The Formula

Cougars Den staff place votes from one through twelve on each member of the American conference. We then calculate the weighted average for each team according to each analysts rankings to determine each team's official ranking score. Each team will then be ranked according to their calculated score.

The Panel

Jefferson D. Powell - CougarsDen.com Publisher

Marcus Gutierrez - CougarsDen.com Analyst

Josh Griffin - CougarsDen.com Analyst

Ashton Washington - CougarsDen.com Analyst

1: South Florida (5-0)

USF cruised to a 61-31 win over ECU last week in a game they were expected to win in dominating fashion. Quarterback Quinton Flowers passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 93 yards and another score. The Bulls appear to be the team to beat this year when it comes to claiming the AAC crown for 2017 and thus retain their top spot in our weekly power rankings.

This Week: Bye

2: UCF (3-0)

UCF surprised us last week and proved exactly how good they are with a 40-13 drubbing of a pretty decent Memphis team. Quarterback McKenzie Milton threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. More impressive was the defensive effort which held a talented Memphis offense to just 13 points. They jump several spots this week to move up to the No. 2 spot.

This Week: @Cincinnati as a -17 Favorite

3: Navy (4-0)

The Midshipmen hold steady at No.3 in this week's rankings. They dug themselves out of an early 14-0 deficit against Tulsa last weekend on their way to beating Tulsa 31-21. Quarterback Zach Abey was running the triple option to perfection finishing the day with 36 carries for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

This Week: Vs Air Force as a -7.5 Favorite

4: Memphis (3-1)

Memphis drops two spots this week after they got absolutely dismantled on the road and had little to no answer for UCF this past weekend. Riley Ferguson threw 49 pass attempts for 321 yards and just one touchdown with three interceptions. They'll look to right the ship this week in a game they should be able to return to form in.

This Week: @UCONN as a -13.5 Favorite

5. SMU (4-1)

The Mustangs had another impressive offensive showing en-route to a 49-28 win over UCONN. They drop a spot this week but that was due largely in part to UCF's big win more than an SMU misstep. Quarterback Ben Hicks went 27-of-37 for 280 yards and four touchdowns. The Mustangs continue to show they're a team to be concerned with out of the AAC this year and have an opportunity to make a statement this weekend against Houston.

This Week: @Houston as a +6 Underdog

6: Houston (3-1)

The Cougars got back on the winning track, though not necessarily in the fashion they would have liked to of seen against a struggling Temple team, but you'll take a road win just about any way you can get it inside of conference play. The UCF vault to No.2 has the Cougars dropping a spot to No.6 this week. Kyle Postma completed 25-of-36 passing attempts for 226 yards and one touchdown and another 81 yards on the ground. Houston has concerns at quarterback but Postma appears to be the one head coach Major Applewhite trusts the most.

This Week: Vs SMU as a -6 Favorite

7: Cincinnati (2-3)

The Bearcats lost last week as a favorite to Marhsall 38-21. Marshall's Chase Litton lit up the Cincinnati defense going 21-of-34 and passing for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Things likely won't get any easier this week with a tough matchup against our No.2 team in UCF at home.

This Week: Vs UCF as a +17 Underdog

8: Tulane (2-2)

The Green Wave move up a spot during their bye week. Sometimes not losing is just enough. They get a struggling Tulsa team this week at home. They enter the weekend as the favorites, but it will be a tough matchup for the Green Wave in front of the home faithful.

This Week: Vs Tulsa as a -4 Favorite

9: Tulsa (1-4)

The Golden Hurricane have just one win under their belt against Louisiana-Lafayette. Last week they had Navy on the ropes before giving up a 31-21 defeat to the Midshipmen. Chad President has completed 69-of-120 passing attempts for 792 yards and just two touchdowns. Tulsa will need more from him now that the heart of conference play is here.

This Week: @Tulane as a +4 Underdog

10: Temple (2-3)

The Owls hold steady at No.10 following a 20-13 loss to Houston at home last weekend. The Owls have struggles on the offensive side of the ball and desperately need to find a quarterback that can ignite a spark in the offense.

This Week: @ECU as a -2.5 Favorite

11: ECU (1-4)

The Pirates gave up 61 points last weekend to the prolific USF offense, but on the plus side they were able to put up 31 points of their own. They could move up a spot next week with a win over Temple this week. Keep an eye on Thomas Sirk who has completed 87-of-151 passing attempts for 1,129 yards and six touchdowns.

This Week: Vs Temple as a +2.5 Underdog

12: UCONN (1-3)

The Huskies lone win came against FCS foe Holy Cross. They struggled against SMU losing 49-28 on the road. It doesn't look as though they'll make much movement next week with a tough home stand against Memphis who comes in as a two score favorite over the Huskies.

This Week: Vs Memphis as a +13.5 Underdog