2015 American Athletic Conference football season

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2015 American Athletic Conference
football season
LeagueNCAA Division I FBS
(Football Bowl Subdivision)
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 3, 2015
through January 2016
Number of teams12
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and CBS Sports Network
2016 NFL Draft
Top draft pickWilliam Jackson III (Houston)
Picked byCincinnati Bengals, 24th overall
Regular season
East championsTemple Owls
  East runners-upSouth Florida Bulls
West championsHouston Cougars
  West runners-upNavy Midshipmen
The American Championship
ChampionsHouston Cougars
  Runners-upTemple Owls
Football seasons
← 2014
2016 →
2015 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Temple x   7 1     10 4  
South Florida   6 2     8 5  
Cincinnati   4 4     7 6  
UConn   4 4     6 7  
East Carolina   3 5     5 7  
UCF   0 8     0 12  
West Division
No. 8 Houston xy$   7 1     13 1  
No. 18 Navy x   7 1     11 2  
Memphis   5 3     9 4  
Tulsa   3 5     6 7  
Tulane   1 7     3 9  
SMU   1 7     2 10  
Championship: Houston 24, Temple 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 31, 2015
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 American Athletic Conference football season is the 25th NCAA Division I FBS football season of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The season is the third since the breakup of the former Big East Conference, and the second season with the new College Football Playoff in place. Under the playoff system, The American is no longer an Automatic Qualifying conference (AQ), and is 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, now the highest-ranked member of the G5 will receive a bid to one of the six major bowls.[1]

The American consists of 12 members: Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, UConn, and new member Navy. In June 2015, the Collegiate Commissioner's Association announced that it will 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 is 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.[2]

Previous season[edit]

Memphis, Cincinnati, and UCF were declared co-champions for the 2014 season, with each team having a conference record of 7–1. Memphis finished the season ranked 25th after defeating BYU 55–48 in 2OT in the Miami Beach Bowl. UCF was defeated by NC State in the St. Petersburg Bowl, and Virginia Tech defeated Cincinnati in the Military Bowl. With less than 11 minutes left on the game clock in the Armed Forces Bowl, Houston trailed Pittsburgh by 25 points, but the Cougars went on to win by a score of 35–34. It was the biggest fourth quarter comeback in bowl history. Florida defeated East Carolina 28–20 in the Birmingham Bowl.

American Athletic Conference Media Day[edit]

The 2015 American Athletic Conference Media Day was held at the Hyatt Regency Newport in Newport, Rhode Island on August 3, 2015.[3][4]

Preseason poll[edit]

East Division[edit]

  1. Cincinnati (29) 179
  2. UCF (1) 135
  3. Temple 116
  4. East Carolina 105
  5. South Florida 53
  6. Connecticut 42

West Division[edit]

  1. Memphis (13) 153
  2. Houston (10) 149
  3. Navy (7) 148
  4. Tulane 74
  5. SMU 59
  6. Tulsa 47
  • (First-Place Votes) Points

Predicted American Championship Game Winner[edit]

  1. Cincinnati 22
  2. Memphis 5
  3. Houston 2
  4. UCF 1
  • Points

Head coaches[edit]

Coaching changes[edit]

Changes after 2014 season[edit]

* On December 1, 2014, Chad Morris (formerly Offensive Coordinator at Clemson) was hired by SMU as its new head football coach, replacing June Jones, who resigned on September 8, 2014, citing "personal issues".

* On December 11, 2014, Philip Montgomery (previously Offensive Coordinator at Baylor) was hired by Tulsa as its new head football coach, replacing Bill Blankenship, who was fired December 2, 2014.

* On December 15, 2014, Tom Herman (formerly Offensive Coordinator at Ohio State) was hired by Houston as its new head football coach, to replace Tony Levine, who was fired after three seasons on December 8, 2014.

