American Conference enters the season with Navy an early favorite amid revamped CFP hopes

The American Conference made waves during the 2025 season, with a record nine teams advancing to the postseason. Tulane even earned a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 11 seed. This year, the conference produces three teams with at least 11 wins and five teams ranked in the AP Top 25. However, there are no representatives in the preseason poll.

Five programs begin the season with new head coaches, as four left for Power Five opportunities. Notable moves include Neal Brown taking over for Eric Morris at Oklahoma State, Will Hall replacing Jon Sumrall at Tulane, Alex Mortenson becoming interim head coach at UAB, and Brian Hartline replacing Alex Golesh at USF. Former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield joined Arkansas, and Memphis hired Charles Huff from Southern Miss.

Morris, the reigning conference coach of the year, bolstered the Oklahoma State roster with 18 transfer players, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and receiver Wyatt Young. North Texas enters the season with the fourth-worst odds (+3000) to win the league. Despite a strong season, Navy, the clear favorite to win the American Conference (+375 odds), has no representation in the preseason poll.

The conference's schedule features six nonconference games against teams that finished in the final AP Top 25 last season, making it crucial for teams to secure quality wins to bolster their case for the College Football Playoff.