4. Houston Cougars

Tom Herman quickly made a splash in his first season as Houston’s head coach, scoring a road win over the ACC’s Louisville Cardinals.

The former Ohio State offensive coordinator’s success with quarterbacks has carried over into his head coaching gig. Dual-threat Greg Ward Jr. is flourishing.

He rushed for 92 yards Saturday and scored three touchdowns through the air.

With Ward setting the pace, Houston looks very much like it could be a contender in a top-heavy American Athletic West, which features fellow Top 10 teams Navy and Memphis, as well as unbeaten Tulsa.

3. Memphis Tigers

At 59 points per game, Justin Fuente’s Memphis football Tigers are putting up offense basketball coach Josh Pastner and the Dribble-Drive might envy.

Memphis has handled its business against a pair of overmatched teams, Missouri State and Kansas. Things get interesting in Week 3 with a Group of 5 Top 10 encounter with Bowling Green.

Falcons head coach Dino Babers’ uptempo scheme will put to the test an inexperienced Memphis defense, which has had two opportunities to gather its bearings.