Changes during 2015 season[edit]

* George O'Leary resigned as UCF's head football coach after twelve seasons. Quarterbacks coach Danny Barrett was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Rankings[edit]

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
Final
Cincinnati AP RV RV
C RV
CFP Not released
Connecticut AP
C
CFP Not released
East Carolina AP
C
CFP Not released
Houston AP RV RV RV RV 24 21 18 18 16 13 21 17 14 8
C RV RV RV RV RV 22 19 18 16 14 21 18 16 8
CFP Not released 25 24 19 19 18
Memphis AP RV RV RV RV 18 16 15 25 RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV 25 22 17 16 16 25 RV RV RV RV
CFP Not released 13 21 21
Navy AP RV RV RV RV 22 19 16 22 21 18
C RV RV RV RV RV RV 23 19 15 22 22 18
CFP Not released 20 16 15 23 21
SMU AP
C
CFP Not released
South Florida AP RV RV RV
C
CFP Not released
Temple AP RV RV RV RV RV RV 22 21 23 21 RV 25 20 24 RV
C RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 22 23 21 RV 24 21 24 RV
CFP Not released 22 22 25 22 24
Tulane AP
C
CFP Not released
Tulsa AP
C
CFP Not released
UCF AP RV
C RV
CFP Not released

Schedule[edit]

[5]

Index to colors and formatting
The American member won
The American member lost
The American teams in bold

Week 1[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 3 6:00 PM FIU UCF Bright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FL CBSSN L 14–15   39,184
September 3 7:30 PM Villanova Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT SNY W 20–15   26,113
September 3 9:30 PM Duke Tulane Yulman StadiumNew Orleans, LA CBSSN L 7–37   25,470
September 4 7:00 PM No. 4 Baylor SMU Gerald J. Ford StadiumDallas, TX ESPN L 21–56   32,047
September 5 12:00 PM Colgate Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD CBSSN W 48–10   28,015
September 5 3:30 PM Penn State Temple Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA ESPN W 27–10   69,176
September 5 3:30 PM Florida Atlantic Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK CBSSN W 47–44 OT  24,001[6]
September 5 6:00 PM Towson East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC ESPN3 W 28–20   40,712
September 5 7:00 PM Alabama A&M Cincinnati Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH ESPN3 W 52–10   39,095
September 5 7:00 PM Missouri State Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN ESPN3 W 63–7   41,730
September 5 7:00 PM Florida A&M South Florida Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL ESPN3 W 51–3   30,434
September 5 8:00 PM Tennessee Tech Houston TDECU StadiumHouston, TX ESPN3 W 52–24   30,479
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 12 11:30 AM South Florida Florida State Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL ESPN L 14–34   72,811
September 12 12:00 PM Army Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT CBSSN W 22–17   28,260
September 12 3:30 PM Houston Louisville Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY RSN W 34–31   50,019
September 12 3:30 PM Tulane No. 15 Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA RSN L 10–65   50,435
September 12 7:00 PM East Carolina Florida Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL ESPN2 L 24–31   88,034
September 12 7:00 PM Memphis Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS W 55–23   37,798
September 12 7:00 PM North Texas SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX (Safeway Bowl) ESPN3 W 31–13   25,401
September 12 8:00 PM Temple Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH ESPNews  TEMP 34–26   38,112
September 12 8:00 PM Tulsa New Mexico University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM ESPN3 W 40–21   24,167
September 12 10:30 PM UCF Stanford Stanford StadiumStanford, CA FS1 L 7–31   50,420
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 12 Navy

Week 3[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 19 12:00 PM Connecticut No. 20 Missouri Faurot FieldColumbia, MO ESPNU L 6–9   70,079
September 19 12:00 PM South Florida Maryland Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD ESPNews L 17–35   36,827
September 19 12:00 PM Temple Massachusetts Gillette StadiumFoxborough, MA ESPN3 W 25–23   10,141
September 19 12:00 PM Tulsa No. 16 Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK FS1 L 38–52   85,657
September 19 3:00 PM Memphis Bowling Green Doyt Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH ASN W 44–41   21,178
September 19 3:30 PM East Carolina Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD CBSSN  NAVY 45–21   34,717
September 19 3:30 PM Cincinnati Miami (OH) Yager StadiumOxford, OH (120th Battle for the Victory Bell) ESPN3 W 37–33   18,484
September 19 6:00 PM Furman UCF Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL ESPN3 L 15–16   36,484
September 19 8:00 PM SMU No. 3 TCU Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (Battle for the Iron Skillet) FSN L 37–56   48,127
September 19 8:00 PM Maine Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA ESPN3 W 38–7   21,114
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 19 Houston

