2013 STANDINGS WEEK 1 PREVIEW THIS WEEK. American Athletic Conference Football Report 2013 Season Week 1

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1 American Athletic Conference Football Report 2013 Season Week 1 Contact: Chuck Sullivan, Director of Communicions (csullivan@theamerican.org ) 15 Park Row West Providence, RI TheAmerican.org Facebook: fb.com/americanconf 2013 STANDINGS AMERICAN OVERALL SCHOOL W-L PCT PF PA H A W-L PCT PF PA H A N STREAK NOTABLE UCF (-/rv) Won 1 Knights won least 10 games in two of the last three years Cincinni (rv/rv) Won 3 Tommy Tuberville makes debut as Bearcs coach vs. Purdue UConn Lost 1 Huskies play four of first five games home Houston Won 1 Cougars have gained more yards since 2006 than any FBS team Louisville (9/9) Won 2 Cardinals have shared two straight conference titles Memphis Won 3 Tigers bring a three-game winning streak into 2013 Rutgers (-/rv) Lost 3 Rutgers had 11 players drafted or signed by NFL teams last year USF Lost 3 Willie Taggart makes debut on USF sideline vs. McNeese Ste SMU Won 2 Mustangs are 10-3 home in the last two seasons Temple Lost 1 First game as head coach for Owls Mt Rhule Preseason Associed Press Top 25: 9 - Louisville; rv - Cincinni Preseason USA Today Top 25: 9 - Louisville; rv - UCF, Cincinni, Rutgers THIS WEEK WEEK 1 PREVIEW Thursday, August 29 Akron UCF...7 p.m. : ESPN3 Series: Akron leads, 5-3 Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2012 UCF, Towson UConn...7:30 p.m. : ESPN3 Series: Towson leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 1993 Towson, Rutgers Fresno Ste... 10:30 p.m. : ESPNU Series: Fresno Ste leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2008 Fresno Ste, 28-7 Friday, August 30 Texas Tech SMU...8 p.m. : ESPN Series: Texas Tech leads, Last Meeting: Sept. 5, 2010 Texas Tech, Southern Houston...8:30 p.m. : ESPN3 Series: Houston leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2008 Houston, 55-3 Surday, August 31 Purdue Cincinni... Noon : ESPNU Series: Purdue leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Sept. 2, 2001 Purdue, Temple Notre Dame...3:30 p.m. : NBC Series: First meeting McNeese Ste USF...7 p.m. : ESPN3 Series: USF leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: Sept. 2, 2006 USF Sunday, September 1 Ohio Louisville...3:30 p.m. : ESPN Series: Tied, 2-2 Last Meeting: Nov. 14, 1959 Ohio, The steps it took to get here have been plentiful and well-documented. But beginning with three Thursday-night games, the American Athletic Conference takes shape as a football-playing entity. The American will feure 10 teams in 2013, with each team slotted for eight conference games. ;The team with the best conference winning percentage the end of the regular season will be awarded the league s automic berth to the Bowl Championship Series. Though The American officially is the successor to the Big East, maintaining the lter s governance structure and policies, the league has retired the Big East football record book and will start anew with its history. Th history begins Thursday 7 p.m., as UCF welcomes Akron to Bright House Network Stadium. The Knights have hit double-digit wins three times in the last four years, including last season, when George O Leary s charges finished UConn follows with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Towson Rentschler Field. It s the first of three straight home games to open the year for UConn, which hosts Maryland and Michigan after a Week 2 bye. But the Huskies can t afford to look past the Tigers, who gave LSU a scare last year in Bon Rouge, La. Rutgers is one of two American Athletic Conference teams to open on the road in Week 1 as the Scarlet Knights head to Fresno Ste 10:30 p.m. ET. Rutgers made history in coach Kyle Flood s first year, going 9-4 and claiming a share of the Big East championship for the first time. The Scarlet Knights face a Fresno Ste side th went 6-0 home last season. The focus shifts to The American s Texas contingent Friday as SMU hosts Texas Tech 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Mustangs figure to have one of the more prolific offenses in college football this season and look to snap a 14- game series slide to the Red Raiders. Houston begins play 8:30 p.m. ET Friday as the Cougars entertain Southern Reliant Stadium. Houston has set the standard for offensive production in the past six seasons, and with 10 of their top 13 receivers returning from last year, the Cougars should keep scoreboard operors busy once again. Cincinni is the first of three American teams to play Surday as the Bearcs hosts Purdue noon ET on ESPNU. Both teams will feure new head coaches as Tommy Tuberville makes his debut on the Cincinni sideline, while Darrell Hazell takes over for the Boilermakers. Temple s Mt Rhule will make his head coaching debut as he brings his Owls to Notre Dame for a 3:30 start on NBC. Rhule was instrumental in Temple s turnaround as an assistant to Al Golden and Steve Addazio before spending last year with the New York Giants. USF likewise will have a new man on the sideline as Willie Taggart leads the Bulls against McNeese Ste 7 p.m. Taggart comes to USF from Western Kentucky, where he led the Hilltoppers from a 20-game losing streak to a 16-4 record in his final 20 games. Louisville was tabbed as the preseason favorite in The American and the ninth-ranked Cardinals open their season Sunday against Ohio Papa John s Cardinal Stadium (3:30 p.m. ESPN). Louisville went 11-2 in 2012 and capped last season with a win against Florida in the Allste Sugar Bowl. The Cardinals face an Ohio team th opened last year by winning Penn Ste.

2 AMERICAN NOTEBOOK Introduction The 2013 season will be the first for the American Athletic Conference. The American consists of 10 Football Bowl Subdivision teams th will play eight conference games. The league champion will earn an automic berth to the Bowl Championship Series. Wh s In A Name? The American Athletic Conference existed as the Big East Conference from 1979 through June 30, The league formally changed its name as of July 1. Who We Are Six American Athletic Conference teams Cincinni, UConn, Louisville, Rutgers, USF and Temple competed in the Big East Conference last season. Four teams UCF, Houston, Memphis and SMU played in Conference USA. Perfect 10 The American Athletic Conference has three teams (UCF, Cincinni, Louisville) th won least 10 games last year. The only conference th has more teams with double-digit wins from last year is the SEC (six). Half And Half Five of the 10 American Athletic Conference teams played in a bowl game last season. Teams from The American were 4-1 in bowl games last season. Ordering Rings Four of the 10 teams in The American won or shared their conference s regular-season championship last year. Cincinni, Louisville and Rutgers were part of a four-way tie for first in the final Big East standings, while UCF won the Conference USA East Division crown Split Seven of the 10 teams in the American Athletic Conference have been ranked in the top 25 of the Bowl Championship Series standings since 2008: Team Years Ranked UCF 2010 Cincinni 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 UConn 2008 Houston 2009, 2011 Louisville 2012 Rutgers 2012 USF 2008, 2009 Best Of The Best Five of the 10 teams in The American have earned top-10 rankings in the BCS since the 2006 season: Team Highest Ranking - Year Cincinni No Houston No Louisville No Rutgers No USF No Coaching Tenure The American Athletic Conference has four head coaches who have won a combined 501 games. The other six coaches have won a combined 60 games. All-Time ing Victories Paul Pasqualoni, UConn 151 Tommy Tuberville, Cincinni 131 George O Leary, UCF 112 June Jones, SMU 107 Charlie Strong, Louisville 25 Willie Taggart, USF 16 Kyle Flood, Rutgers 9 Tony Levine, Houston 6 Justin Fuente, Memphis 4 Mt Rhule, Temple 0 Familiar Faces Nine of the 10 American Athletic Conference teams return their starting quarterback from last season. USF is the only team th does not return last year s starter. Team Returning Quarterback UCF Blake Bortles Cincinni Brendon Kay UConn Chandler Whitmer Houston David Piland Louisville Teddy Bridgewer Memphis Jacob Karam Rutgers Gary Nova SMU Garrett Gilbert Temple Chris Coyer (HB in 2013) On The Other Hand Only two of the 10 teams in The American return their leading rusher from last year. Lyle McCombs of UConn had 860 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Brandon Hayes of Memphis had 576 yards and six TDs. Welcome Aboard The American is scheduled to undergo the following membership changes in the coming years: 2014 East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa join the conference 2015 Navy joins the conference as a football-only member Honor Roll Two American Athletic Conference players were named to the preseason wch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the top player in the nion. Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewer threw for 3,718 yards and 27 touchdowns, helping the Cardinals to the Big East title and a win against Florida in the Alllste Sugar Bowl last season. UCF QB Blake Bortles was named to the wch list after his 3,059-yard, 25-touchdown performance in Bortles led the Knights to the Conference USA East Division title and a win against Ball Ste in the Beef O Brady s Bowl. WATCH THIS A look American Athletic Conference players under considerion for 2013 major nional awards. Bednarik Award (Top Defensive Player) - Wch List Greg Blair, LB, Cincinni Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville Jamal Merrell, LB, Rutgers DeDe Ltimore, LB, USF Biletnikoff Award (Top Wide Receiver) - Wch List Deontay Greenberry, Houston DeVante Parker, Louisville Brandon Coleman, Rutgers Butkus Award (Top Linebacker) - Wch List Greg Blair, Cincinni Yawin Smallwood, UConn Preston Brown, Louisville Jamal Merrell, Rutgers DeDe Ltimore, USF Walter Camp Award (Top Player) - Wch List Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Teddy Bridgewer, QB, Louisville Lou Groza Award (Top Kicker) - Wch List Tony Miliano, Cincinni John Wallace, Louisville Ray Guy Award (Top Punter) - Wch List Richie Leone, Houston Tom Hornsey, Memphis Mike Loftus, SMU John Mackey Award (Top Tight End) - Wch List Gerald Christian, Louisville Maxwell Award (Outstanding Player) - Wch List Blake Bortles, QB, UCF Teddy Bridgewer, QB, Louisville Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) - Wch List Greg Blair, LB, Cincinni Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville Aaron Lynch, DE, USF Davey O Brien (Top Quarterback) - Wch List Blake Bortles, QB, UCF Teddy Bridgewer, QB, Louisville Outland Trophy (Top Interior Lineman) - Wch List Austen Bujnoch, OG, Cincinni Eric Lefeld, OT, Cincinni Kaleb Johnson, OT, Rutgers Antwan Lowery, OG, Rutgers Rimington Trophy (Top Center) - Wch List Bryce Redman, Houston Betim Bujari, Rutgers Austin Reiter, USF Taylor Lasecki, SMU Rotary Lombardi Award (Top Lineman) - Wch List Austen Bujnoch, OG, Cincinni Eric Lefeld, OT, Cincinni Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn Preston Brown, LB, Louisville Martin Ifedi, DE, Memphis Kaleb Johnson, OT, Rutgers Antwan Lowery, OG, Rutgers Aaron Lynch, DE, USF Jim Thorpe Award (Top Defensive Back) - Wch List Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville Kenneth Acker, S, SMU Doak Walker Award (Top Running Back) - Wch List Storm Johnson, UCF Lyle McCombs, UConn Dominique Brown, Louisville Senorise Perry, Louisville American Athletic Conference Football

3 TALKING POINTS UCF UCONN LOUISVILLE RUTGERS SMU Next: Aug. 29 vs. Akron Next: Aug. 29 vs. Towson Next: Sept. 1 vs. Ohio Next: Aug. 29 Fresno Ste Next: Aug. 30 vs. Texas Tech UCF won four Conference USA East Division titles in its eight years in the league, including the 2012 divisional title. The Knights have won least 10 games in two of the last three seasons after going 10-4 in QB Blake Bortles is on the preseason wch list for the Maxwell Award as the outstanding player and the Davey O Brien Award as the top quarterback. RB Storm Johnson was named the Doak Walker Award preseason wch list (top running back). UConn s Paul Pasqualoni enters the 2013 season with 151 career wins more than any other American Athletic Conference head coach. The Huskies play four of their first five games home. LB Yawin Smallwood is one of just 12 defensive players named to the 50-man wch list for the Walter Camp Award as the nion s top player. QB Chandler Whitmer threw for least 200 yards in five of UConn s last six games in The Cardinals return 19 players who started least one game last season. QB Teddy Bridgewer is on the preseason wch list for the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award as the outstanding player and the Davey O Brien Award as the top quarterback. The Cardinals have three players who have rushed for least 500 yards in a season RB Michael Dyer (1,242 yards for Auburn in 2011), RB Senorise Perry (705 yards in 2012) and RB Dominique Brown (533 yards in 2011). Rutgers won a share of its first conference championship last season as the Scarlet Knights tied for the Big East title. Rutgers has reached the postseason six times in the last seven years. WR Brandon Coleman was named to the preseason wch list for the Biletnikoff Award as the nion s top wide receiver. OG Antwan Lowery and OT Kaleb Johnson were named to the preseason wch lists for the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) and the Rotary Lombardi Trophy (top lineman). After going 25 years wihout reaching the postseason, SMU has played in a bowl game in each of the last four seasons. SMU s four nonconference opponents in 2013 were a combined last season. CB Kenneth Acker was named to the preseason wch list for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nion s top defensive back. The Mustangs also placed C Taylor Lasecki (Rimington Trophy, top center) and P Mike Loftus (Ray Guy Award, top punter) on preseason wch lists. CINCINNATI HOUSTON MEMPHIS USF TEMPLE Next: Aug. 31 vs. Purdue Next: Aug. 30 vs. Southern Next: Sept. 7 vs. Duke Next: Aug. 31 vs. McNeese Ste Next: Aug. 31 Notre Dame Cincinni has won four conference championships in the last five years and is the only school from an automic-qualifying BCS conference to make th claim. Cincinni has won least 10 games in five of the last six years. QB Brendon Kay went 4-1 as the Bearcs starter last season. OT Eric Lefeld and OG Austen Bujnoch were both named to the preseason wch lists for the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) and the Rotary Lombardi Trophy (top lineman). Since 2006, Houston has gained more offensive yards (48,315) than any FBS team. Oregon is second 44,707 yards in th span. The Cougars return 10 of their top 13 receivers from last season. WR Deontay Greenberry was named to the preseason wch list for the Biletnikoff Award as the nion s top wide receiver. The Cougars have nine starters returning from an offense th averaged 32.4 points and 480 yards per game in The defense returns just three starters from Memphis has an open de in the first week of the season as the Tigers make their 2013 debut Sept. 7 against Duke. Memphis three-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak among American Athletic Conference schools (tying Cincinni). QB Jacob Karam completed a school-record 64.2 percent of his passes last season (176 of 274). The Tigers led Conference USA in total defense in league games in 2012 (331.6 yards per game). USF is 32-8 in nonconference games since the 2006 season. USF is the only team in the American Athletic Conference th does not return its regular starting quarterback from last year. DE Aaron Lynch was named to the preseason wch list for the Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) and the Rotary Lombardi Trophy (top lineman). LB DeDe Ltimore was a preseason wch list selection for the Bednarik Award (top defensive player) and the Butkus Award (top linebacker). Temple had turned in three straight winning seasons before finishing 4-7 in Owls coach Mt Rhule will make his head coaching debut in the game Notre Dame. Rhule spent last season as an assistant with the New York Giants and had been an assistant Temple from LB Tyler Makevich was the Big East Rookie of the Year last season. The Owls will host Houston next week Lincoln Financial Field in the first American Athletic Conference game American Athletic Conference Football

