The best and worst of Week 1 in the American Conference

All 14 American Conference teams have now taken the field in the 2026 season. Eight of the 14 teams secured a victory in Week 1, with Memphis improving to a conference-best 2-0 after starting its season in Week 0.

Here are the best and worst things that happened in the American in Week 1 of the new 2026 season:

Tulsa ended its 10-game drought against Oklahoma State last September, storming into Stillwater and ousting the Cowboys, 19-12. Despite receiving homefield advantage in the rematch, the difficulty of the matchup significantly ramped up this year. Oklahoma State hired Eric Morris, who directed the nation's No. 1 scoring offense at 45.1 points per game in 2025. Morris also brought along the FBS leading passer Drew Mestemaker, fifth-leading rusher Caleb Hawkins, and third-leading receiver Wyatt Young.

With an FBS record 91 newcomers, the Cowboys were slated to drastically improved upon their 134th-ranked scoring offense from 2025. But Tulsa's defense begged to differ.

The Golden Hurricane stifled Mestemaker and the Cowboys to a mere 10 points in a 24-10 victory. Oklahoma State's revamped offense scored fewer points Saturday than it did last September against Tulsa. While the Golden Hurricane won the turnover battle 4-1, the Golden Hurricane didn't even need a significant turnover advantage to win — with two takeaways coming in the final 4:30 of action in a 14-point ballgame.

Tulsa's veteran secondary led by free safety Zach Williams held Mestemaker to 241 passing yards on a 29-of-49 showing. Inside linebacker Chris Thompson Jr. spearheaded the run defense with 10 tackles and generated a tone-setting red zone stop on Oklahoma State's opening possession. Tulsa created constant pressure throughout the matchup as Oklahoma State never recovered from losing offensive tackle Jacob Sexton in the first quarter.

Charlotte finished 1-11 last season. The 49ers defeated one FCS opponent, Monmouth, by seven on a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes. All 11 of their losses were by double-digits.

What if I told you things actually got worse for Charlotte in 2026?

Charlotte was one of three FBS victims that dropped their opener to FCS competition, falling 43-41 to The Citadel in triple overtime. And The Citadel isn't exactly the next North Dakota State, as it dropped its opener to Wofford, 42-14, on Aug. 29. Charlotte posted 538 yards on the FCS foe but committed two costly turnovers in the first half, which kept The Citadel in the gamer.

The 49ers played from behind toward the end of regulation, needing a tying touchdown with 24 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Upon reaching OT, Charlotte had several disasters. The 49ers displayed one of the worst tackling attempts of the week to give The Citadel a 25-yard touchdown in first overtime.

And during the 2-point shootout in third overtime, Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales overthrew an open Jaylen Hampton in the end zone, leading to a stunning upset.

Charlotte now rides a 10-game losing streak. It plays at Ole Miss next week.

The best: Jaylin Carter and the Memphis crowd

Jaylin Carter is the current FBS rushing leader. Yes, he has an advantage over most of the country considering Memphis was one of 16 teams to play in Week 0. After producing a 36-yard breakaway touchdown in the opener at UNLV, the Southern Miss only added to an impressive early season résumé against Arkansas State.

Carter posted 183 rushing yards in a 42-24 victory and tied a school record by producing four rushing touchdowns. He broke free for a 74-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter and put on the finishing efforts in the fourth with a 24-yard sealing score. Carter produced 110 yards in the second half alone as Memphis won its sixth-straight matchup over the Red Wolves. Marcus Stokes compared Carter's running style to that of Le'Veon Bell in the postgame press conference.

Additionally, Carter did it all in front of one of the most electrifying crowds the American Conference has seen in a while. Charles Huff called Tiger fans to pack Liberty Stadium, and they responded with 45,632. It marked the stadium's crowd for a Memphis game since the 2023 Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State. For a regular season game, it was Memphis' greatest crowd since hosting College GameDay vs. SMU in 2019.

The worst: South Florida's offensive showing

South Florida was one of five FBS programs to average over 40 points per game in 2025. The Bulls were home to the nation's third-ranked offense at 488 per game, showing a tremendous balance between the run and pass in Alex Golesh's "go-go-go" up-tempo scheme. However, Golesh left for Auburn, as did quarterback Byrum Brown, and a slew of the team's top receivers.

