Memphis is 3-1 through four games to start he 2026 season, and it has the week off before starting conference play next week against Charlotte. With the Tigers’ not playing a game this week, it’s a good time to take a look at what the rest of the conference has done to start the season.
It was unclear what the conference would look like before the season started, and there isn’t a clear favorite three weeks into the season.
Two teams are currently 3-0, while Charlotte is the only winless team in the conference. While Tulsa and USF are undefeated to start the year, UTSA is currently the betting favorite to win the American.
The Tigers are right there in the mix after wins over UNLV, Arkansas State and UT Martin, and it will be interesting to see how they face in conference play.
Here’s a look at how other teams in the American have fared through three weeks.
Tulsa (3-0)
Tulsa might be one of the biggest surprises in the Group of Six after starting 3-0 with a win over Oklahoma State in the season opener. The Golden Hurricane have an opportunity to pick up another win over a Power Four program on Saturday when they travel to Fayetteville to play Arkansas.
South Florida (3-0)
South Florida is the only other team in the conference currently undefeated, and they’re 1-0 in conference play after beating Army in the closing seconds in week 2. The Bulls brought in a new coaching staff and a lot of new pieces to the roster, and it will be interesting to see if they can contend for the conference championship in Brian Harline’s first season.
Florida Atlantic (2-1)
The Owls are 2-1 to start the season with back-to-back wins after losing to Florida in their season opener. FAU picked up a conference win in week 2 over Navy, and they beat FIU by six last week.
UTSA (2-1)
UTSA is also 2-1, but it’s coming off a 24-point loss against Texas. The Roadrunners are currently the favorites to win the conference after two comfortable wins over UTRGV and Texas State.
Army (1-1)
Army has only played two games, losing its first conference game to USF. The Black Knights’ lone win this season was a 59-3 victory over Bryant.
Army will play a road game against Temple on Friday.
Navy (1-1)
Navy started the season with a 42-15 win over Towson, but it lost on the road in week two against FAU. The Midshipmen will hit the road again for a conference game against UAB on Friday.
East Carolina (1-2)
East Carolina lost back-to-back games against Alabama and App State to start the season, but it picked up its first win of the season last week with a 20-17 win over Old Dominion. They will host NC Central on Saturday.
North Texas (1-2)
North Texas started the season with a 52-16 loss against Indiana, but it responded with a 44-6 win over UNLV, who the Tigers beat in week zero. After the lopsided victory for the Mean Green, they responded with a 49-35 loss to Texas State last week.
Rice (1-2)
The Owls started the season with a 31-3 win over Houston Christian, but they’ve lost their last two games against Notre Dame and Western Michigan. After getting blown out by the Fighting Irish, Rice lost to the Broncos by a touchdown on Saturday.
Temple (1-2)
Temple began the season with a 38-14 win over Rhode Island, but it lost its next two games against Penn State and Toledo. The Owls led Saturday’s game for most of the night before the Rockets scored back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.
Temple will host Army on Friday in its first conference game of the season.
Tulane (1-2)
The preseason expectations for Tulane were mixed, and they’ve struggled through the first three weeks. The Green Wave lost by double digits to Duke and Kansas State, but they beat South Alabama in their only home game of the year so far.
Tulane will host Southern Miss on Saturday.
UAB (1-2)
UAB is 1-2 to start the season after losses against Illinois and Louisiana. The Blazers won their only home game over UL Monroe in week 2.
UAB will start conference play on Friday against Navy.
Charlotte (0-3)
Charlotte was considered one of the worst FBS teams ahead of the season, and it doesn’t seem like much has changed in three weeks. The 49ers started the season with an overtime loss against The Citadel before losing road games against Ole Miss and App State.
Charlotte will host Louisiana on Saturday before playing Memphis on October 3.