4 WEEK 1 PREVIEWS Thursday, Aug p.m. ET ESPN3 AKRON ZIPS UCF KNIGHTS Bright House Networks Stadium (45,323/Grass) Orlando, Fla. ESPN3 Drew Fellios, Al Groh and Tiffany Greene UCF Radio WYGM-AM 740 (flagship) Thursday, Aug. 29 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN3 TOWSON TIGERS UCONN HUSKIES Rentschler Field (40,000/Grass) East Hartford, Conn. ESPN3 Bob Picozzi and K.C. Keeler UConn Radio WTIC-AM 1080 (flagship) Thursday, Aug :30 p.m. ET ESPNU RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454/FieldTurf) Piscaway, N.J. ESPNU Dave Flemming, Mike Bellotti and Lewis Johnson Rutgers Radio WOR-AM 710 (flagship) Thursday s game will be the ninth meeting between UCF and Akron The Zips hold a 5-3 series lead The schools competed together in the Mid-American Conference between 2000 and 2004 UCF was a winner last year in Akron as Knights QB Blake Bortles threw for three touchdowns and 168 yards on 13-of-16 passing. -/rv UCF (0-0) George O Leary (New Hampshire 69) 60-55, 10th season UCF , 17th season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Brian Ormiston (407) , bormiston@ucf.edu UCF is the first American Athletic Conference team in action in the 2013 season as the Knights begin their quest for a third 10-win season in four years The Knights captured four Conference USA East Division titles in their eight years in the league, including the 2012 crown UCF fell to Tulsa, in overtime, in last year s Conference USA Championship, but bounced back to be Ball Ste in the Beef O Brady s Bowl The Knights are led offensively by QB Blake Bortles, who was named to the preseason wch list for the Maxwell Award as the nion s outstanding player Bortles threw for 3,059 yards and 25 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012 Bortles has two of his top three receivers from last year back in the fold as WR J.J. Worton had 44 cches for 594 yards and five touchdowns, and WR Rannell Hall had 35 cches for a team-high 631 yards with four TDs The UCF defense led Conference USA in scoring defense (22.1 ppg) and pass defense (217.7 ypg) last year SS Clayton Gehers registered 117 tackles, while LB Terrance Plummer had 108 stops UCF is on the road for its next two games ( Florida Internional, Penn Ste). AKRON (0-0) Terry Bowden (West Virginia 78) 1-11, second season Akron , 20th season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Gregg Bach (330) , gbach@uakron.edu Akron looks to rebound from a 1-11 season in coach Terry Bowden s first year with the Zips Bowden, who was the head coach Auburn from , spent three years Division II North Alabama before taking over Akron last year Akron has 14 starters returning from last season The Zips have gone 1-11 in each of the last three seasons and look for their first winning season since the 2005 team finished 7-6 and won the Mid-American Conference title The lone win from last season was a 66-6 victory against Morgan Ste Akron returns its top rusher from last year as RB Javon Chisholm ran for 953 yards and three touchdowns LB Justin March had 62 tackles to lead all returning players Akron s next three games are against schools it has not previously faced James Madison, Michigan and Louisiana. Thursday s game will be the second meeting between UConn and Towson and the first since 1993, when the Huskies were part of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Towson was a winner Oct. 2, 1993, in th first meeting, which was played Memorial Field on the UConn campus The Huskies have won their last 11 games against FCS opponents. UCONN (0-0) Paul Pasqualoni (Penn Ste 72) 10-14, third season UConn , 22nd season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Mike Enright (860) , mike.enright@uconn.edu The Huskies, who have gone 5-7 in each of the past two seasons, return 17 starters in their bid to get pack to postseason play UConn closed last season with wins in two of its last three games, including a triple-overtime victory Louisville The Huskies led the Big East in total defense last year (309.9 ypg), but will have to replace seven starters from th unit UConn allowed just three teams to score more than 21 points last year LB Yawin Smallwood, who had 120 tackles and earned All-Big East First Team honors last year, is the top returning player The offense boasts seven returning starters, including QB Chandler Whitmer, who enters his second season as the Huskies signal-caller Whitmer threw for 2,664 yards good for fifth on the school s single-season chart and nine touchdowns last year RB Lyle McCombs rushed for 860 yards and six TDs and has 2,011 yards in his two-year career WR Geremy Davis led the team in receptions (44) and receiving yards (613) in 2012 The Huskies return all five players who started the final four games of last season on the offensive line OG Steve Greene has made 35 career starts. TOWSON (0-0) Rob Ambrose (Towson 93) 19-26, fifth season Towson 22-33, sixth season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Dan O Connell (410) , doconnell@towson.edu Towson brings a four-game winning streak into the 2013 season after the Tigers rallied to finish 7-4 last year Towson went 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Associion The Tigers four losses last year came the hands of FBS teams or top-10 teams in FCS Towson held a 9-7 lead LSU last year before falling in Bon Rouge The Tigers open 2013 with four of their first five games on the road Towson returns 17 starters from last year, including nine on offense The Tigers bring back their entire starting offensive line, which is anchored by All- CAA OT Eric Pike Pike leads the way for RB Terrance West, who is a two-time All-CAA First Team selection West has turned in back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including a 1,046- yard, 14-touchdown effort last year West had 29 rushing touchdowns as a freshman in Rutgers and Fresno Ste meet for the second time when they kick off the 2013 season Thursday night The only previous meeting was Fresno Ste s 24-7 win against the Scarlet Knights Sept. 1, 2008, in Piscaway, N.J. Fresno Ste RB Ryan Mhews ran for 163 yards and three TDs in th game as the Bulldogs reeled off 422 yards. -/rv RUTGERS (0-0) Kyle Flood (Iona 93) 9-4, second season Informion Contact Jason Baum (732) , jbaum@scarletknights.com Rutgers, which played in the first college football game back in 1869, made history last season as the Scarlet Knights earned a share of the Big East title Rutgers opened the season with seven straight wins and stood 9-1 through 10 games, but closed the year with a three-game slide The Scarlet Knights last two losses were by three points each a setback to Louisville in the regular-season finale and a overtime loss to Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl Rutgers led the Big East in scoring defense (14.2 ppg), but loses seven starters from its defensive unit LB Jamal Merrell was third on the team with 83 tackles, while his brother, DE Jamil Merrell was second on the squad in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (10.5) WR Brandon Coleman is the key man on offense after he tied for the Big East lead with 10 touchdown receptions last year Coleman had 43 cches for 718 yards QB Gary Nova started every game in 2012 and threw for 2,695 yards and 22 touchdowns with 16 interceptions RB Savon Huggins (410 yards, two TDs in 2012) is expected to take over as the feured man in the backfield OG Antwan Lowery and OG Kaleb Johnson both earned all-conference plaudits last year. rv/rv FRESNO STATE (0-0) Tim DeRuyter (Air Force 85) 9-4, second season Fresno Ste 10-4, second full season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Jason Clay (559) , jaclay@csufresno.edu Fresno Ste turned in a solid 9-4 season under first-year head coach Tim DeRuyter in 2012 as the Bulldogs closed the regularseason with five straight wins Fresno Ste was chosen for the Sheron Hawaii Bowl, where it dropped a decision to SMU The Bulldogs went 7-1 in the Mountain West Conference, tying Boise Ste and San Diego Ste for the conference title The only regular-season losses last year were to Oregon, Boise Ste and Tulsa The Bulldogs went 6-0 home last season Fresno Ste is paced by QB Derek Carr, who was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 after he threw for 4,104 yards and 37 touchdowns with seven interceptions The top receiving thre is WR Davante Adams, who had 102 cches for 1,312 yards and 14 TDs as a freshman S Derron Smith had 79 tackles and six interceptions in American Athletic Conference Football

