Five teams remain tied at the top of the American Conference in the loss column, but two of them will have to overcome an incredibly difficult finishing schedule to remain in contention for the title game.

Navy, which has one more victory than everyone else, closes with South Florida at home and Memphis on the road. Winning either game will be a tall task even if star quarterback Blake Horvath returns from an upper-body injury that sidelined him against Notre Dame.

East Carolina hosts Memphis this Saturday before traveling to Texas-San Antonio, which has not lost a conference game at home since 2019.

In contrast, eight of the nine remaining opponents for South Florida, Tulane and North Texas are .500 or worse in the league.

1.South Florida

Record: 7-2 (4-1 American)

Previous rank:

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