Every few weeks, I find it worthwhile to check on which teams have seen their SP+ ratings change the most in recent games. Aside from helping you understand the college football landscape a bit better, it presents some obvious gambling value as well.
This week, I'll take a look at how scoring has changed in the American Athletic Conference over the course of the season, as well as the most improved (and most regressed) teams by my SP+ metric.
The AAC has slowly reverted to form
In its brief history, the AAC has become known for being two things: pretty good and very, very offense-friendly. UCF averaged 48.2 and 43.2 points per game, respectively, the past two seasons while winning both conference titles. The past four seasons, the AAC has boasted eight top-20 offenses (per the opponent-adjusted SP+) and no such defenses.
September muddied these waters a bit. Four weeks into the season, Memphis and Temple both ranked in the defensive SP+ top 15, and UCF had the only offense in the top 40. Memphis won its season opener against Ole Miss 15-10, Temple beat Maryland 20-7, Cincinnati beat UCLA 24-14, etc.
Had the offensive tide turned? No, it was just a bit late.