5 WEEK 1 PREVIEWS Friday, Aug p.m. ET ESPN Friday, Aug. 30 8:30 p.m. ET ESPN3 Surday, Aug. 31 Noon ESPNU TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS SMU MUSTANGS Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000/FieldTurf) Dallas, Texas ESPN Carter Blackburn, Danny Kanell and Allison Williams SMU Radio KTCK-AM 1310 (flagship) SOUTHERN JAGUARS HOUSTON COUGARS Reliant Stadium (71,500/Grass) Houston, Texas ESPN3 Brett Dolan, Kevin O Connell and Sean Adams Houston Radio KBME-AM 790 (flagship) PURDUE BOILERMAKERS CINCINNATI BEARCATS Nippert Stadium (35,000/UBU Sports Speed Series) Cincinni, Ohio ESPNU Eamon McAnaney and Anthony Becht Cincinni Radio WLW-AM 700 (flagship) Friday s game will be the 49th meeting between SMU and Texas Tech in a series th des to 1932 Texas Tech has won the last 14 meetings, with SMU s last win coming in the 1986 season The most recent mchup was Texas Tech s win Sept. 5, 2010 Th game was the Texas Tech debut for Tommy Tuberville, who is now Cincinni s head coach. SMU (0-0) June Jones (New York Ste Regents College) 31-34, sixth season SMU , 15th season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Brad Sutton (214) , bustton@smu.edu SMU begins its quest for a fifth consecutive postseason appearance as the Mustangs look to build off a 7-6 performance in 2012 SMU has won 30 games in the last four years after winning a combined two games in the two seasons prior to the current stretch The Mustangs closed last season with a win against Fresno Ste in the Sheron Hawaii Bowl SMU s offense is paced by QB Garrett Gilbert, a veteran signal-caller who threw for 2,932 yards and 15 touchdowns to go with eight rushing TDs last year WR Jeremy Johnson returns after leading the Mustangs with 67 receptions (for 679 yards) last season, while WR Der rikk Thompson had 41 cches for 535 yards and four touchdowns RB Traylon Shead, who joins the program by way of Texas and Navarro JC, is expected to take over as the starter in the backfield to offset the loss of 1,200-yard rusher Zach Line The defense will be led by LB Randall Joyner, who had 93 tackles last year to lead the returning players The Mustangs return their entire starting secondary from last year, including CB Kenneth Acker, who earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors. TEXAS TECH (0-0) Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech 01) 0-0, first season Informion Contact Blayne Beal (860) , blayne.beal@ttu.edu Friday s game marks the head coaching debut for Kliff Kingsbury, who, 33, became the second-youngest FBS head coach, behind only Mt Campbell of Toledo Kingsbury was the co-offensive coordinor and quarterbacks coach Houston from and spent last season as the offensive coordinor Texas A&M Texas Tech went 8-5 last year, including a win against Minnesota in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas The Red Raiders have averaged least 460 yards of offense and 33 points per game in each of the last five years The Red Raiders have 13 starters returning from last year The top returning player is WR Eric Ward, who had 82 cches for 1,053 yards and 12 touchdowns last season RB Kenny Williams returns after he led the team in rushing with 824 yards and five TDs DE Kerry Hyder, who was an All-Big 12 First Team choice, leads the defense. Friday s game will be just the second meeting between Houston and Southern The Cougars claimed the only previous meeting, a 55-3 decision Aug. 30, 2008 exactly five years prior to Friday s game Th mchup was Kevin Sumlin s debut as Houston s head coach as QB Case Keenum threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns. HOUSTON (0-0) Tony Levine (Minnesota 96) 6-7, second full season Informion Contact David Bassity (713) , dbassity@central.uh.edu Houston looks to bounce back from last year s 5-7 showing The Cougars last went 5-7 in 2010, but responded with a 13-1 season in 2011 Houston averaged yards of offense (ranking 15th nionally) and 32.4 points per game in 2012, but looks to shore up a defense th ranked 115th nionally in yards allowed (483.0 ypg) Houston s 2013 opponents were a combined last season Seven of the 12 opponents played in a bowl game last year The Cougars have experience across the board on offense with their starting quarterback and three of their top four wide receivers joining four returning starters on the offensive line QB David Piland threw for 2,924 yards and 16 touchdowns last season and will be the Opening Day starter, but QB John O Korn, a true freshman, will see time as well WR Deontay Greenberry had 47 cches for 569 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman last season RB Kenneth Farrow (466 yards) is the top returning rusher LB Derrick Mhews and SS Trevon Stewart tied for second on the team with 126 tackles each last year Mhews added six sacks and 17 tackles for loss Stewart leads a secondary th returns all four starters from the 2012 season finale. SOUTHERN (0-0) Dawson Odums (North Carolina Central 97) 4-5, second season Informion Contact Christopher Jones (225) , jones_chrisk@yahoo.com Southern returns 15 starters and 45 letterwinners from a 2012 team th went 4-7 overall and 3-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference The Jaguars finished fourth in the SWAC West Division Southern s last two losses were by a combined two points The Jaguars closed the season with a win against Grambling in front of 45,980 fans the Bayou Classic Friday s game Houston begins the 96th season of Southern football The season-opener is the first of two scheduled games in Houston for Southern, which meets Texas Southern BBVA Compass Stadium in November Southern s offense relies heavily on the play QB Dray Joseph, who threw for 2,511 yards and 25 touchdowns last season Joseph led the SWAC in total offense last season(240.5 ypg) The Jaguars ranked 117th (of 121 FCS teams) nionally in rushing, averaging just 80 yards per game in Cincinni and Purdue meet for the second time Surday The only previous game saw the Bearcs bid for the potential go-ahead score stall in the final minute when a Cincinni player ran on the field coming out of the huddle, neging a 30-yard pass th would have put the Bearcs on the 10-yard line, allowing Purdue to hold on for a victory. rv/rv CINCINNATI (0-0) Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas 76) 0-0, first season Cincinni , 17th season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Ryan Koslen (513) , ryan.koslen@uc.edu Cincinni has hit double-digit wins in five of the last six years, including back-to-back 10-3 showings in 2011 and 2012 Cincinni has won least a share of its conference title four times in five years and is the only program among the automicqualifying BCS conferences to make th claim The only other schools from automic-qualifying BCS conferences with five 10-win seasons in the last six years are Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon Surday s game will be Tommy Tuberville s debut as Cincinni s head coach after Tuberville spent three years Texas Tech The Bearcs have two players with starting experience quarterback QB Brendon Kay started the last five games of 2012, while QB Munchie Legaux began the season as the starter Kay threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns in the Belk Bowl win against Duke to close last season OG Austen Bujnoch and OT Eric Lefeld both All-Big East selections last year anchor an offensive line th returns intact from 2012 LB Greg Blair, who led the Big East with 138 tackles, is the key man on defense S Arryn Chenault tied for the team lead with three interceptions last year. PURDUE (0-0) Darrell Hazell (Muskingum 86) 0-0, first season Purdue 16-10, third season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Mt Rector (765) , rector@purdue.edu Purdue went 6-7 last year, falling to Oklahoma Ste in the Heart of Dallas Bowl The Boilermakers finished fourth in the Big Ten Leaders Division Among the two losses were a setback Notre Dame and a overtime loss Ohio Ste teams th were a combined 24-0 in the regular season The Boilermakers closed the regular season with road wins against Iowa and Indiana to become bowl-eligible Head coach Darrell Hazell led Kent Ste to an 11-3 record last season Purdue looks to replace six starters on offense WR Gary Bush, who had 41 cches for 365 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012, is the only starting skill position player returning Purdue has nine starters back from last year s defense S Landon Feichter led the team with 80 tackles, while LB Will Lucas was second on the squad with 66 stops American Athletic Conference Football

