# 2016 American Athletic Conference football season

The 2016 American Athletic Conference football season was the 25th NCAA Division I FBS football season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season was the third since the breakup of the former Big East Conference, and the third season with the College Football Playoff in place. The American was considered a member of the "Group of Five" (G5) with Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. Whereas under the previous system the champion of the conference was guaranteed an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, the highest-ranked champion member of the G5 received a bid to one of the six major bowls.
The American consisted of 12 members: Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, UConn, Navy. In June 2015, the Collegiate Commissioner's Association announced that it would postpone final rankings until after the annual Army–Navy Game if Navy or Army are in contention for a spot in the semifinals or a New Years Six bowl. If Navy was the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion and loses to Army, it would be replaced by next highest-ranked Group of 5 champion in the New Years Six Bowl.
In the 2016 season, the American had four new coaches. Willie Fritz, formerly the head coach at Georgia Southern, was hired by Tulane to replace Curtis Johnson. After beginning the 2013 season, Johnson lost 22 of his final 27 games against FBS opponents. He finished at Tulane with a 15–4 record through four full seasons. He compiled a 7–9 conference record in the C-USA (2012–2013), and a 3–13 conference record in the American Athletic Conference (2014–2015). On December 1, 2015, UCF hired Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost. Frost replaced longtime UCF head coach George O'Leary and interim head coach Danny Barrett, who took over the Knights when O'Leary resigned following an 0–8 start. On December 3, 2015, Memphis hired Arizona State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Norvell, replacing Justin Fuente who took the job at Virginia Tech. On December 13, 2015, East Carolina hired Duke (OC/QB) Scottie Montgomery. replacing Ruffin McNeill who was relieved of his duties as ECU head coach after finishing the season with a record of 5–7.

## American Athletic Conference Media Day

The American Athletic Conference Media Day took place August 12 in Newport, Rhode Island.

### Preseason poll

* Predicted American Championship Game Winner: Houston (27) was picked to win the American Championship. Others receiving votes were USF (2), Temple (1)

## Recruiting classes

Rankings :
| Team | ESPN | Rivals | Scout | 24/7 | Signees |
| Cincinnati | 75 | 75 | 73 | 76 | 21 |
| Connecticut | – | – | 101 | 98 | 16 |
| East Carolina | – | 81 | 88 | 77 | 22 |
| Houston | 30 | 44 | 51 | 40 | 19 |
| Memphis | 72 | 72 | 69 | 63 | 22 |
| Navy | – | – | 98 | 83 | 36 |
| SMU | 67 | 74 | 61 | 72 | 22 |
| South Florida | 63 | 70 | 77 | 61 | 16 |
| Temple | 59 | 59 | 76 | 57 | 26 |
| Tulane | – | 86 | 100 | 89 | 24 |
| Tulsa | – | 87 | 85 | 92 | 20 |
| UCF | 66 | 58 | 74 | 66 | 20 |

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | No change in ranking from 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 |
| Cincinnati | AP | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cincinnati | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cincinnati | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| 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 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 11 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | RV | RV |
| Houston | C | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 21 | RV | RV |
| Houston | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | 20 | 24 | |
| Memphis | AP | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | |
| Memphis | C | RV | | | 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 | RV | RV | | | | | 25 | 24 | 22 | | RV | RV | RV | 20 | RV |
| Navy | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | 25 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | RV |
| Navy | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | 25 | 19 | 25 |
| SMU | AP | | | | | | | | | RV | | | | | | |
| 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 | RV | | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 25 |
| South Florida | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 22 |
| South Florida | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| Temple | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | 23 |
| Temple | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | 24 |
| Temple | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | 24 |
| 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 | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | | | RV | |
| Tulsa | C | | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | RV | |
| Tulsa | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |
| UCF | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UCF | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UCF | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | |

