The American Athletic Conference had a strong open from top to bottom as the NCAA Football season kicked off on Thursday night. That evening of football also marked the first inner-divisional play of the AAC to set the path toward who may play for a championship right out of the gate.

In the Western division, Memphis and Houston return as the usual suspects at the top of standings here claiming their first wins. The Tigers claimed victory over Mercer while the Cougars fought past Rice in an intrastate rivalry. Tulsa also managed to mark its first ‘W’ taking down Central Arkansas.

Out East featured the biggest news in the AAC this week as the Cincinnati Bearcats came out and toppled UCLA of the Pac-12. It was the Bruins debut of head coach Chip Kelly where Cincy recorded the 26-17 road win. UCF dominated fellow American East team UConn 56-17 in a fashion that matched their status as the only Top 25 preseason ranked team in the conference. The Bulls of USF also prevailed over Elon 34-14 featuring a new starting quarterback, Blake Barnett.

Week 2 Matchups

The biggest games on the American docket next week features five Power 5 match-ups as SMU hosts TCU and USF welcomes Georgia Tech. Houston hosts Arizona, ECU Hosts North Carolina, and Tulsa travels to play Texas. Not to be forgotten, Memphis has an opportunity to pick up their first divisional win over the Navy Midshipmen. They could take the early lead in the standings with a win. Navy, after losing in Hawaii 59-41, will fight to regain lost ground.

Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week

After leading @UCF_Football to its 14th consecutive victory and completing 24 of 32 passes for 346 yards with five touchdowns, quarterback McKenzie Milton is the #AmericanFB Offensive Player of the Week. 📝: https://t.co/whKwoa8q2u pic.twitter.com/6ZGlNgfkl9 — American Football (@American_FB) September 3, 2018

McKenzie Milton earns his first Player of the Week honors of 2018. The quarterback they call “KZ” slung it 24 of 32 for 346 yards and five scores. This helped to secure the Knights first AAC victory as well as extending their win streak to 14.

Defensive Player of the Week

Four tackles, two sacks and a pivotal forced fumble for @GoBearcatsFB‘s Bryan Wright, and a game-high 13 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, for @UHCougarFB‘s Ed Oliver give the pair #AmericanFB Defensive Players of the Week honors. 📝: https://t.co/whKwoaq0U2 pic.twitter.com/5ZI8avNqMe — American Football (@American_FB) September 3, 2018

In the opening slate of play, the defensive edition of the award is split. Cincinnati Bearcat linebacker Brian Wright finished with four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. The fumble he caused was recovered to tally the game-winning safety in the upset of UCLA.

Meanwhile, defensive tackle Ed Oliver for the Houston Cougars delivered a great performance. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year had 13 tackles with 3.5 tackles for a loss in the triumph over Rice, 45-27.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Averaging 49.2 yards on four punts, with a long punt of 68 yards, @TulsaFootball‘s Thomas Bennett is the #AmericanFB Special Team Player of the Week. 📝: https://t.co/whKwoa8q2u pic.twitter.com/eoccLaEiwM — American Football (@American_FB) September 3, 2018

Tulsa punter Thomas Bennett booted an average of 49.2 yards on four punts with a long of 68. This helped pin back Central Arkansas in the 38-27 Golden Hurricanes win.

Kyle Nash, known as The Student of the Game, covers UCF Football for SportsMediaPass.com and is a special contributor for Break the Fourth. He’s a also a writer for the DolphinsWire of USA Today and co-host of the DinnerTime and Default Assault podcasts.