6 WEEK 1 PREVIEWS Surday, Aug. 31 3:30 p.m. ET NBC Surday, Aug p.m. ET ESPN3 Sunday, Sept. 1 3:30 p.m. ESPN TEMPLE OWLS NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH Notre Dame Stadium (80,795/Grass) Notre Dame, Ind. NBC Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan Temple Radio WPEN-FM 97.5 (flagship) McNEESE STATE COWBOYS USF BULLS Raymond James Stadium (65,857/Grass) Tampa, Fla. ESPN3 Drew Fellios, Doug Graber and Tiffany Greene USF Radio WHFS-FM 98.7 (flagship) OHIO BOBCATS LOUISVILLE CARDINALS Papa John s Cardinal Stadium (55,000/FieldTurf) Louisville, Ky. ESPN Joe Tessitore, Mt Millen and Maria Taylor Louisville Radio WHAS-AM 840 (flagship) Surday s game will be the first meeting between Temple and Notre Dame This year marks the first time since 2008 th Temple opens its season against a team other than Villanova Current American Athletic Conference members have won their last two games Notre Dame USF won to open the 2011 season, while UConn was a overtime winner in TEMPLE (0-0) Mt Rhule (Penn Ste 97) 0-0, first season Informion Contact Rich Burg (215) , rich.burg@temple.edu Temple saw a modest streak of three consecutive winning seasons snapped with last year s 4-7 showing The Owls will have a new head coach for the second time in three years as Mt Rhule the former Temple offensive coordinor returns to Philadelphia Temple has 14 returning starters from last year, including eight on offense Rhule is moving the Owls to a more balanced offensive system this year and is turning to QB Connor Reilly as the starter behind center Reilly did not see game action last year, but enjoyed an excellent spring season HB Chris Coyer, who was the regular starter quarterback, changes positions after he rushed for 444 yards and two touchdowns a year ago WR Jalen Fitzprick led the Owls in receiving last year with 30 cches for 363 yards Three seniors are expected to start on the offensive line Two of the conference s better young linebackers lead the Temple defense LB Tyler Makevich was the Big East Rookie of the Year last year after he led the team with 101 tackles LB Ne D. Smith made 75 stops as a redshirt freshman The Owls will play in the first American Athletic Conference game next Surday when they host Houston. 14/11 NOTRE DAME (0-0) Brian Kelly (Assumption 83) 28-11, fourth season Notre Dame , 23rd season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Michael Bertsch (574) , mbertsc1@nd.edu Notre Dame takes a 12-game regular-season winning streak into the 2013 season The Irish reached the Discover BCS Nional Championship, where they fell to Alabama Notre Dame was one of the top defensive teams nionally last season, ranking No. 2 in scoring defense (12.8 ppg) and No. 7 in total defense (305.5 ypg) The only teams to score more than 20 points against the Irish last year were Pittsburgh (26) and Alabama The Irish return eight defensive starters from last year DE Stephon Tuitt earned Associed Press Second Team All-America honors last year after he registered 12 sacks last season DT Louis Nix III is on the preseason wch list for every major defensive honor after he had 12 tackles for loss and 95 total tackles a year ago QB Tommy Rees, who has made 18 starts behind center, looks to resume the starting role in Surday s game will be the second meeting between USF and McNeese Ste The Bulls were winners Sept. 2, 2006, in the only previous meeting Th game saw USF QB Mt Grothe come off the bench to throw for two touchdowns and run for another It was the first career game for Grothe, who went on to set the Big East career total offense record (10,875 yards). USF (0-0) Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky 98) 0-0, first season USF 16-20, fourth season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Brian Siegrist (813) , siegrist@usf.edu USF is 16-0 all-time in season-openers The Bulls had enjoyed a streak of six consecutive bowl appearances from , but have missed the postseason in each of the last two years Last year s ledger included a two-point loss to Louisville and a one-point setback to Syracuse teams th tied for the Big East title Surday s game will mark Willie Taggart s debut as USF s head coach Taggart had been head coach Western Kentucky for three years USF is the only team in the American Athletic Conference th does not return its starting quarterback from last year Sophomore QB Mt Floyd has been named the Opening Day starter behind center, eding QB Bobby Eveld in preseason camp WR Andre Davis, who had 46 cches for 534 yards and six touchowns last season, is the top returning player on offense LB DeDe Ltimore was named to the preseason wch list for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nions top linebacker DE Aaron Lynch, who was a Freshman All-America pick Notre Dame in 2011, will make his USF debut The Bulls had just two defensive interceptions last season the fewest of any FBS team. McNEESE STATE (0-0) Mt Vior (McNeese Ste 86) 52-24, eighth season Informion Contact Mthew Bonnette (337) , wbonnette@mcneese.edu McNeese Ste returns 16 starters from last year s team th went 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Southland Conference The Cowboys have made 14 appearances in the NCAA Division I Championship, most recently in 2010 McNeese Ste won its only game against an FBS opponent last season as the Cowboys scored a victory Middle Tennessee QB Cody Stroud is a third-year starter who threw for 2,102 yards and 19 touchdowns last season The Cowboys return three of their top four rushers from last season WR Diontae Spencer (31 cches for 413 yards) is the top returning receiver S Terence Cahee was an All-Southland Conference selection last year after he had team highs of 101 tackles and 12 pass breakups CB Guy Morgan had a team-high three interceptions Prominent alumni of McNeese Ste include basketball hall-of-famer Joe Dumars and Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. Sunday s game is the fifth meeting between Louisville and Ohio and the first since the teams split a four-game series from as each team went 1-1 on its home field Louisville won the first two games of the series (25-19 and 40-7), while the Bobcs took the last two meetings (23-6 and 22-15) Louisville has won its last two home-openers. 9/9 LOUISVILLE (0-0) Charlie Strong (Central Arkansas 82) 25-13, third season Louisville 25-14, third full season as collegie head coach Informion Contact Rocco Gasparro (502) , rocco.gasparro@louisville.edu Louisville has high expections this season as the Cardinals return 18 players who started least one game from last year s team th went 11-2 and tied for the Big East title The Cardinals capped the year with a win against Florida in the Allste Sugar Bowl Louisville is led by QB Teddy Bridgewer, who enters the season on wch list for the Maxwell Award as the nion s outstanding player Bridgewer was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 after he threw for 3,718 yards and 27 touchdowns, completing 68.5 percent of his passes The Cardinals backfield, already strong with RB Senorise Perry and RB Dominique Brown returing, received a le boost with the enrollment of RB Michael Dyer, who was the MVP of the 2011 BCS Nional Championship for Auburn WR DaVante Parker had a Big East-leading 10 touchdown receptions last year The defense returns 10 starters, including wh might be the nion s top safety tandem S Hakeem Smith and S Calvin Pryor both earned All-Big East honors last year as Smith earned all-conference plaudits for the third time LB Preston Brown (109 tackles) also was an All-Big East selection. -/rv OHIO (0-0) Frank Solich (Nebraska 66) 59-44, ninth year Ohio , 15th year as collegie head coach Informion Contact Tom Symonds (740) , symondst@ohio.edu Ohio went 9-4 last season, including a win against Louisiana-Monroe in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl The Bobcs won their first eight games of the 2012 season, including a season-opening win Penn Ste, and were ranked No. 23 nionally before falling Miami (Ohio) Ohio dropped four of its last five regular-season games The Bobcs have won least eight games in each of the last four years QB Tyler Tettleton threw for 2,844 yards and 18 touchdowns with just four interceptions last season, leading an offense th averaged 445 yards and 31.7 points per game RB Beau Blankenship rushed for 1,604 yards and 15 touchdowns The top receiver is WR Donte Foster, who had 59 cches for 659 yards and eight TDs last season The defense returns five starters, including LB Keith Moore, who led the team with 98 tackles in American Athletic Conference Football