## Schedule

All Times and Dates are Tentative, The 2016 conference football schedule was released February 9
* 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 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | UT Martin | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN3 | W 28–7 | 28,520 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Maine | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ASN | W 24–21 | 29,377 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Tulane | Wake Forest | BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC | ESPN3 | L 3–7 | 24,398 |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Army | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | CBSSN | L 13–28 | 34,005 |
| September 3 | Noon | No. 3 Oklahoma | No. 15 Houston | NRG Stadium • Houston, TX (Texas Kickoff) | ABC | W 33–23 | 71,016 |
| September 3 | Noon | Fordham | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | W 52–16 | 28,238 |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN3 | W 52–7 | 44,161 |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | South Carolina State | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN3 | W 38–0 | 36,260 |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 24 (FCS) Towson | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ASN | W 56–20 | 35,976 |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN3 | W 35–17 | 42,876 |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | SMU | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | ASN | W 34–21 | 24,718 |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | CBSSN | W 45–10 | 18,748 |
| $^#$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 10 | Noon | UCF | No. 5 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | ABC | L 14–51 | 109,295 |
| September 10 | Noon | Cincinnati | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 38–20 | 33,068 |
| September 10 | Noon | NC State | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNU | W 33–30 | 50,719 |
| September 10 | Noon | Lamar | No. 6 Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ASN | W 42–0 | 39,402 |
| September 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Stony Brook | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN3 | W 38–0 | 22,296 |
| September 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Connecticut | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 28–24 | 31,501 |
| September 10 | 3:30 p.m. | SMU | No. 23 Baylor | McLane Stadium • Waco, TX | FS1 | L 13–40 | 45,499 |
| September 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 4 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC | L 3–48 | 104,410 |
| September 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | CBSSN | W 48–17 | 36,557 |
| September 10 | 8:00 p.m. | Southern | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN3 | W 66–21 | 27,179 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| September 10 | Memphis |

### Week 3

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 15 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Houston | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN | HOU 40–16 | 40,015 |
| September 17 | Noon | Temple | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | BTN | L 27–34 | 100,420 |
| September 17 | Noon | Kansas | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | W 43–7 | 34,448 |
| September 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Virginia | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | SNY | W 13–10 | 31,036 |
| September 17 | 2:00 p.m. | North Carolina A&T | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN3 | W 58–21 | 16,111 |
| September 17 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | Syracuse | Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY | ESPN3 | W 45–20 | 32,288 |
| September 17 | 4:00 p.m. | East Carolina | South Carolina | Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC | SEC Network | L 15–20 | 80,384 |
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Maryland | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | CBSSN | L 24–30 $^{2OT}$ | 43,197 |
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Navy | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ASN | NAVY 21–14 | 21,503 |
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Liberty | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPN3 | W 29–14 | 22,127 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 4

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 23 | 8:00 p.m. | TCU | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Battle for the Iron Skillet) | ESPN | L 3–33 | 30,987 |
| September 24 | Noon | No. 13 Florida State | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ABC | L 35–55 | 61,665 |
| September 24 | Noon | Charlotte | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ASN | W 48–20 | 27,786 |
| September 24 | 12:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Virginia Tech | Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA | ACCN | L 17–54 | 63,712 |
| September 24 | 1:00 p.m. | Syracuse | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | CBSSN | L 24–31 | 31,899 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (121st Battle for the Victory Bell) | ESPNews | W 27–20 | 38,112 |
| September 24 | 4:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | MWTV | W 48–41 $^{2OT}$ | 23,273 |
| September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | UCF | FIU | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | BeIN Sports | W 53–14 | 18,524 |
| September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 6 Houston | Texas State | Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX | ESPNU | W 64–3 | 33,133 |
| September 24 | 8:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNews | W 77–3 | 38,713 |
| September 24 | 8:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Lafayette | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPN3 | W 41–39 $^{4OT}$ | 24,253 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| September 24 | Navy |

### Week 5

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | 8:00 p.m. | Connecticut | No. 6 Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN | HOU 42–14 | 40,873 |
| October 1 | Noon | UCF | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC (rivalry) | CBSSN | UCF 47–29 | 46,042 |
| October 1 | Noon | SMU | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNews | TEM 45–20 | 22,401 |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | Air Force | Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBSSN | L 14–28 | 43,063 |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | UMass | Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA | ASN | W 31–24 | 14,892 |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | South Florida | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPNU | USF 45–20 | 35,108 |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | No. 16 Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | ESPN2 | L 28–48 | 65,889 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 1 | Tulsa |

### Week 6

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 6 | 8:00 p.m. | Temple | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPN | MEM 34–27 | 34,743 |
| October 7 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulane | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | Postponed | |
| October 7 | 8:00 p.m. | SMU | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPN2 | TLSA 43–40 $^{OT}$ | 20,089 |
| October 8 | 11:30 a.m. | Cincinnati | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | CBSSN | CONN 20–9 | 24,169 |
| October 8 | Noon | East Carolina | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPNews | USF 38–22 | 30,397 |
| October 8 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 6 Houston | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 46–40 | 34,531 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
The October 7th game in Orlando between Tulane and UCF was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew and rescheduled for November 5, a date which both teams had open.

