specialist | Specialist | Specialist |
| Week | Player | Team | Position | Player | Team | Position | Player | Team | Position |
| WEEK 1 | Tanner Mordecai | SMU | QB | Kalia Davis | UCF | DL | Joe Doyle | Memphis | P |
| WEEK 2 | Calvin Austin | Memphis | WR | William Kwenkeu | Temple | LB | Mannie Nunnery | Houston | LB |
| WEEK 3 | Tanner Mordecai (2) | SMU | QB | Deshawn Pace | Cincinnati | LB | Calvin Austin | Memphis | WR |
| WEEK 4 | Davis Brin | Tulsa | QB | Derek Parish | Houston | LB | Marcus Jones | Houston | CB |
| WEEK 5 | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | QB | Taylor Robinson | Navy | S | Marcus Jones (2) | Houston | CB |
| WEEK 6 | Jerome Ford | Cincinnati | RB | Tatum Bethune | UCF | LB | Bryan Massey | SMU | S |
| WEEK 7 | Jerome Ford (2) | Cincinnati | RB | Justin Wright | Tulsa | LB | Brian Battie | South Florida | RB |
| WEEK 8 | Tanner Mordecai (3) | SMU | QB | Donavan Mutin | Houston | LB | Marcus Jones (3) | Houston | CB |
| WEEK 9 | Nathaniel Dell | Houston | WR | Malik Fleming | East Carolina | CB | Marcus Jones (4) | Houston | CB |
| WEEK 10 | Clayton Tune | Houston | QB | Rodney Owens | Memphis | CB | Brian Battie (2) | South Florida | RB |
| WEEK 11 | Tanner Mordecai (4) | SMU | QB | Justin Wright (2) | Tulsa | LB | Owen Daffer | East Carolina | K |
| WEEK 12 | Desmond Ridder (2) | Cincinnati | QB | Marcus Jones | Houston | CB | Owen Daffer (2) | East Carolina | K |
| WEEK 13 | Seth Henigan | Memphis | QB | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | CB | David Kemp | Memphis | K |

### American Athletic Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as chosen by the league's head coaches.
| Award | Player | School |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Sauce Gardner* | Cincinnati |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Marcus Jones | Houston |
| Rookie of the Year | Alton McCaskill | Houston |
| Coach of the Year | Luke Fickell | Cincinnati |

### All-Conference Teams

| Position | Player | Team |
| First Team Offense |||
| WR | Nathaniel Dell | Houston |
| WR | Calvin Austin * | Memphis |
| WR | Danny Gray | SMU |
| OT | Dylan O’Quinn | Cincinnati |
| OT | Patrick Paul | Houston |
| OG | Lorenz Metz | Cincinnati |
| OG | Dylan Parham | Memphis |
| C | Jake Renfro | Cincinnati |
| TE | Sean Dykes | Memphis |
| QB | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati |
| RB | Jerome Ford | Cincinnati |
| RB | Keaton Mitchell | East Carolina |
| First Team Defense |||
| DL | Big Kat Bryant | UCF |
| DL | Curtis Brooks | Cincinnati |
| DL | Myjai Sanders * | Cincinnati |
| DL | David Anenih | Houston |
| DL | Logan Hall | Houston |
| LB | Darrian Beavers | Cincinnati |
| LB | Joel Dublanko | Cincinnati |
| LB | JJ Russell | Memphis |
| LB | Diego Fagot | Navy |
| CB | Sauce Gardner * | Cincinnati |
| CB | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati |
| S | Bryan Cook | Cincinnati |
| S | Gervarrius Owens | Houston |
| First Team Special Teams |||
| K | Owen Daffer | East Carolina |
| P | Ryan Wright | Tulane |
| RS | Marcus Jones | Houston |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Second Team Offense |||
| WR | Ryan O’Keefe | UCF |
| WR | Alec Pierce | Cincinnati |
| WR | Tyler Snead | East Carolina |
| OT | Alan Ali | SMU |
| OT | Tyler Smith | Tulsa |
| OT | Lokahi Pauole | UCF |
| OG | Demetris Harris | South Florida |
| OG | Hayden Howerton | SMU |
| C | Kody Russey | Houston |
| TE | Grant Calcaterra | SMU |
| QB | Tanner Mordecai | SMU |
| RB | Alton McCaskill | Houston |
| RB | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU |
| Second Team Defense |||
| DL | John Tate IV | Memphis |
| DL | Derek Parish | Houston |
| DL | Elijah Chatman | SMU |
| DL | Jaxon Player | Tulsa |
| LB | Bruce Bivens | East Carolina |
| LB | Donavan Mutin | Houston |
| LB | Antonio Grier | South Florida |
| LB | Delano Robinson | SMU |
| CB | Ja'Quan McMillian | East Carolina |
| CB | Marcus Jones | Houston |
| S | Divaad Wilson | UCF |
| S | Quindell Johnson | Memphis |
| Second Team Special Teams |||
| K | Bijan Nichols | Navy |
| P | Jonn Young | East Carolina |
| RS | Bryan Massey | SMU |
* Denotes Unanimous Selection
All Conference Honorable Mentions:
* UCF: Tatum Bethune (LB), Cole Schneider (OG), Marcus Tatum (OT)
* Cincinnati: Marcus Brown (DL), Deshawn Pace (LB), Josh Whyle (TE)
* Houston: Laine Wilkins (P)
* South Florida: Jaren Mangham (RB), Spenser Shrader (P)
* SMU: Rashee Rice (WR)
* Temple: C.J. Perez (C)
* Tulane: Sincere Haynesworth (C), Dorian Williams (LB), Macon Clark (S)
* Tulsa: Chris Paul (OG), Justin Wright (LB)

