The 2020 AAC Season was dominated by Cincinnati. The Bearcats won both of its non-conference games before beginning its AAC campaign. The Bearcats won their first 5 conference games by an average of over 30 points before easing past UCF by 3. In the conference championship Cincinnati held on to beat Tulsa 27-24.
Cincinnati battled Georgia in the Peach bowl, leading most of the way before succumbing to a 53 yard field goal with three seconds remaining. While the lost stung, it did not detract from the greatest year in Cincinnati history.
Tulsa also enjoyed a strong year, going undefeated in conference and pushing Cincinnati in the championship game. However, Tulsa lost a tight game in Armed Forces Bowl to a 3-7 Mississippi State team that ended in an all-out brawl.
As for the remainder of the conference, it was a somewhat muted year. Memphis, SMU, and UCF made appearances in the Top 25, but finished outside the final rankings.
2020 American Athletic Conference Final Standings
| Division/Team | Conference | All Games | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | W | L | Pct | Points | Against | W | L | Pct | Points | Against |
 Cincinnati | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 248 | 90 | 9 | 1 | 0.900 | 375 | 168 |
 Central Florida | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 350 | 262 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 | 422 | 332 |
 East Carolina | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 243 | 270 | 3 | 6 | 0.333 | 272 | 319 |
 Temple | 1 | 6 | 0.143 | 139 | 260 | 1 | 6 | 0.143 | 139 | 260 |
 South
Florida | 0 | 7 | 0.000 | 181 | 301 | 1 | 8 | 0.111 | 208 | 359 |
| West | W | L | Pct | Points | Against | W | L | Pct | Points | Against |
 Tulsa | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 187 | 123 | 6 | 3 | 0.667 | 244 | 194 |
 Memphis | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 223 | 259 | 8 | 3 | 0.727 | 341 | 307 |
 SMU | 4 | 3 | 0.571 | 240 | 243 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 | 386 | 309 |
 Houston | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 200 | 185 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 240 | 256 |
 Navy | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 156 | 193 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 | 166 | 303 |
 Tulane | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 258 | 239 | 6 | 6 | 0.500 | 416 | 337 |
2020 American Athletic Conference Season Awards
| Player | Team | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | Offensive Player of the Year |
| Zaven Collins | Tulsa | Defensive Player of the Year |
| Chris Naggar | SMU | Special Teams Player of the Year |
| Rahjai Harris | East Carolina | Freshman of the Year (Tie) |
| Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | Freshman of the Year (Tie) |
| Luke Fickell | Cincinnati | Coach of the Year |
2020 American Athletic Conference Team Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Team Scoring Offense and Defense | ||
| Points Scored Per Game-Total | Central Florida | 42.2 |
| Average Game Margin-Total | Cincinnati | 20.7 |
| Points Scored Per Game-Conf | Central Florida | 43.8 |
| Average Game Margin – Conf | Cincinnati | 26.3 |
| Passing Offense | ||
| Pass Attempts Per Game | Central Florida | 41.5 |
| Pass Completions Per Game | Central Florida | 24.9 |
| Completion Percentage | Cincinnati | 66.8% |
| Passing Yards Per Game | Central Florida | 357.4 |
| Passing TDs Per Game | Central Florida | 3.2 |
| Rushing Offense | ||
| Rushing Attempts Per Game | Navy | 48.2 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | Tulane | 217.6 |
| Average Yards Per Carry | Cincinnati | 5.6 |
| Rushing TDs Per Game | Cincinnati | 2.9 |
| Total Offense | ||
| Plays Per Game | Central Florida | 85.9 |
| Total Yards Per Game | Central Florida | 568.1 |
| Average Yards Per Play | Cincinnati | 6.7 |
| Penalties | ||
| Penalties Per Game (Fewest) | Navy | 4.4 |
| Penalty Yards Per Game (Fewest) | Navy | 40.2 |
| Offense Turnovers | ||
| Fumbles Per Game (Fewest) | Tulane | 0.3 |
| Interceptions Per Game (Fewest) | Central Florida | 0.4 |
| Total Turnovers Per Game (Fewest) | Central Florida | 1.0 |
| Team Scoring Defense | ||
| Points Allowed Per Game-Total | Cincinnati | 15 |
| Points Allowed Per Game-Conf | Cincinnati | 16.8 |
| Passing Defense | ||
| Completions Allowed Per Game | Temple | 13.7 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | Navy | 180.8 |
| Passing Completion % Per Game | Cincinnati | 53.2% |
| Passing TDs Allowed Per Game | Cincinnati | 0.7 |
| Rushing Defense | ||
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | Cincinnati | 114.4 |
| Rushing Yards Per Carry Allowed | Cincinnati | 3.2 |
| Rushing TDs Allowed Per Game | Cincinnati, Tulsa | 1.0 |
| Total Defense | ||
| Yards Allowed Per Game | Cincinnati | 327.9 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Play | Cincinnati | 4.6 |
| Turnovers | ||
| Interceptions Per Game (Most) | Cincinnati | 1.6 |
| Fumbles Recovered Per Game (Most) | Central Florida, Temple | 1.3 |
| Total turnovers Forced Per Game | Central Florida | 2.2 |
2020 American Athletic Conference Individual Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Player | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | |||
| Completions | Brady White | Memphis | 254 |
| Completion % | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | 66.2% |
| Passing Yards | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 3,570 |
| Passing Yards Per Att | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 8.6 |
| Passing TDs | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 32 |
| Passer Efficiency | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 156.3 |
| Rushing | |||
| Rushing Attempts | Ulysses Bentley IV | Southern Methodist | 170 |
| Rushing Yardage | Ulysses Bentley IV | Southern Methodist | 913 |
| Rush Yards Per Att | Jerome Ford | Cincinnati | 6.6 |
| Rushing TDs | Cameron Carroll, Desmond Ridder | Tulane, Cincinnati | 12 |
| Receiving | |||
| Receptions | Marlon Williams | Central Florida | 71 |
| Receiving Yards | Calvin Austin III | Memphis | 1,053 |
| Yards Per Reception | Reggie Robertson, Jr | Southern Methodist | 21.5 |
| Receiving TDs | Calvin Austin III | Memphis | 11 |
| Total Offense | |||
| Yards From Scrimmage | Ulysses Bentley IV | Southern Methodist | 1,087 |
| Total Yards | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 3,739 |
| Total Yards Per Play | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 7.7 |
| Touchdowns | Cameron Carroll | Tulane | 13 |
| TDs Responsible For | Dillon Gabriel | Central Florida | 34 |
| Kicking | |||
| Extra Points Made | Merek Glover | Tulane | 51 |
| Field Goals Made | Chris Naggar | Southern Methodist | 17 |
| Field Goal Pct | Chris Naggar | Southern Methodist | 81.0% |
| Avg. Punt Yards | Ryan Wright | Tulane | 52 |
| Defense | |||
| Solo Tackles | Dorian Williams | Tulane | 64 |
| Total Tackles | Dorian Williams | Tulane | 97 |
| Tackles for Loss | Dorian Williams | Tulane | 16 |
| Sacks | Morris Joseph, Jr | Memphis | 8.0 |
| Interceptions | Brandon Crossley, Coby Bryant, Ja’Quan McMillian, Zaven Collins | Southern Methodist, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Tulsa | 4 |
| Passes Defended | Brandon Stephens | Southern Methodist | 10 |
| Fumbles Forced | Arnold Ebiketie, Eriq Gilyard, Tama Tuitele, Trevor Denbow | Temple, Central Florida, Navy, Southern Methodist | 3 |