American Conference Honors: Way too Early End of the Season Awards

We’re already in week ten with a long way to go, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some bold predictions as to how this season will end.

The 15 teams that represent the American Athletic Conference. | Official American Athletic Conference Website

It’s been ten weeks since the 2025 season began, and it has been nothing short of a roller coaster. These teams, for better or for worse, deserve the spotlight being given to them.

An important note is that these are end of the season awards, so we’ll be making predictions on how the rest of the season will play out based on what we have now.

The Peak of the American Conference

When examining the options, we've picked four candidates, but could only choose one.

Beginning the climb with the Green Wave makes sense in this case. It's unfortunate they don't place higher, but due to this past week's loss to UTSA 48-26, the Wave fall just short of the upper echelon of the AAC. As a result, a lack of quality wins like the South Florida Bulls and a heart-wrenching loss last week, place the Green Wave here at the bottom of the top. Despite a quality season from starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff, the Green Wave need a bit of luck if they wish to make it to the AAC championship game. They'd also have to win out the rest of their games, with one of them coming against the No. 22 ranked Memphis Tigers.

Boasting the #1 offense in the AAC, the North Texas Mean Green average 487.8-yards per game while scoring 44.4 points per game. The Mean Green are coming off a huge win against Navy this past week, winning 31-17. The only loss the Green have sustained is one against the South Florida Bulls 63-36, giving the Green their only conference loss of the season (4-1). So while the offense seems to show no signs of stopping, the defense will need a bit of work before they can be crowned.

The South Florida Bulls stormed into the season knocking off two ranked teams in the first two weeks of the year. Beating preseason ranked No. 25 Boise State Broncos, and then travelling to the Swamp to strangle the Florida Gators 18-16. The Bulls are 6-2, with their two losses coming from No. 10 Miami and the conference's very own Memphis. The Bulls have already beaten the Mean Green, so only one team stands above them now.

The Memphis Tigers come out of the AAC blood-bath on top. On what has been a chaotic season so far, the Tigers are 8-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Tigers hit a bump in the road a few weeks ago in a loss to UAB, but they quickly bounced back to win against our second ranked Bulls. The Tigers are also the only ranked team in the conference now with the win against South Florida. They now sit at No. 22, only hoping to climb higher with their remaining games against Tulane, East Carolina, and Navy.

Halfway Down the Mountain

As we make our way down, we find the most surprising team of the year so far, University of South Florida. The Bulls have a 6-2 record while being 3-1 against in-conference opponents. Their surprise comes with the first two weeks of the season, beating the brakes off of preseason No. 25 Boise State 34-7. They followed with a statement win in The Swamp against No. 13 Florida 18-16.

The strong start wouldn't last long however, they would fall to No. 5 Miami 49-12, as the Bulls just couldn't find a way to get going against the Hurricanes. They've continued strong since, only losing to Memphis in a tense, one-score 34-31 loss.

What follows South Florida are the mediocre, middle-of-the-pack teams. This list includes North Texas, Temple, and East Carolina. With a combined record of 16-7, these teams just can't find their consistent rhythm that would win them games.

The Base of the Conference Mountain

Our pick for the worst team in the conference wasn't as difficult as choosing the best team. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has struggled all year. Charlotte has averaged just 16.8 points per game against AAC opponents, while allowing a monstrous 41.8 points per game.

The team that let us down the most, however, is Army. They finished last year with a 12-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 conference record. Rounding off the season with an emphatic 35-14 win over Tulane.

Army may not have the same players as last year, but to see them fall this far down the American Conference rankings is a bit jarring. They've fallen to the middle of the pack with a 3-4 record and a 2-3 conference record. This places them 8th in the conference, an ugly fall from grace for the Black Knights.

The Man who Scaled the Mountain

Who dares to climb the ever so tall American Conference mountain and deem themselves the Most Valuable Player? None other than Drew Mestemaker from North Texas would make the monstrous climb with ease. Completing an efficient 68.2% of his 286 attempts for 2468-yards, 21 TDs, and only four interceptions makes this case clear as day.

The star-studded QB has led his team to be the #1 offense in the conference, averaging an astounding 44.4 points per game, and an insane 487.8 yards per game.

Mestemaker is averaging 300-yards per game while having a 1.87 interception percentage. The Mean Green might only be fifth in the conference, but they would be no where near the top five without their star quarterback.