The 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game is a college football game to be played on December 3, 2022, at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. It will be the eighth American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game and determine the champion of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) for the 2022 season. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST and air on ABC. The game will feature the regular season champions, the Tulane Green Wave, and the regular season runners-up, the UCF Knights. Sponsored by RoofClaim.com, a roofing services company, the game will officially be known as the 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by RoofClaim.com.[1]
Tulane clinched a spot in the championship game following its defeat of Cincinnati on November 25. The win also ensured it would host the game.[2] The Green Wave finished with a regular season record of 10–2 (7–1 in AAC). This will be Tulane's first appearance in the AAC Championship Game. They are seeking their first football conference championship since 1998, when they were part of C-USA.
Going into the final day of American Conference play on November 26, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston were in contention to play Tulane in the game.[2] UCF would have clinched a spot in the championship game with a win over USF.[3] Cincinnati, which had lost to Tulane the previous night, needed a USF win and a Tulsa win over Houston. If both USF and Houston had won, the higher ranked team (using rankings from Anderson & Hester, Billingsley, Colley, Wolfe) between Cincinnati and Houston would have claimed the berth.[4]
Ultimately, UCF secured its place in the title game with a 46–39 win at South Florida. The Knights finished the regular season with a record of 9–3 (6–2 in AAC). This will be UCF's third appearance in the AAC Championship Game. They are seeking their third AAC title after winning previously in 2017 and 2018. It will also be UCF's final intra-conference game as a member of the AAC, as the Knights are set to join the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
Game summary
2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game