Week 4[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 24 7:30 PM Cincinnati Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN ESPN  MEM 53–46   45,172
September 26 12:00 PM Navy Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT CBSSN  NAVY 28–18   33,204
September 26 12:00 PM UCF South Carolina Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC ESPNU L 14–31   78,411
September 26 3:30 PM Virginia Tech East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC ABC/ESPN2 W 35–28   50,514
September 26 7:00 PM James Madison SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX ESPN3 L 45–48   22,314
September 26 8:00 PM Texas State Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ESPN3 W 59–14   35,257
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 26 South Florida Temple Tulane Tulsa

Week 5[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 1 7:30 PM Miami (FL) Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH ESPN W 34–23   40,101
October 2 7:00 PM Memphis South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL ESPN2  MEM 24–17   22,546
October 2 7:00 PM Temple Charlotte Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC CBSSN W 37–3   13,105
October 2 10:15 PM Connecticut BYU LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT ESPN2 L 13–30   56,393
October 3 12:00 PM UCF Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA ESPNews  TULN 45–31   20,024
October 3 12:00 PM Houston Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK CBSSN  HOU 38–24   17,146
October 3 3:30 PM Air Force Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) CBSSN W 33–11   32,705
October 3 4:00 PM East Carolina SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX ESPNews  ECU 49–23   17,136
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 6[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 8 8:00 PM SMU Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ESPN2  HOU 49–28   25,204
October 10 12:00 PM Tulane Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA ESPNU  TEMP 49–10   35,179
October 10 3:30 PM Navy No. 15 Notre Dame Notre Dame StadiumSouth Bend, IN (rivalry) NBC L 24–41   80,795
October 10 3:30 PM Syracuse South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL CBSSN W 45–24   27,235
October 10 3:45 PM Connecticut UCF Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL ESPNews  CONN 40–13   26,669
October 10 6:00 PM Louisiana–Monroe Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK ESPN3 W 34–24   17,490
October 10 7:30 PM East Carolina BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT ESPNU L 38–45   60,186
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
October 10 Cincinnati Memphis

Week 7[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 16 8:00 PM Cincinnati BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT ESPN L 24–38   57,612
October 16 9:00 PM No. 24 Houston Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA ESPNU  HOU 42–7   21,522
October 17 12:00 PM South Florida Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT ESPNU  USF 28–20   31,719
October 17 12:00 PM Tulsa East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC ESPNews  ECU 30–17   43,065
October 17 12:00 PM No. 13 Ole Miss Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN ABC W 37–24   60,241
October 17 7:30 PM UCF Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA CBSSN  TEM 30–16   31,372
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
October 17 Navy SMU

Week 8[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 22 7:00 PM No. 22 Temple East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC ESPN2  TEM 24–14     39,417
October 23 8:00 PM No. 18 Memphis Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK ESPN  MEM 66–42   20,216
October 24 12:00 PM No. 21 Houston UCF Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL ESPNews  HOU 59–10   28,350
October 24 1:00 PM Tulane Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD CBSSN  NAVY 31–14   32,033
October 24 4:00 PM SMU South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL ESPNews  USF 38–14   24,338
October 24 4:30 PM Connecticut Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH CBSSN  CIN 37–13   40,124
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 9[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 30 7:00 PM East Carolina Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT ESPNU  CONN 31–10   23,168
October 31 12:00 PM UCF Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH ESPNews  CIN 52–7   30,131
October 31 12:00 PM South Florida Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD CBSSN  NAVY 29–17   26,766
October 31 4:00 PM Tulsa SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX ESPNews  TUL 40–10   18,217
October 31 7:00 PM Tulane No. 16 Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN CBSSN  MEM 41–10   30,381
October 31 7:00 PM Vanderbilt No. 18 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ESPN2 W 34–0   29,565
October 31 8:00 PM No. 9 Notre Dame No. 21 Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA ABC L 20–24   69,280
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 10[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 6 8:00 PM No. 22 Temple SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX ESPN2  TEM 60–40   17,232
November 7 12:00 PM UCF Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK ESPNews  TUL 45–30   16,128
November 7 3:30 PM Cincinnati No. 25 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ESPN2  HOU 33–30   32,889
November 7 4:00 PM Connecticut Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA ESPNews  CONN 7–3   26,775
November 7 7:00 PM Navy No. 13 Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN ESPN2  NAVY 45–20   55,212
November 7 7:30 PM South Florida East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC CBSSN  USF 22–17   45,194
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 11[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 14 12:00 PM Tulane Army Michie StadiumWest Point, NY CBSSN W 34–31   31,217
November 14 3:30 PM SMU No. 20 Navy Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD (Gansz Trophy) CBSSN  NAVY 55–14   35,778
November 14 7:00 PM No. 21 Memphis No. 24 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ESPN2  HOU 35–34   42,159
November 14 7:00 PM No. 22 Temple South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL CBSSN  USF 44–23   28,393
November 14 7:30 PM Tulsa Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH ESPNews  CIN 49–38   35,015
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
November 14 UCF Connecticut East Carolina

