The American has been one of the most exciting conferences to watch this season, and two of the teams that have been most responsible for that this season will square off Saturday in the AAC's championship game, when the No. 17 Houston Cougars (11-1, 7-1 in conference) take on the 20th-ranked Temple Owls (10-2, 7-1).
Temple vs. Houston, AAC Championship 2015: Time, TV schedule, live stream and 3 things to know
Two of the top mid-major programs of 2015 square off.
Houston clinched its spot in the game last week with a 52-31 win over Navy that featured the return of quarterback Greg Ward Jr. from an injury. Ward threw for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns with another 83 yards and a score on the ground as well, with the help of a couple of amazing catches from wideout Demarcus Ayers like this:
Temple clinched the the AAC East Division title with wins over Memphis and Connecticut in recent weeks. The Owls have one of the most best and most efficient defenses in the country (11th in S&P+), and an offense that has been able to do just enough.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Noon ET, ABC.
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Houston is favored by 7 points.
Make friends: Underdog Dynasty has all the chatter on this matchup for both Owl and Cougar fans.
Three big things to know
1. Up-and-coming coaches
If you've followed college football this season you've probably heard of Houston's Tom Herman and Temple's Matt Rhule, who led their teams to a combined 21-3 record this year. And neither seem to be in a rush to leave their current jobs. Herman is on the verge of an extension to stay with the Cougars, while Rhule has reportedly broken off talk with Missouri. Both may be on to bigger and better things, but for the moment, enjoy them bringing those better things to unlikely jobs like Houston and Temple.
2. Chasing QBs
These two teams co-led the AAC and were tied for 22nd nationally with 32 sacks. Cougars linebacker Steven Taylor leads with way with 8, the highest individual total in the conference, while the Owls' defensive line of Nate D. Smith, Haason Reddick and Praise Martin-Oguike have a combined 16.
If you’re a fan of linebacker play, this Temple senior is a player you’ll want to watch. He’ll compete for All-American honors despite being left off the semi-finalist list for the Butkus Award, and has 118 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 5 interceptions on the season. He’ll play a key role in spying Ward and taking away some of the underneath passing lanes.
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