7 NATIONAL POLLS Associed Press Poll Preseason Poll School Record Pts 1. Alabama (58) Ohio Ste (1) Oregon Stanford Georgia (1) South Carolina Texas A&M Clemson Louisville Florida Florida Ste LSU Oklahoma Ste Notre Dame Texas Oklahoma Michigan Nebraska Boise Ste TCU UCLA Northwestern Wisconsin USC Oregon Ste Receiving votes: Michigan Ste 95, Baylor 92, Virginia Tech 86, Miami (Fla.) 85, Arizona Ste 53, Kansas Ste 43, Fresno Ste 36, Vanderbilt 19, Washington 17, Northern Illinois 16, Ole Miss 11, Utah Ste 8, Georgia Tech 6, Cincinni 3, Arizona 3, North Carolina 3, Penn Ste 2, Brigham Young 1 USA Today Poll Preseason Poll School Record Pts 1. Alabama (58) 0-0 1, Ohio Ste (2) 0-0 1, Oregon 0-0 1, Stanford 0-0 1, Georgia 0-0 1, Texas A&M (1) 0-0 1, South Carolina 0-0 1, Clemson 0-0 1, Louisville 0-0 1, Florida Notre Dame Florida Ste LSU Oklahoma Ste Texas Oklahoma Michigan Nebraska Boise Ste Texas Christian UCLA Northwestern Wisconsin USC Oregon Ste Receiving votes: Kansas Ste 113, Miami (Fla.) 101, Michigan Ste 89, Baylor 80, Virginia Tech 65, Fresno Ste 62, Arizona Ste 51, Mississippi 32, Vanderbilt 29, Utah Ste 23, Brigham Young 20, North Carolina 19, Northern Illinois 19, Tulsa 9, San Jose Ste 8, Ohio 8, Arizona 5, Cincinni 3, East Carolina 3, Mississippi Ste 3, Kent Ste 3, Washington 3, UCF 2, Tennessee 1, Toledo 1, Rutgers 1, Arkansas 1, Arkansas Ste 1 American Preseason Media Poll School (First-Place Votes) Pts 1. Louisville (20) Cincinni (2) Rutgers UCF USF Houston UConn SMU Temple Memphis 47 WEEK-BY-WEEK IN THE NATIONAL POLLS Below is a weekly look each American Athletic Conference team s spot in the Associed Press, USA Today and Harris Interactive polls in The USA Today and Harris Interactive polls are both components of the Bowl Championship Series selection process, while the AP poll is not included in the BCS process. The Associed Press and USA Today polls begin with preseason rankings, while the Harris Interactive poll begins the week of Oct. 6. Rankings are listed as AP/USA Today until Sept. 29 and AP/USA Today/Harris Interactive from Oct. 6 to Dec. 1. The final rankings are listed as AP/USA Today. UCF Cincinni UConn Houston Louisville Memphis Rutgers USF SMU Temple Preseason -/rv rv/rv -/- -/- 9/9 -/- -/rv -/- -/- -/- Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 Dec. 1 Final American Athletic Conference Football

8 THE 2013 SEASON 2013 STATISTICAL RANKINGS OFFENSE DEFENSE Team Rush Pass Total Score Rush Pass Total Score KR PR Int. Sacks TFL T/O UCF Cincinni UConn Houston Louisville Memphis Rutgers USF SMU Temple 2013 HOME ATTENDANCE SCHOOL (Capacity) GP TOTAL AVG. LARGEST CROWD UCF (45,323) Cincinni (35,000) UConn (40,000) Houston (71,500) Louisville (56,000) Memphis (61,000) Rutgers (52,454) USF (65,897) SMU (32,000) Temple (68,532) 2013 TOTALS TOP PERFORMANCES 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES Player, School, Year 2013 Career Michael Dyer, Louisville, Jr. 10 Lyle McCombs, UConn, Jr. 9 Senorise Perry, Louisville, Sr. 3 Jeff Godfrey, UCF, Sr. 1 Munchie Legaux, Cincinni, Sr. 1 Ryan Jackson, Houston, So. 1 Brandon Hayes, Memphis, Sr. 1 Savon Huggins, Rutgers, Jr. 1 Jeremy Deering, Rutgers, Sr. 1 Garrett Gilbert, SMU, Sr YARD RECEIVING GAMES Player, School, Year 2013 Career J.J. Worton, UCF, Jr. 2 Anthony McClung, Cincinni, Sr. 2 DeVante Parker, Louisville, Jr. 2 Brandon Coleman, Rutgers, Sr. 2 Geremy Davis, UConn, Jr. 1 Shakim Phillips, UConn, Jr. 1 Larry McDuffey, Houston, Fr. 1 Shane Ros, Houston, Jr. 1 Daniel Spencer, Houston, So. 1 Eli Rogers, Louisville, Jr. 1 Keiwone Malone, Memphis, Jr. 1 Jeremy Deering, Rutgers, Sr. 1 Andre Davis, USF, Jr. 1 Deonte Welch, USF, Jr. 1 Jeremy Johnson, SMU, Sr. 1 Der rickk Thompson, SMU, Sr YARD PASSING GAMES Player, School, Year 2013 Career David Piland, Houston, Jr. 9 Teddy Bridgewer, Louisville, Jr. 6 Gary Nova, Rutgers, Jr. 2 Garrett Gilbert, SMU, Sr. 2 Munchie Legaux, Cincinni, Sr. 1 Chandler Whitmer, UConn, Sr. 1 Jacob Karam, Memphis, Sr. 1 COMMEMORATIVE COIN In celebrion of the first year of American Athletic Conference Football, the conference has issued a commemorive coin th will be used by game officials throughout the 2013 season. The front of the coin (heads) depicts the American Athletic Conference logo. The back of the coin (tails) lists the opening home conference game for each of the 10 American schools. A specially numbered coin will be used during each school s American home opener and will be included in the full collection of coins th will be displayed the conference office. CAREER LEADERS A look the career stistical leaders among active American Athletic Conference players (entering 2013 season). Most Rushing Yards 1. Michael Dyer, Louisville 2, Lyle McCombs, UConn 2, Jeff Godfrey, UCF 1, Chris Coyer, Temple 1, Senorise Perry, Louisville Most Rushing Touchdowns 1. Jeff Godfrey, UCF Michael Dyer, Louisville Garrett Gilbert, SMU , Lyle McCombs, UConn Senorise Perry, Louisville Most Passing Yards 1. Garrett Gilbert, SMU 5, , Teddy Bridgewer, Louisville 5, David Piland, Houston 5, Gary Nova, Rutgers 4, Jeff Godfrey, UCF 4, Most Passing Touchdowns 1. Teddy Bridgewer, Louisville David Piland, Houston Gary Nova, Rutgers Blake Bortles, UCF Garrett Gilbert, SMU , 2012 Most Yards of Total Offense 1. Teddy Bridgewer, Louisville 5, David Piland, Houston 5, Jeff Godfrey, UCF 5, Blake Bortles, UCF 4, Gary Nova, Rutgers 4, Most Receptions 1. Anthony McClung, Cincinni Eli Rogers, Louisville J.J. Worton, UCF Jeremy Johnson, SMU Der rick Thompson, SMU Most Receiving Yards 1. Anthony McClung, Cincinni 1, Brandon Coleman, Rutgers 1, J.J. Worton, UCF 1, DeVante Parker, Louisville 1, Eli Rogers, Louisville Most Touchdown Receptions 1. DeVante Parker, Louisville Brandon Coleman, Rutgers Anthony McClung, Cincinni J.J. Worton, UCF Andre Davis, USF American Athletic Conference Football

9 THE 2013 SEASON AWARD WINNERS AGAINST THE CONFERENCES AMERICAN OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 17 Nov. 25 Dec. 2 AMERICAN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 17 Nov. 25 Dec. 2 AMERICAN SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 17 Nov. 25 Dec. 2 ACTIVE CAREER WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS ATLANTIC COAST (0-0) Duke Memphis (9/7) Maryland UConn (9/14) Miami (Fla.) USF (9/28) BIG 12 (0-0) Texas Tech SMU (8/30) BIG TEN (0-0) Purdue Cincinni (8/31) Cincinni Illinois (9/7) USF Michigan Ste (9/7) UCF Penn Ste (9/14) Michigan UConn (9/21) BIG SKY (0-0) Montana Ste SMU (9/7) COLONIAL ATHLETIC (0-0) Towson UConn (8/29) CONFERENCE USA (0-0) UCF Florida Internional (9/6) Memphis Middle Tennessee (9/14) Florida Atlantic USF (9/14) Florida Internional Louisville (9/21) Houston vs. Rice (9/21) Houston Texas-San Antonio (9/28) MID-AMERICAN (0-0) Akron UCF (8/29) Ohio Louisville (9/1) Eastern Michigan Rutgers (9/14) Cincinni Miami (Ohio) (9/21) UConn Buffalo (9/28) MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC (0-0) Norfolk Ste Rutgers (9/7) MOUNTAIN WEST (0-0) Rutgers Fresno Ste (8/29) OHIO VALLEY (0-0) Eastern Kentucky Louisville (9/7) Tennessee-Martin Memphis (11/9) PATRIOT (0-0) Fordham Temple (9/14) SOUTHEASTERN (0-0) Louisville Kentucky (9/14) Arkansas Rutgers (9/21) SMU Texas A&M (9/21) South Carolina UCF (9/28) SOUTHLAND (0-0) McNeese Ste USF (8/31) Northwestern Ste Cincinni (9/14) SOUTHWEST ATHLETIC (0-0) Southern Houston (8/30) SUN BELT (0-0) Arkansas Ste Memphis (9/21) INDEPENDENTS (0-0) Temple Notre Dame (8/31) Temple Idaho (9/28) Brigham Young Houston (10/19) Total Nonconference Records All Games FBS Opponents BCS Automic Qualifiers FCS Opponents AP Top USA Today Top Bowl Games American Athletic Conference Football