### Week 7

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 13 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 25 Navy | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN | Postponed | |
| October 14 | 8:00 p.m. | Memphis | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNU | MEM 24–14 | 21,098 |
| October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Connecticut | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | CBSSN | USF 42–27 | 30,297 |
| October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 13 Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN2 | HOU 38–31 | 38,221 |
| October 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Temple | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | TEM 26–25 | 38,299 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 15 | Cincinnati | SMU |
The October 13th game in Greenville, NC between Navy and East Carolina was postponed due because of flooding associated with Hurricane Matthew, the game will be rescheduled for November 19, a date which both teams had open.

### Week 8

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | South Florida | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN | TEM 46–30 | 25,950 |
| October 22 | Noon | UCF | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT (Civil Conflict) | ESPNews | UCF 24–16 | 28,008 |
| October 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Memphis | No. 24 Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 42–28 | 35,943 |
| October 22 | 3:45 p.m. | Tulane | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPNU | TLSA 50–27 | 22,349 |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | CBSSN | CIN 31–19 | 32,022 |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 11 Houston | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | SMU 38–16 | 25,079 |
| $^#$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 28 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 22 Navy | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN2 | USF 52–45 | 31,824 |
| October 29 | Noon | UCF | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPNU | HOU 31–24 | 35,846 |
| October 29 | Noon | Connecticut | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNews | ECU 41–3 | 41,370 |
| October 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | CBSSN | TEM 34–13 | 29,763 |
| October 29 | 4:00 p.m. | SMU | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ESPNews | SMU 35–31 | 25,780 |
| October 29 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNews | TLSA 59–30 | 36,894 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 10

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPN2 | TEM 21–0 | 22,316 |
| November 5 | 11:30 a.m. | Notre Dame | Navy | EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL (Rip Miller Trophy) | CBS | W 28–27 | 50,867 |
| November 5 | 3:30 p.m. | BYU | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | CBSSN | L 3–20 | 37,522 |
| November 5 | 4:00 p.m. | Memphis | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | ESPNews | MEM 51–7 | 24,379 |
| November 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Tulane | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN3 | UCF 31–6 | 31,571 |
| November 5 | 8:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPNews | TLSA 45–24 | 17,557 |
| $^#$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 | Bye Week |
| November 5 | South Florida | Houston |

### Week 11

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 12 | Noon | Tulsa | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | NAVY 42–40 | 36,397 |
| November 12 | Noon | Cincinnati | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPNU | UCF 24–3 | 30,346 |
| November 12 | Noon | SMU | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNews | SMU 55–31 | 42,908 |
| November 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Tulane | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | CBSSN | HOU 30–18 | 36,552 |
| November 12 | 7:00 p.m. | South Florida | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ESPNU | USF 49–42 | 37,218 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| November 12 | Connecticut | Temple |

### Week 12

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 17 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 3 Louisville | Houston | TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX | ESPN | W 36–10 | 42,822 |
| November 18 | 8:00 p.m. | Memphis | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | CBSSN | MEM 34–7 | 25,796 |
| November 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Connecticut | Boston College | Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA | ACCN Extra | L 0–30 | 36,220 |
| November 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Temple | Tulane | Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ASN | TEM 31–0 | 16,497 |
| November 19 | 4:00 p.m. | Navy | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPNews | NAVY 66–31 | 39,480 |
| November 19 | 7:00 p.m. | South Florida | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX | CBSSN | USF 35–27 | 18,417 |
| November 19 | 8:00 p.m. | Tulsa | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPNews | TLSA 35–20 | 35,141 |
| $^#$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 25 | Noon | No. 18 Houston | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | ABC | MEM 48–44 | 36,527 |
| November 25 | 8:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK | ESPNU | TLSA 40–37 | 18,550 |
| November 26 | Noon | UCF | South Florida | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL (War on I-4) | CBSSN | USF 48–31 | 36,056 |
| November 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX (Gansz Trophy) | ESPNU | NAVY 75–31 | 21,283 |
| November 26 | 4:00 p.m. | Tulane | Connecticut | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPNews | TULN 38–13 | 20,764 |
| November 26 | 7:30 p.m. | East Carolina | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPNews | TEM 37–10 | 28,373 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### American Athletic Conference Championship Game