Week 12[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 19 7:30 PM East Carolina UCF Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL (rivalry) ESPN  ECU 44–7   23,734
November 20 8:00 PM Cincinnati South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL CBSSN  USF 65–27   26,522
November 21 12:00 PM No. 21 Memphis Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA ESPNU  TEM 31–12   31,708
November 21 3:30 PM No. 19 Houston Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT ESPNU  CONN 20–17   26,879
November 21 7:00 PM No. 16 Navy Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK CBSSN  NAVY 44–21   22,749
November 21 8:00 PM Tulane SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX ESPNews  SMU 49–21   30,075
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 26 7:30 PM South Florida UCF Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL (War on I–4) ESPN  USF 44–3   25,967
November 27 12:00 PM No. 16 Navy No. 19 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX ABC  HOU 52–31   40,562
November 27 8:00 PM Tulsa Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA ESPNU  TULSA 45–34   22,672
November 28 12:00 PM Cincinnati East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC CBSSN  CIN 19–16   40,743
November 28 12:00 PM SMU No. 21 Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN ESPNews  MEM 63–0   30,075
November 28 7:00 PM Connecticut Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA (7:05 PM) ESPNU  TEMP 27–3   28,236
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The American Championship[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 5 12:00 PM No. 20 Temple No. 17 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX (The American Championship) ABC  HOU 24–13   35,721
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 15[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 12 3:00 PM Army No. 21 Navy Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA (116th Army–Navy Game/Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) CBS W 21–17   69,722
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.

Bowl games[edit]

Legend
  The American win
  The American loss
Bowl game Date Site Television Time American team Opponent Score Attendance
Miami Beach Bowl December 21 Marlins ParkMiami, FL ESPN 2:30 PM South Florida WKU 35–45 21,712
Boca Raton Bowl December 22 FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL ESPN 7:00 PM #24 Temple Toledo 17–32 25,908
Hawaiʻi Bowl December 24 Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI ESPN 8:00 PM Cincinnati San Diego State 7–42 22,793
St. Petersburg Bowl December 26 Tropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FL ESPN 11:00 AM UConn Marshall 10–16 14,652
Independence Bowl December 26 Independence StadiumShreveport, LA ESPN 5:45 PM Tulsa Virginia Tech 52–55 31,289
Military Bowl December 28 Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD ESPN 2:30 PM #21 Navy Pittsburgh 44–28 36,352
Birmingham Bowl December 30 Legion FieldBirmingham, AL ESPN 12:00 PM Memphis Auburn 10–31 59,430
New Years Six bowl games
Peach Bowl December 31 Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA ESPN 12:00 PM #18 Houston #9 Florida State 38–24 71,007

(Rankings from final CFP Poll; All times Eastern)

Selection of teams[edit]

  • Bowl eligible[7]

Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa

  • Bowl-ineligible[8]

East Carolina, SMU, Tulane, UCF

Records against FBS conferences[edit]

2015 records against FBS conferences:

Conference Record
ACC 6–4
Big Ten 1–1
Big 12 1–3
C-USA 3–3
Independents 3–5
MAC 3–1
Mountain West 2–1
Pac-12 0–1
SEC 2–4
Sun Belt 2–0
Total 22–23

The American vs. Power Conferences[edit]

