Navy Headlines 2026 American Athletic Conference Football Preseason Media Poll

The Navy Midshipmen will enter the 2026 college football season as the definitive team to beat in the American Athletic Conference. In an unofficial preseason media poll released ahead of fall training camps, Navy secured the top spot, edging out the Memphis Tigers and the UTSA Roadrunners in a highly competitive race for the conference crown. The results highlight a shifting balance of power in a league that produced three 11-win teams just a year ago, setting the stage for a high-stakes campaign where the eventual champion will have a direct path to the expanded College Football Playoff.[1][2]

The poll itself was a grassroots effort organized by dedicated reporters covering the league. The American Athletic Conference officially ceased publishing a preseason media poll prior to the 2025 season, a move Commissioner Tim Pernetti attributed to an "industry-wide trend" that mirrored similar administrative decisions by other major leagues like the Big 12. To fill the informational void and provide a baseline for the upcoming season, 19 media members from across the country collaborated to organize an independent vote to set the preseason expectations for all 14 member institutions.[1][5]

Navy dominated the balloting, receiving 11 of the 19 first-place votes and amassing 251 total points to claim the number one overall ranking. Memphis finished a close second with 234 points and three first-place votes, while UTSA took third with 210 points and three first-place votes of their own. South Florida, with 199 points, and East Carolina, with 188 points, rounded out the top five, with each of those programs claiming one first-place vote from the media panel. The distribution of top votes across five different schools underscores the perceived parity at the upper echelon of the conference.[1]

The Midshipmen's status as the preseason favorite is fueled by significant returning production and recent on-field success. Navy brings back 46 letter-winners and 12 starters from a veteran squad that won 11 games in 2025. Last season, the team narrowly missed out on an appearance in the American Conference Championship game due to complex tiebreakers, providing ample motivation for the upcoming campaign. Coaches and players have openly discussed using last year's near-miss as fuel to capture the outright title this fall, leaning on their established depth to navigate a grueling conference schedule.[1][2]

The biggest slide in the preseason poll belongs to the Tulane Green Wave. The defending conference champions, who clinched a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as the No. 11 seed last season, plummeted to seventh place with 167 points. Tulane's precipitous drop reflects a tumultuous offseason defined by heavy turnover, including the departure of head coach Jon Sumrall and 20 players entering the transfer portal. While the program has worked aggressively to reload with new talent, the media voters remain highly skeptical of their immediate championship viability amid so much structural change.[1]

The middle of the pack features Army in sixth place with 172 points, followed by Florida Atlantic, Tulsa, North Texas, and Temple. The voting spread was notably wide for several of these programs, reflecting the inherent unpredictability of the conference's middle tier. Tulane, for example, received votes ranging from first all the way down to eleventh on individual ballots, highlighting a stark divide in how analysts view teams undergoing significant transitions. Army's placement in the top half of the league suggests respect for their disciplined system as they continue to integrate into the AAC.[1]

At the bottom of the standings, consensus among the voters was much clearer and far less forgiving. UAB and Charlotte were universally selected to finish at the bottom of the 14-team league, tallying just 44 and 30 points, respectively. Neither program received a single vote higher than ninth place on any of the 19 ballots submitted, indicating a steep climb for both coaching staffs as they attempt to build competitive rosters in a conference that has grown increasingly top-heavy over the past two seasons.[1]

The stakes for the AAC have never been higher as the league navigates the rapidly shifting landscape of college athletics. Commissioner Tim Pernetti emphasized at American Kickoff media days that the conference now holds a critical 'national voice' in college football talks, actively advocating for increased access for Group of Six programs if the College Football Playoff expands further. Pernetti's public lobbying underscores the immense financial and reputational value of fielding a playoff-caliber champion, putting pressure on the league's top teams to perform flawlessly on the national stage.[3][6]

With the current expanded College Football Playoff format guaranteeing a berth to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, the winner of the American Conference will have a direct, unobstructed path to the national title tournament. In addition to playoff access, Pernetti has fiercely defended the tradition of the Army-Navy game amid the ongoing postseason uncertainty, ensuring the historic rivalry remains a protected centerpiece of the sport even as playoff brackets and conference alignments continue to evolve around it.[4][5]

Navy will officially begin its quest to validate the preseason hype on September 5, hosting Towson at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The Midshipmen will then open their AAC slate the following week on the road against Florida Atlantic, setting the stage for a critical midseason stretch. That run includes consecutive, high-stakes conference matchups against UTSA and North Texas, followed by a massive Halloween showdown against preseason Power Four heavyweight Notre Dame—a game that could ultimately define Navy's playoff resume.[2]