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 3 | Noon | Temple | No. 20 Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ABC | TEM 34–10 | 22,815 | |
| $^#$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 10 | 3:00 p.m. | Army | Navy | M&T Bank Stadium • Baltimore, MD (117th Army–Navy Game/Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | CBS | L 17–21 | 71,600 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Bowl games

American Athletic Conference bowl games for the 2016 season are:
| Bowl game | Date | Site | Television | Time (EST) | AAC team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| Las Vegas Bowl | December 17 | Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV | ABC | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | San Diego State | 10–34 | 29,286 |
| AutoNation Cure Bowl | December 17 | Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL | CBSSN | 5:30 p.m. | UCF | Arkansas State | 13–31 | 27,213 |
| Miami Beach Bowl | December 19 | Marlins Park • Miami, FL | ESPN | 2:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Central Michigan | 55–10 | 15,262 |
| Marmot Boca Raton Bowl | December 20 | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPN | 7:00 p.m. | Memphis | WKU | 31–51 | 24,726 |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | December 23 | Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX | ESPN | 4:30 p.m. | #25 Navy | Louisiana Tech | 45–48 | 40,542 |
| Military Bowl | December 27 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. | #24 Temple | Wake Forest | 26–34 | 26,656 |
| Birmingham Bowl | December 29 | Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama | ESPN | 2:00 p.m. | South Florida | South Carolina | 46–39 $^{OT}$ | 31,229 |
Rankings are from CFP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.

### Selection of teams

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

## Records against FBS conferences

2016 records against FBS conferences
Through Dec 29, 2016
| Conference | Record |
| ACC | 4–6 |
| Big Ten | 1–4 |
| Big 12 | 2–2 |
| C-USA | 3–2 |
| Independents | 2–3 |
| MAC | 4–0 |
| Mountain West | 2–2 |
| SEC | 1–2 |
| Sun Belt | 2–1 |
| Total | 21–22 |

### The American vs. Power Conferences

* Index to colors and formatting
* American member won
* American member loss
| Date | Visitor | Home | Winning Team | Opponent Conference |
| September 1 | Tulane | Wake Forest | Wake Forest | ACC |
| September 3‡ | #3 Oklahoma | #15 Houston | Houston | Big 12 |
| September 10 | Cincinnati | Purdue | Cincinnati | Big Ten |
| September 10 | UCF | #5 Michigan | Michigan | Big Ten |
| September 10 | NC State | East Carolina | East Carolina | ACC |
| September 10 | SMU | #23 Baylor | Baylor | Big 12 |
| September 10 | Tulsa | #4 Ohio State | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| September 17 | Maryland | UCF | Maryland | Big Ten |
| September 17 | Virginia | Connecticut | Connecticut | ACC |
| September 17 | East Carolina | South Carolina | South Carolina | SEC |
| September 17 | Kansas | Memphis | Memphis | Big 12 |
| September 17 | South Florida | Syracuse | South Florida | ACC |
| September 17 | Temple | Penn State | Penn State | Big Ten |
| September 24 | Syracuse | Connecticut | Syracuse | ACC |
| September 24 | East Carolina | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| September 24 | TCU | SMU | TCU | Big 12 |
| September 24 | #13 Florida State | South Florida | Florida State | ACC |
| October 1 | Memphis | #16 Ole Miss | Ole Miss | SEC |
| November 5‡ | Notre Dame | Navy | Navy | IND |
| November 17 | #3 Louisville | Houston | Houston | ACC |
| November 19 | Connecticut | Boston College | Boston College | ACC |
| December 27‡ | Wake Forest | #23 Temple | Wake Forest | ACC |
| December 29‡ | South Carolina | #25 South Florida | South Florida | SEC |
‡This game was played at a neutral site