10 BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES About the BCS The season will be the 16th year for the BCS, which is a five-game arrangement th is designed to mch the two top-red teams in a nional championship game and to cree exciting and competitive mch-ups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games. It enhances the importance of the regular season and maintains the bowl system for the benefit of the game. It has been undeniably successful in achieving those goals; college football has never been more popular, and the BCS is a significant reason for th. Additionally, it has provided more access to the major bowls, more television exposure, and more postseason revenue than ever before. The five bowl games are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the Discover Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl Game Presented by VIZIO, the Allste Sugar Bowl, and the 2014 VIZIO BCS Nional Championship Game, which will be played the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The BCS is an event managed by the 10 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision conferences, all of them BCS Conferences, and the independent institutions through a series of contracts among bowls and television networks. The conferences are the American Athletic, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid- American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Pacific, and Southeastern. College Football Playoff Coming In Beginning with the season, college football will enter a new four-team playoff era. The form is simple: the best four teams, two semifinals played in bowl games and a championship game played in a different city each year. It s the best of all worlds and the biggest innovion in the sport in decades. BCS Automic Qualificions 1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings will play in the Nional Championship Game. 2. The champions of the American Athletic, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conferences will have automic berths in one of the participing bowls each year through the 2013 regular season. 3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid- American Conference, the Mountain West Conference or the Sun Belt Conference will earn an automic berth in a BCS bowl game if either: a:) Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or b:) Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than th of a champion of a conference th has an annual automic berth in one of the BCS bowls. No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference shall earn an automic berth in any year. (Note: A second team could be eligible for -large selection.) If two or more teams from those conferences sisfy the provisions for an automic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be in the pool of teams eligible for selection by the bowls as -large teams. 4. Notre Dame will have an automic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS Standings. 5. If any of the 10 slots remain open after applicion of provisions 1 through 4, and an -large team from a conference with an annual automic berth for its champion is ranked No. 3 in the final BCS Standings, th team will become an automic qualifier, provided th no -large team from the same conference qualifies for the Nional Championship Game. 6. If any of the 10 slots remain open after applicion of provisions 1 through 5, and if no team qualifies under paragraph No. 5 and an -large team from a conference with an annual automic berth for its champion is ranked No. 4 in the final BCS Standings, th team will become an automic qualifier, provided th no -large team from the same conference qualifies for the NCG. Pool of Eligible Teams If berths are available after the automic qualifiers have been identified, then the bowls shall select -large participants from the pool of eligible teams, which shall include any Bowl Subdivision team th is bowl-eligible and meets the following requirements: A. Has won least nine regular-season games, and B. Is among the top 14 teams in the final BCS Standings BCS Schedule Of Games January 2014 Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio Jan. 1 Pasadena, Calif. 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1 Glendale, Ariz. 8:30 p.m., ESPN Allste Sugar Bowl Jan. 2 New Orleans, La. 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Discover Orange Bowl Jan. 3 Miami Gardens, Fla. 8 p.m., ESPN VIZIO BCS Nional Championship Game Jan. 6 Pasadena, Calif. 8:30 p.m., ESPN American Athletic Conference Football

11 AMERICAN BOWL LINEUP The Lineup In addition to the Bowl Championship Series, the American Athletic Conference also has agreements with a number of other postseason bowl games. The conference s current lineup, which began in the 2010 season, has The American paired against three of the other five automic-qualifying Bowl Championship Series conferences in the postseason. The American is in the final year of a four-year agreement with Florida Citrus Sports and the Russell Athletic Bowl to send a team to the Orlando, Fla., game. The Russell Athletic Bowl will have the first selection from The American after the league s BCS representive has been determined. The American Athletic Conference s opponent in the Russell Athletic Bowl will be from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The American extended its agreement with the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., through the 2013 season as well. The Belk Bowl will have the American s third selection, after the BCS and Russell Athletic Bowl. The conference has been aligned with the Belk Bowl since the inception of the game in The game has averaged more than 62,000 fans and was named one of the five best startups in sports in the previous five years by Sports Business Journal. The 2010 season feured the introduction of a new bowl game in New York City when the New Era Pinstripe Bowl was played Yankee Stadium. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl pits the fourth overall selection from The American against a team from the Big 12 Conference. In the event th the Big 12 is unable to supply a team for the game, Notre Dame could step in as the opponent of The American s representive. The American also has longstanding deals with the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., and the Beef O Brady s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. The conference additionally has an agreement with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The American will send teams to two of those three games in the 2013 season. The BBVA Compass Bowl pairs an American Athletic Conference team against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference Legion Field in Birmingham. If an American team is chosen for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the conference s representive would face either the Conference USA champion or an opponent from the Southeastern Conference. The Beef O Brady s Bowl will be played for the fifth time in The American representive will face a Conference USA opponent Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Russell Athletic Bowl Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla. Dec. 28, 2013 ESPN vs. Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, N.C. Dec. 28, 2013 ESPN vs. New Era Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium Bronx, N.Y. Dec. 28, 2013 ESPN vs. BBVA Compass Bowl Legion Field Birmingham, Ala. Jan. 4, 2014 ESPN vs. All-Time Bowl Record of American Schools School Record Last Bowl/Result UCF Beef O Brady s Bowl - UCF 38, Ball Ste 17 Cincinni Belk Bowl Cincinni 48, Duke 34 UConn Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma 48, UConn 20 Houston Ticket City Bowl Houston 30, Penn Ste 14 Louisville Allste Sugar Bowl Louisville 33, Florida 23 Memphis St. Petersburg Bowl USF 41, Memphis 14 Rutgers Russell Athletic Bowl Virginia Tech 13, Rutgers 10 (ot) USF Meineke Car Care Bowl USF 31, Clemson 26 SMU Hawaii Bowl SMU 43, Fresno Ste 10 Temple New Mexico Bowl Temple 37, Wyoming 15 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tenn. Dec. 31, 2013 ESPN vs. or Beef O Brady s Bowl Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Fla. Dec. 23, 2013 ESPN vs American Athletic Conference Football