South Florida only retained one offensive starter from 2025 in guard Thomas Shrader. Under the direction of new head coach Brian Hartline, who previously served as Ohio State's offensive coordinator, the Bulls showed some growing pains with the retooled group. USF started 1-0, but the 19-9 victory over FIU could have been much more aesthetically pleasing.

USF only generated 208 yards of offense compared to FIU's 308, and the Bulls were limited to 100 in the passing game led by quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. And if not for frequent FIU mistakes, such as the Panthers' three turnovers and eight penalties, the Bulls might have been upset at home. South Florida never had a single offensive play generate more than 14 yards. The Bulls scored 13 of their 16 points in the fourth quarter, but all three of those scoring drives were off turnovers and required 35 yards or fewer.

South Florida never had a single drive span more than 39 yards in the opener, which must be improved immediately as conference play starts Saturday at Army.

The American Conference features three option-based offenses: Army, Navy, and Rice. All three teams dominated FCS competition in Week 1. Army handled Bryant, 59-3. Navy annihilated Towson, 42-15. And Rice flew past Houston Christian, 31-3. And all three teams ran the dang ball.

Army involved 16 different ball carriers, which produced 569 yards and 10 touchdowns on 57 carries, nearly averaging a first down per attempt. It marked the most rushing yards by an FBS team since 2022. Quarterback Cale Hellums and slotback Zach Mundell led the charge in a concerted effort, combining for 192 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Army's passing stats? 7-of-13 for 79 yards. Just run the dang ball.

Navy also eclipsed the half-millennium mark, recording 506 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 73 attempts. Quarterback Braxton Woodson, taking the reins from program legend Blake Horvath, fulfilled his new role nicely, in a 200-yard explosion. He was one of two 200-yard rushers in Week 1, sharing the honors with Duke running back Nate Sheppard. Navy's passing stats? 3-of-6 for 21 yards. Just run the dang ball.

Rice is newer to the option game, implementing the scheme last season under head coach Scott Abell. Rice managed 465 rushing yards, its most since 2004, and four touchdowns in its 2026 opener. Sophomore running back Tyvonn Byars eclipsed the century mark for the first time in a 104-yard masterclass, while new quarterback Jacurri Brown added 98. Rice's passing stats? 4-of-10 for 28 yards. Just run the dang ball.

Tulane is the standard of the American Conference. You earn that title after securing four consecutive American Conference Championship Game berths and two championships over that timeframe, plus a 2022 Cotton Bowl victory and 2025 College Football Playoff appearance.

But the Green Wave proved there's plenty of work to be done to extend that streak or qualify for a second-straight CFP appearance. Tulane debuted new head coach Will Hall, who previously served as the program's offensive coordinator in 2019-20 and passing game coordinator in 2025. Hall's debut could have gone much better.

Tulane was held entirely out of the end zone for the first time since 2019 in the 17-3 defeat at Duke. The Green Wave committed 15 penalties — the most in all of Week 1 — for 104 yards. The ground defense, which was strength in 2025, turned into a weakness as Duke running back Nate Sheppard gashed Tulane with 227 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Tulane couldn't establish anything on the ground in a 54-yard rushing performance. The Green Wave tried both Zeon Chriss-Gremillion and Kadin Semonza at quarterback but never found the end zone with either. They never took a snap inside the Duke 19-yard line in a severe offensive struggle. Nobody's a finished product in Week 1, but Tulane's CFP aspirations took a significant hit — considering the Green Wave's win over Duke essentially got them in last year.

UTSA handled second-year FCS startup UTRGV in the Alamodome, 45-16, and the Roadrunners saw exactly what they needed to see on offense. Owen McCown threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns on a 22-of-27 showing. Will Henderson III recorded rushing 101 yards and A'Marion Peterson nearly reached triple-digits, spotting him with a 98-yard performance.

UTSA logged 527 yards of offense in the opener, and the most impressive were the seven belonging to tight end Brandon Young Jr. In the early second quarter, Young got the Alamodome on its feet with a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight grab in the end zone.