## 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 | Greg Ward Jr. | QB | Houston | Trent Martin | LB | Tulsa | Brandon Wilson | CB | Houston |
| Week 2 | Quinton Flowers | QB | USF | Alohi Gilman | LB/DB | Navy | Sherman Badie | RB | Tulane |
| Week 3 | Greg Ward Jr. | QB | Houston | Steven Taylor | LB | Houston | Bobby Puyol | K | UConn |
| Week 4 | Riley Ferguson | QB | Memphis | Jeremy Brady | S | Tulsa | Andrew DiRocco | K | Tulane |
| Week 5 | Greg Ward Jr. | QB | Houston | Haason Reddick | DE | Temple | Adrian Killins | RB | UCF |
| Week 6 | Will Worth | QB | Navy | Josiah Powell | LB | Navy | Bennett Moehring | K | Navy |
| Week 7 | Will Worth | QB | Navy | Jarvis Pruitt | DE | SMU | Aaron Boumerhi | K | Temple |
| Week 8 | James Flanders | RB | Tulsa | Shaquem Griffin | LB | UCF | Jake Elliott | K | Memphis |
| Week 9 | Riley Ferguson | QB | Memphis | Drico Johnson | DB | UCF | Aaron Boumerhi | K | Temple |
| Week 10 | Quinton Flowers | QB | USF | Horace Richardson | CB | SMU | Dane Roy | P | Houston |
| Week 11 | | | | | | | | | |
| Week 12 | | | | | | | | | |

## Awards and honors
### Conference awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the American Athletic Conference football coaches at the end of the season
2016 American Athletic Conference Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Quinton Flowers |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Shaquem Griffin |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Tony Pollard |
| Rookie of the Year | Ed Oliver |
| Coach of the Year | Ken Niumatalolo |
2016 All-American Athletic Conference Football Teams :
| First Team | First Team | Second Team | Second Team |
| Offense | Defense | Offense | Defense |
| WR – Zay Jones, East Carolina WR – Courtland Sutton, SMU WR – Keevan Lucas, Tulsa OT – Kofi Amichia, South Florida OT – Dion Dawkins, Temple OG – Adam West, Navy OG – Black Belcher, Tulsa C – Chandler Miller, Tulsa TE – Daniel Montiel, Memphis QB – Quinton Flowers, South Florida RB – Marlon Mack, South Florida K – Jake Elliott, Memphis RS – Tony Pollard, Memphis | DL – Haason Reddick, Temple* DL – Ed Oliver, Houston* DL – Tanzel Smart, Tulane DL Justin Lawler, SMU LB – Shaquem Griffin, UCF LB – Eric Wilson, Cincinnati LB – Steven Taylor, Houston LB – Genard Avery, Memphis LB – Nico Marley, Tulane CB Horace Richardson, SMU CB – Howard Wilson, Houston S – Darrion Millines, SMU S – Obi Melifonwu, UConn P – Spencer Smith, Memphis | WR – Noel Thomas, UConn WR – Anthony Miller, Memphis WR – Rodney Adams, South Florida OT – Blake Copeland, Navy OT – Evan Plagg, Tulsa OG – Dominique Threatt, South Florida OG – Tyler Bowling, Tulsa C – Maurice Morris, Navy TE – Mitchell Wilcox, South Florida QB – Greg Ward Jr., Houston RB – Jahad Thomas, Temple RB – D'Angelo Brewer, Tulsa K – Aaron Boumerhi, Temple RS – D'Ernest Johnson, South Florida | DL – Jamiyus Pittman, UCF DL – Cortez Broughton, Cincinnati DL – Deadrin Senat, South Florida DL – Praise Martin-Oguike, Temple LB – Tyus Bowser, Houston LB – Micah Thomas, Navy LB – Auggie Sanchez, South Florida LB – Avery Williams, Temple CB – Shaquill Griffin, UCF CB – Brandon Wilson, Houston CB – Deatrick Nichols, South Florida CB – Parry Nickerson, Tulane S – Garrett Davis, Houston S – Sean Chandler, Temple P – Worth Gregory, ECU |
| $^^$ - denotes unanimous selection Additional players added to the all-conference teams due to ties in the voting. ||||