### All-Americans

The 2021 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), Sporting News (TSN, from its historic name of The Sporting News), Sports Illustrated (SI), The Athletic (Athletic), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), College Football News (CFN), Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and Fox Sports (FOX).
Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. Players are chosen against other players playing at their position only. To be selected a consensus All-American, players must be chosen to the first team on at least half of the five official selectors as recognized by the NCAA. Second- and third-team honors are used to break ties. Players named first-team by all five selectors are deemed unanimous All-Americans. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine consensus and unanimous All-Americans.
| Position | Player | School | Selector | Consensus |
| First Team All-Americans ||||||
| CB | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | (AFCA, AP, CBS, ESPN, FWAA, The Athletic, TSN, USAT) | * |
| CB | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati | (AFCA, WCFF) | |
| DB | Marcus Jones | Houston | (AP) | |
| AP | Marcus Jones | Houston | (CBS, ESPN, FWAA, The Athletic, TSN, USAT) | * |
| KR | Brian Battie | South Florida | (FWAA, WCFF) | * |
| Position | Player | School | Selector |
| Second Team All-Americans ||||
| CB | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati | (AP, CBS, TSN, USAT) |
| CB | Sauce Gardner | Cincinnati | (WCFF) |
| CB | Ja'Quan McMillian | East Carolina | (AP, FWAA, TSN) |
| PR | Marcus Jones | Houston | (AP, CBS, WCFF) |
| KR | Brian Battie | South Florida | (CBS, TSN) |

#### List of All American Teams

* American Football Coaches Association All-America Team
* Associated Press All-America Team
* CBS Sports All-America Team
* ESPN All-America Team
* Football Writers Association of America All-America Team
* The Athletic All-America Team
* The Sporting News 2021 College Football All-America Team
* USA Today All-America Team
* Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team

### National award winners

Home Depot Coach of the Year Award Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
AFCA Coach of Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Bear Bryant Award Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Paul Hornung Award Marcus Jones, Houston
Jim Thorpe Award Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
Jet Award Marcus Jones, Houston

## NFL Draft

The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | School | Draft Round | Round Pick | Overall Pick | Team |
| Sauce Gardner | CB | Cincinnati | 1 | 4 | 4 | New York Jets |
| Tyler Smith | OT | Tulsa | 1 | 24 | 24 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Logan Hall | DT | Houston | 2 | 1 | 33 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Alec Pierce | WR | Cincinnati | 2 | 21 | 53 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Bryan Cook | S | Cincinnati | 2 | 30 | 62 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati | 3 | 10 | 74 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Marcus Jones | DB | Houston | 3 | 21 | 85 | New England Patriots |
| Dylan Parham | OG | Memphis | 3 | 26 | 90 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Myjai Sanders | DE | Cincinnati | 3 | 36 | 100 | Arizona Cardinals |
| Danny Gray | WR | SMU | 3 | 41 | 105 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Coby Bryant | CB | Cincinnati | 4 | 4 | 109 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Calvin Austin | WR | Memphis | 4 | 33 | 138 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Damarion Williams | CB | Houston | 4 | 36 | 141 | Baltimore Ravens |
| Jerome Ford | RB | Cincinnati | 5 | 13 | 156 | Cleveland Browns |
| Darrian Beavers | LB | Cincinnati | 6 | 3 | 182 | New York Giants |
| Grant Calcaterra | TE | SMU | 6 | 20 | 198 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Curtis Brooks | DT | Cincinnati | 6 | 38 | 216 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Kalia Davis | DT | UCF | 6 | 42 | 220 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Chris Paul | OG | Tulsa | 7 | 9 | 230 | Washington Commanders |