Legend
  The American win
  The American loss
Date Visitor Home Winning Team Opponent
Conference
September 3 Duke Tulane Duke ACC
September 4 Baylor SMU Baylor Big 12
September 5 Penn State Temple Temple Big Ten
September 12 USF Florida State Florida State ACC
September 12 Houston Louisville Houston ACC
September 12 Tulane Georgia Tech Georgia Tech ACC
September 12 Memphis Kansas Memphis Big 12
September 12 UCF Stanford Stanford Pac 12
September 12 East Carolina Florida Florida SEC
September 19 Tulsa Oklahoma Oklahoma Big 12
September 19 SMU TCU TCU Big 12
September 19 UConn Missouri Missouri SEC
September 19 USF Maryland Maryland Big Ten
September 26 East Carolina Virginia Tech East Carolina ACC
September 26 UCF South Carolina South Carolina SEC
October 1 Miami (FL) Cincinnati Cincinnati ACC
October 10 Navy Notre Dame Notre Dame IND
October 10 Syracuse USF USF ACC
October 17 Ole Miss Memphis Memphis SEC
October 31 Vanderbilt Houston Houston SEC
October 31 Notre Dame Temple Notre Dame IND
December 26‡ Virginia Tech Tulsa Virginia Tech ACC
December 28‡ Pittsburgh Navy Navy ACC
December 30‡ Auburn Memphis Auburn SEC
December 31‡ Florida State Houston Houston ACC

‡This game was played at a neutral site.

Players of the Week[edit]

Week Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 Keevan Lucas WR TUL Tyler Matakevich LB TEM Roderick Proctor WR MEM
Week 2 Greg Ward Jr. QB HOU Tyler Matakevich LB TEM Brandon Wilson
Jahad Thomas
CB
RB
HOU
TEM
Week 3 Keenan Reynolds QB NAVY Eric Wilson LB CIN Jake Elliott K MEM
Week 4 Keenan Reynolds QB NAVY William Jackson III CB HOU Spencer Smith P MEM
Week 5 Greg Ward Jr. QB HOU Montese Overton LB E CAR Nick Jacobs P MEM
Week 6 Greg Ward Jr. QB HOU Steven Taylor LB HOU Arkeel Newsome RB CONN
Week 7 Paxton Lynch QB MEM Josh Hawkins CB E CAR Demarcus Ayers WR HOU
Week 8 Gunner Kiel QB CIN Steven Taylor LB HOU Jake Elliott K MEM
Week 9 Chris Swain FB NAVY Jamar Summers CB CONN Alex Barta P NAVY
Week 10 Marlon Mack RB USF Elandon Roberts LB HOU Andrew DiRocco K TUL
Week 11 Noel Thomas WR CONN Deatrick Nichols CB USF Davis Plowman K ECU
Week 12 Paxton Lynch QB MEM Tyler Matakevich LB TEMP Andrew Gantz K CIN

Awards and honors[edit]

Conference awards[edit]

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the American Athletic Conference football coaches at the end of the season[9]

2015 American Athletic Conference Individual Awards
Award Recipient(s)
Offensive Player of the Year

Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy

Defensive Player of the Year

Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple

Special Teams Player of the Year

Jake Elliott, K, Memphis

Rookie of the Year

Tre'Quan Smith, WR, UCF

Coach of the Year

Tom Herman, Houston
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy

2015 All-American Athletic Conference Football Teams
First Team Second Team
Offense Defense Offense Defense

WR – Demarcus Ayers, HOU
WR – Keyarris Garrett, TUL
OT – Parker Ehinger, CIN
OT – Taylor Fallin, MEM
OG – E.K. Binns, NAVY
OG – Eric Lofton, TEMP
C – Kyle Friend, TEMP
TE – Bryce Williams, ECU
QB – Paxton Lynch, MEM
QB – Keenan Reynolds, NAVY
RB – Marlon Mack, USF
RB – Jahad Thomas, TEMP
K – Jake Elliott, MEM
RS – Demarcus Ayers, HOU

DL – Will Anthony, NAVY
DL – Matt Ioannidis, TEMP
DL – Nate D. Smith, TEMP
DL – Tanzel Smart, TULN
LB – Zeek Bigger, ECU
LB – Elandon Roberts, HOU
LB – Tyler Matakevich^, TEMP
LB – Nico Marley, TULN
CB – Jamar Summers, CONN
CB – Deatrick Nichols, USF
S – Trevon Stewart, HOU
S – Alex Wells, TEMP
P – Spencer Smith, MEM

