Entering Week 7, Houston and Navy were 1-2 in the AAC West. Exiting it? Not so much.
At 2-0, Houston led the conference’s West division. At 3-1, No. 25 Navy was right behind. In a span of about a half-hour Saturday, however, both teams put the finishing touches on losses, the former to Tulsa 45-17 and the latter to Memphis 30-27.
The Cougars’ loss, especially the margin, is borderline stunning as the Golden Hurricane came into the contest sporting a 1-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark in conference play. Just a week ago, Tulsa was taken to the woodshed by West rival Tulane in a 62-28 whooping.
Meanwhile, the Tigers’ win over the Midshipmen, coupled with the Cougars’ loss, pushes the U of M to the top of the division with a 3-1 record in conference play. While unranked, Memphis could replace Navy in the Top 25 when the new set of rankings are released Sunday afternoon.
Also lurking in the division are SMU, which enters the weekend 1-1 and will leave with the same mark as the Mustangs are on their bye, and Tulane, also 1-1 and will be that way entering Week 8 as they face Conference USA’s Florida International Saturday night.