## NFL Draft

The American had a conference-record 15 players selected in the 2017 NFL draft, which placed it as the fifth most prolific conference in the draft. The American made headlines by having more selections than the Big 12 Conference, a Power 5 Conference.
The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2017 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | School | Draft Round | Round Pick | Overall Pick | Team |
| Haason Reddick | LB | Temple | 1 | 13 | 13 | Arizona Cardinals |
| Zay Jones | WR | East Carolina | 2 | 5 | 37 | Buffalo Bills |
| Tyus Bowser | OLB | Houston | 2 | 15 | 47 | Baltimore Ravens |
| Obi Melifonwu | S | UConn | 2 | 24 | 56 | Oakland Raiders |
| Dion Dawkins | G | Temple | 2 | 31 | 63 | Buffalo Bills |
| Shaquill Griffin | CB | Central Florida | 3 | 26 | 90 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Howard Wilson | CB | Houston | 4 | 19 | 126 | Cleveland Browns |
| Marlon Mack | RB | South Florida | 4 | 36 | 143 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Jake Elliott | K | Memphis | 5 | 9 | 153 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Nate Hairston | CB | Temple | 5 | 14 | 158 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Rodney Adams | WR | South Florida | 5 | 26 | 170 | Minnesota Vikings |
| Michael Tyson | S | Cincinnati | 6 | 3 | 187 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Tanzel Smart | DT | Tulane | 6 | 5 | 189 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Brandon Wilson | CB | Houston | 6 | 23 | 207 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Kofi Amichia | OT | South Florida | 6 | 28 | 212 | Green Bay Packers |

## Attendance

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium | 40,000 | 28,520 | 40,015† | 38,112 | 35,108 | 32,022 | 37,522 | 25,796 | 237,095 | 33,870 | 84.68% |
| Connecticut | Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field | 40,642 | 29,377 | 31,036 | 31,899† | 24,169 | 28,008 | 22,316 | 20,764 | 187,569 | 26,795 | 65.93% |
| East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium | 50,000 | 44,161 | 50,719† | 46,042 | 41,370 | 42,908 | 39,480 | — | 264,680 | 44,113 | 88.23% |
| Houston | TDECU Stadium | 40,000 | 39,402 | 40,873 | 38,221 | 35,846 | 36,552 | 42,822† | — | 233,716 | 38,953 | 97.38% |
| Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | 59,308 | 42,876† | 34,448 | 38,713 | 34,743 | 36,894 | 37,218 | 36,527 | 261,419 | 37,345 | 62.97% |
| Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | 34,000 | 28,238 | 31,501 | 34,531 | 35,943 | 36,397† | — | — | 166,610 | 33,322 | 98.01% |
| SMU | Gerald J. Ford Stadium | 32,000 | 22,127 | 30,987† | 25,079 | 24,379 | 18,417 | 21,283 | — | 142,272 | 23,712 | 74.10% |
| South Florida | Raymond James Stadium | 65,890 | 35,976 | 36,557 | 61,665† | 30,397 | 30,297 | 31,824 | 36,056 | 262,772 | 37,538 | 56.97% |
| Temple | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,176 | 34,005† | 22,296 | 27,786 | 22,401 | 25,950 | 29,763 | 28,373 | 190,574 | 27,225 | 39.36% |
| Tulane | Yulman Stadium | 30,000 | 27,179† | 21,503 | 24,253 | 21,098 | 25,780 | 16,497 | — | 136,310 | 22,718 | 75.73% |
| Tulsa | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium | 30,000 | 18,748 | 16,111 | 20,089 | 22,349† | 17,557 | 18,550 | — | 113,404 | 18,900 | 63.00% |
| UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium | 44,206 | 36,260 | 43,197 | 38,299† | 31,571 | 30,346 | 35,141 | — | 214,814 | 35,802 | 80.99% |
* Games highlighted in green were sell-outs
* †Season High

### Attendance for neutral site games

* September 3 – Houston vs. Oklahoma, NRG Stadium: 71,016
* November 5 – Navy vs. Notre Dame, EverBank Field: 50,867
* December 10 – Navy vs. Army, M&T Bank Stadium: 71,600