WR – Shaq Washington, CIN
WR – Isaiah Jones, ECU
OT – Alex Cooper, HOU
OT – Dion Dawkins, TEMP
OG – Ryan Leahy, CIN
OG – Thor Jozwiak, USF
C – Deyshawn Bond, CIN
TE – Sean Price, USF
QB – Greg Ward Jr., HOU
RB – Kenneth Farrow, HOU
RB – Chris Swain, NAVY
K – Andrew Gantz, CIN
RS – Rodney Adams, USF

DL – Silverberry Mouhon, CIN
DL – Julian Campenni, CONN
DL – B.J. Singleton, HOU
DL – Eric Lee, USF
DL – Eric Wilson, CIN
LB – Montese Overton, ECU
LB – Steven Taylor, HOU
LB – Auggie Sanchez, USF
CB – William Jackson III, HOU
CB – Sean Chandler, TEMP
S – Andrew Adams, CONN
S – Adrian McDonald, HOU
P – Caleb Houston, UCF
P – Mattias Ciabatti, USF

^ - denotes unanimous selection  Additional players added to the All-American teams due to ties in the voting

NFL Draft[edit]

The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2016 NFL draft.

Player Position School Draft
Round
Round
Pick
Overall
Pick
Team
William Jackson III CB Houston 1 24 24 Cincinnati Bengals
Paxton Lynch QB Memphis 1 26 26 Denver Broncos
Tavon Young CB Temple 4 6 104 Baltimore Ravens
Parker Ehinger OG Cincinnati 4 7 105 Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Moore WR Cincinnati 4 9 107 Baltimore Ravens
Matt Ioannidis DT Temple 5 13 152 Washington Redskins
Keenan Reynolds RB Navy 6 7 182 Baltimore Ravens
Elandon Roberts ILB Houston 6 39 214 New England Patriots
DeMarcus Ayers WR Houston 7 8 229 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyler Matakevich OLB Temple 7 25 246 Pittsburgh Steelers

Attendance[edit]

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 39,095 38,112 40,101 40,124 30,131 35,015 222,578 37,096 92.74%
Connecticut Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field 40,642 26,113 28,260 33,204 31,719 23,168 26,879 169,343 28,224 69.44%
East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium 50,000 40,712 50,514 43,065 39,417 45,194 40,743 218,902 43,780 87.56%
Houston TDECU Stadium 40,000 30,749 35,257 25,204 29,565 32,889 42,159 40,562 195,553 32,592 81.48%
Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 59,308 41,740 45,172 60,241 30,381 55,212 30,075 232,736 46,547 78.48%
Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 34,000 28,015 34,717 32,705 32,033 26,766 35,778 190,014 31,669 93.14%
SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium 32,000 32,047 25,401 22,314 17,136 18,217 17,232 14,954 147,301 21,043 65.76%
South Florida Raymond James Stadium 65,890 30,034 22,546 27,235 39,417 28,393 26,522 159,468 26,578 40.34%
Temple Lincoln Financial Field 69,176 69,176 35,179 31,372 69,280 31,708 28,236 236,715 47,343 68.44%
Tulane Yulman Stadium 30,000 25,470 21,114 20,024 21,522 26,775 22,672 137,577 22,930 76.43%
Tulsa Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium 30,000 24,001 17,146 17,490 20,216 16,128 22,749 117,730 19,622 65.41%
UCF Bright House Networks Stadium 44,206 39,184 36,484 26,669 28,350 23,734 25,967 180,388 30,065 68.01%

^* Games highlighted in green were sell-outs. [10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ About the College Football Playoff. ESPN.
  2. ^ "Playoff committee will wait for Army-Navy game if necessary". FOXSports. FOXSports.com. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  3. ^ "Cincinnati Chosen As 2015 American Athletic Conference Favorite". American Athletic Conference. Sidearm Sports. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  4. ^ American Kickoff Media Day Central
  5. ^ "American Athletic Conference 2015 Composite Football Schedule". TheAmerican.org. Sidearmsports. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  6. ^ "Tulsa tops FAU in Overtime, 47–44" (Press release). Athletics Site of the University of Tulsa. September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  7. ^ "College football 2015 bowl eligibility tracker: 41 teams have qualified". CBS Sports. CBS Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "NCAA FBS (Division I-A) Football Standings – 2015". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "2015 Football Postseason Honors". American Athletic Conference. SideArm Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. ^ "2015 NCAA FBS Stats". NCAA National Rankings. NCAA.