12 AMERICAN ON TELEVISION The Nional Scene The American Athletic Conference will have an extensive schedule of games on nional television. The following telecasts were known press time. Other games will be added via the 12-day and 6-day advance selection process. ESPN Fri., Aug. 30 Texas Tech SMU 8 p.m. Sun., Sept. 1 Ohio Louisville 3:30 p.m. S., Sept. 14 Louisville Kentucky 1 p.m. Thu., Oct. 10 Rutgers Louisville * 7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 18 UCF Louisville * 8 p.m. Thu., Oct. 31 USF Houston * 7 p.m. Thu., Nov. 21 Rutgers UCF * 7:30 p.m. Thu., Dec. 5 Louisville Cincinni * 7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Wed., Oct. 30 Cincinni Memphis * 8 p.m. Fri., Nov. 8 Louisville UConn * 8:30 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 Fri., Oct. 11 Temple Cincinni * 8:30 p.m. ESPN2 or ESPNU S., Sept. 7 Cincinni Illinois Noon USF Michigan Ste Noon ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 Fri., Nov. 29 USF UCF * TBD SMU Houston * TBD S., Dec. 7 TBD TBD TBD TBD ESPNU Thu., Aug. 29 Rutgers Fresno Ste 10:30 p.m. S., Aug. 31 Purdue Cincinni Noon ESPN3 Thu., Aug. 29 Akron UCF 7 p.m. Towson UConn 7:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 30 Southern Houston 8:30 p.m. S., Aug. 31 McNeese Ste USF 7 p.m. S., Sept. 7 Eastern Kentucky Louisville Noon Duke Memphis 4:30 p.m. Montana Ste SMU 8 p.m. S., Sept. 14 Eastern Michigan Rutgers 1 p.m. Fordham Temple 1 p.m. Northwestern Ste Cincinni 7 p.m. Florida Atlantic USF 7 p.m. Maryland UConn 7:30 p.m. NBC S., Aug. 31 Temple Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network S., Sept. 14 UCF Penn Ste 6 p.m. CBS SN Fri., Sept. 6 UCF Florida Internional 8 p.m. S., Sept. 7 Norfolk Ste Rutgers Noon FSN S., Sept. 21 Houston Rice 3 p.m. S., Sept. 28 Houston Texas-San Antonio TBD All times Eastern and subject to change. * American Athletic Conference game American Athletic Conference Game of the Week The 2013 season will feure nine editions of the American Athletic Conference Game of the Week, including eight consecutive Surdays, noon beginning Sept. 7. The following des and games were scheduled press time. Many picks will be made ler in the season as 12-day selections are made. Eamon McAnaney will handle play-by-play duties for the American Athletic Conference Game of the Week. He will be joined in the booth by former NFL tight end Anthony Becht, while Brooke Weisbrod reports from the sidelines. De S., Sept. 7 S., Oct. 5 S., Oct. 12 S., Oct. 19 S., Oct. 26 S., Nov. 2 S., Nov. 9 S., Nov. 16 S., Nov. 23 Game Houston Temple TBA USF UConn or Memphis Houston TBA TBA Temple Rutgers Houston UCF or SMU Cincinni TBA TBA Syndicion Stion Lineup Visit TheAmerican.org for the lest stion lineup for the ESPN Regional/American Athletic Conference Game of the Week. The syndicion network clearance report is listed by DMA market. Games will be available through syndicion to nearly 30 stes and more than 45 million households and available to the rest of the nion on ESPN3. Additional channels will be added throughout the season (stions may not carry all games every week check local listings or the TheAmerican.org for schedule). Rank Market Ste Stion(s) 1 New York N.Y. SNY 3 Chicago Ill. WCIU, WCIU-DT4, WCIU-DT2 4 Philadelphia Pa. WPVI, WPVI-DT2 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Texas KTXD 8 Washington D.C. MASN 10 Houston Texas KUBE-DT4 14 Tampa-St. Petersburg Fla. WFTS 17 Denver Colo. Altitude Sports 19 Orlando-Daytona Beach Fla. WKCF 23 Pittsburgh Pa. WTAE-DT2 27 Baltimore Md. MASN, MASN2 30 Hartford-New Haven Conn. SNY 32 Columbus Ohio WWHO 35 Cincinni Ohio WKRC, EKRC 36 San Antonio Texas KCWX, KCWX-DT2 43 Harrisburg-Lancaster Pa. WLYH 44 Norfolk-Newport News Va. MASN 48 Louisville Ky. WHAS, WHAS-DT2 49 Memphis Tenn. TBD 50 Jacksonville Fla. WAWS-DT2 52 Buffalo N.Y. SNY 54 Wilkes Barre-Scranton Pa. WQMY 57 Richmond Va. MASN 58 Albany N.Y. SNY 63 Dayton Ohio WBDT 68 Roanoke-Lynchburg Va. MASN 76 Toledo Ohio WTVG-DT2 84 Syracuse N.Y. SNY 85 Madison Wis. WMSN 87 Chtanooga Tenn. WRCB 88 Waco-Temple Texas KCEN-DT2 89 Colorado Springs-Pueblo Colo. Altitude Sports 95 South Bend-Elkhart Ind. WMYS 101 Fort Smith Ark. WKFTA 102 Johnstown-Altoona Pa. WHVL 104 Evansville Ind. WTVW 107 Tyler-Longview Texas KCEB 110 Youngstown Ohio WYTV-DT2 115 Lansing Mich. WHTV 128 La Crosse-Eau Claire Wis. KQEG 144 Salisbury Md. MASN 157 Binghamton N.Y. SNY 172 Utica N.Y. SNY 174 Elmira N.Y. SNY 177 Wertown N.Y. SNY 178 Harrisonburg Va. MASN 183 Charlottesville Va. MASN 185 Grand Junction Colo. Altitude Sports 195 Cheyenne Wyo. Altitude Sports American Athletic Conference Football

13 MEDIA SERVICES BIG EAST FOOTBALL MEDIA SERVICES TheAmerican.org The official website of the American Athletic Conference feures up-to-de informion on all facets of the league. Football standings, results, stistics and notes are upded as games are played. In addition, in-game scores for all football contests involving American Athletic Conference teams will be upded in-progress. CollegePressBox.com is the official media website for American Athletic Conference football and the media home for informion on every Division I team and conference. Access and download weekly game notes, quotes, stistics, media guides, photos and more for the conference and each of its eight member schools throughout the season. Login informion will be distributed to accredited media, or you can apply for a password by sending an to password@ collegepressbox.com. Weekly Teleconference The American Athletic Conference will hold weekly teleconferences with its 10 head football coaches, beginning Monday, Aug. 26 and continuing each Monday through Dec 2. Each coach will be available for 10 minutes. Media representives wishing to participe in the teleconference should contact The American office for the phone number. This year s schedule is as follows (all times Eastern): 11 a.m. Conference news/award winners 11:10 a.m. Kyle Flood, Rutgers 11:20 a.m. Charlie Strong, Louisville 11:30 a.m. June Jones, SMU 11:40 a.m. Paul Pasqualoni, UConn 11:50 a.m. Tony Levine, Houston Noon Tommy Tuberville, Cincinni 12:10 p.m. Willie Taggart, USF 12:20 p.m. Mt Rhule, Temple 12:30 p.m. Justin Fuente, Memphis 12:40 p.m. George O Leary, UCF Twitter & Facebook Fans and media members are invited to follow the lest American Athletic Conference football news through social media. The American Twitter feed may be and the conference s official Facebook page is Weekly Release & Stistics Media members may access PDF versions of the complete weekly release, including conference and team-by-team stistics, on TheAmerican.org or via CollegePressBox.com. Regular updes of the weekly release will be distributed via from the conference office. To be included on the distribution list, send an request to Chuck Sullivan csullivan@ theamerican.org. Weekly Football Highlights The American Athletic Conference offers video highlights and clips of selected press conferences on a weekly basis through the XOS Digital XChange FTP tool. Content is available in full broadcast-quality resolution. Contact Chuck Sullivan (csullivan@theamerican.org) for informion on how to access the highlights. Weekly Awards The American names offensive, defensive and special teams Players of the Week each Monday morning during the season. Winners are chosen from nominions provided by conference sports informion directors. The informion will be available from the conference office via release as well as on the league web site. Annual Awards The American Athletic Conference will name first and second all-conference teams, players of the year on offense, defense and special teams, rookie of the year and coach of the year. The awards are chosen by a vote of the league s 10 head coaches the conclusion of the regular season. The awards will be announced on Dec The American Athletic Conference All- Academic Team is comprised of players who have an overall grade-point average of 3.00 or better over the previous academic year and completed least two semesters of academic work. The team is announced in early February. The American Athletic Conference Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year was established to recognize student-hletes who have achieved success in the classroom and on the field. The winner receives a scholarship which may be applied to gradue or professional studies. American Athletic Conference Communicions phone Football Contact Chuck Sullivan Director of Communicions csullivan@theamerican.org Mobile: American Athletic Conference Communicions Contacts UCF Brian Ormiston Office... (407) Mobile... (407) bormiston@hletics.ucf.edu CINCINNATI Ryan Koslen Office... (513) Mobile... (513) ryan.koslen@uc.edu UCONN Mike Enright Office... (860) Mobile... (860) menright@uconn.edu HOUSTON David Bassity Office... (713) Mobile... (405) dbassity@central.uh.edu LOUISVILLE Rocco Gasparro Office... (502) Mobile... (502) rocco.gasparro@louisville.edu MEMPHIS Ron Mears Office... (901) Mobile... (832) rmears@memphis.edu RUTGERS Jason Baum Office... (732) Mobile... (201) jbaum@scarletknights.com USF Brian Siegrist Office... (813) Mobile... (813) siegrist@usf.edu SMU Brad Sutton Office... (214) Mobile... (214) bsutton@smu.edu TEMPLE Rich Burg Office... (215) rich.burg@temple.edu American_FB AmericanConf American Athletic Conference Football