What we've learned about American Conference football through 3 weeks

Three weeks into the 2026 American Conference football season, the landscape remains uncertain. While some teams have underwhelmed after generating significant hype, others have exceeded expectations. Currently, only a handful of teams have a realistic shot at reaching the conference title game, with many more team's fortunes still uncertain heading into Week 4. Here's what we've learned about the American Conference thus far in 2026.

None of the teams have emerged as clear favorites. Memphis, UTSA, South Florida, Tulsa, Army, Tulane, Navy, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, East Carolina, Temple, and Rice all have varying odds for winning the conference. Navy's ranking has dropped significantly since the start of the season following a loss to FAU. East Carolina, too, fell after losses to Alabama and Appalachian State. As of now, there's no clear top contender.

Tulsa's win against Oklahoma State has remained the American Conference's sole victory over a power conference team this season. They could potentially pull off another upset this weekend against Arkansas. North Texas, coming into the season with low expectations under new coach Neal Brown, has been impressive so far. They have been dominant in their matchups thus far, including a 44-6 win against UNLV before falling at Texas State.

The Owls have the potential to make a bigger impact in 2026 if they can improve on their turnover issues from the past season.

FAU, after overcoming their major turnover problems in 2025, looks like a team set for improvement in 2026. Their win against Navy can hint at their potential for growth. Army, with a tough win against South Florida, will likely remain a challenging opponent for the rest of the season.