The American Conference is one of the most intriguing leagues to watch in November, especially considering six different teams entered Week 11 tied in the loss column with one apiece.
The Saturday slate
features five matchups, including one non-conference clash:
- 12 p.m. ET — Temple at Army (CBS Sports Network)
- 2 p.m. ET — UAB at Rice (ESPN+)
- 3 p.m. ET — Charlotte at East Carolina (ESPN+)
- 3 p.m. ET — Tulsa at Florida Atlantic (ESPN+)
- 7:30 p.m. ET — Navy at Notre Dame (NBC/Peacock)
Here is one pressing question to ask about each of the five matchups:
Can Navy refrain from turnovers?
In the last two years under Brian Newberry, Navy has played extremely disciplined offensive football. The Midshipmen have over 37 yards of separation as the top rushing offense in the FBS, racking up north of 317 yards per game. Quarterback Blake Horvath leads a dynamic offense which features versatile skill position savants like Brandon Chatman and Eli Heidenreich.
The only factor that makes Navy’s offense get out of sorts is turnovers. Last year, the Midshipmen committed zero turnovers during a 6-0 start, but in a 51-14 blowout loss to Notre Dame, they lost the turnover battle 6-0 (five lost fumbles and one interception), dooming them from the start. Navy similarly excelled at ball security during this season’s 7-0 start, but things went awry in the team’s first loss last Saturday at North Texas. The Midshipmen lost the turnover battle 3-0 with two interceptions and a fumble, proving especially costly in a 31-17 defeat in Denton. Turnovers aside, Navy has no problem moving the ball. Horvath, who rides a 6-game streak with 110+ rushing yards, exploded for 129 on 9.2 yards per carry in last year’s matchup vs. the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame’s run defense is excellent, but ball security is the most essential component to keep Navy afloat in South Bend.
Will UAB from the Memphis game return?
UAB owns one of the weirdest résumés of the season. The Blazers are 3-5 and trending toward their third-straight season missing a bowl game, currently operating in a transitory stage under interim head coach Alex Mortensen. All five losses were by at least 14 points, including last Saturday’s 38-19 defeat at UConn. But unlike anybody else in the American Conference, UAB has a win over a current AP Top 25 team, knocking off Memphis in 31-24 fashion on Oct. 18.
Can that version of UAB make a return in 2025? In that game, the offense moved exceptionally under backup quarterback Ryder Burton who finished 20-of-27 for 251 yards and three touchdowns — all to star wide receiver Iverson Hooks. The run game generated 219 yards thanks thanks to 160 combined from Solomon Beebe and Jevon Jackson. That same offense that stunned Memphis did not make an appearance in its follow-up game vs. UConn, but that was mainly due to a 3-0 loss in the turnover battle. Does UAB stick with Burton (who earned the majority of reps last week) or revert to starter Jalen Kitna, as it looks to replicate that Memphis showing Saturday at Rice Stadium?
Can ECU exorcise demons vs. Charlotte?
It’s the third meeting between the two North Carolina-based American Conference teams, and those who haven’t followed this series closely may be surprised to hear this — Charlotte leads the all-time series 2-0. The 49ers won two contrasting games the last two seasons, outlasting the Pirates in a 10-7 defensive slugfest in 2023 before dominating in a 55-24 offensive clinic last October. Yes, Charlotte was 5-7 a year ago and East Carolina finished 8-5, but the 49ers emerged by 31 points.
All signs point to an East Carolina seamless victory, as the Pirates enter as 28.5-point favorites against their in-state opponent. But is this one of those weird rivalry games where Charlotte wakes up and shocks the world? The 49ers are extremely banged up yet the offense showed a pulse in the first half last outing vs. North Texas. Charlotte led 20-17 in the third quarter before the Mean Green fired off 37 unanswered second half points for a blowout win. The Pirates’ explosive offense, which dropped 45 at Temple last week, looks primed to drop 40+, but they must hurdle that one obstacle they haven’t been able to clear in the past two seasons.
Does Temple fix run defense at Army?
This is clearly the best Temple team of the 2020s decade, securing its fifth victory before the month of October even drew to a close. The Owls are one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019, and they could attain that at West Point on Saturday. But there is one severe flaw Temple needs to fix. The Owls rank 124th nationally in run defense, allowing 192 yards per game, calculating to 5.2 per carry.
East Carolina exposed this facet of Temple’s game in a 45-14 result last Saturday in Philadelphia, solving all its rushing woes to pile on a season-high 358 rushing yards on a 7.0 average. Now defending an option-based offense like Army is very different than containing your typical American Conference rushing offense. Still, Army ranks fourth in the FBS in rushing yards per game, presenting a slew of different options from quarterback Cade Hellums to backs Noah Short and Hayden Reed — all of whom exhibit explosive capabilities. On paper, it’s not a great matchup for Temple, which surrendered 6.6 yards per rush against Navy in October. But will any new wrinkle be added, or improvement be displayed vs. Army on Saturday?
How many passes does Veltkamp throw?
Nobody slings the ball around more than Florida Atlantic. The Owls rank first in the FBS with 48.4 passing attempts per game, which is more than three passes of separation from second-place Hawaii. First-year head coach Zach Kittley undoubtedly has air raid roots, rising through the coaching ranks as the offensive coordinator that facilitated Bailey Zappe’s record-breaking passing season in 2021 at Western Kentucky.
Now Kittley is equipped with a different former WKU quarterback in Caden Veltkamp, whose arm certainly gets a workout every gameday. Veltkamp has attempted more than 30 passes in all eight starts, delivering 50+ in three different games this year. However, as one may expect, the Owls’ best performances are when 50 passes aren’t needed in Kittley’s air raid offense. Veltkamp has attempted under 40 passes three times this year, and those are FAU’s three victories. In regard to this upcoming matchup, Tulsa has been more vulnerable on the ground than through the air, and Florida Atlantic may see what it can attain in that regard — especially considering the Owls’ have thrown the second-most interceptions in the FBS at 13.
