| Game Name: | American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game |
| Subheader: | 9th AAC Championship Game |
| Date Game Played: | December 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 2023 |
| Football Season: | 2023 |
| Stadium: | Yulman Stadium |
| City: | New Orleans, LA |
| Visitor School: | Southern Methodist University |
| Visitor Name Short: | SMU |
| Visitor Nickname: | Mustangs |
| Visitor Record: | 10–2 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 25 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 24 |
| Visitor Rank Cfp: | NR |
| Visitor Coach: | Rhett Lashlee |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 9 |
| Home School: | Tulane University |
| Home Name Short: | Tulane |
| Home Nickname: | Green Wave |
| Home Record: | 11–1 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 17 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 18 |
| Home Rank Cfp: | 22 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Mvp: | Isaiah Nwokobia, S, SMU |
| Odds: | Tulane by 2.5 |
| Referee: | Luke Richmond |
| Attendance: | 25,206 |
| Us Network: | ABC |
| Us Announcers: | Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter) |
The 2023 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 2, 2023, at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. It was the ninth American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the American Athletic Conference (The American) for the 2023 season. The game started at 4:00 p.m. EST and aired on ABC. The game featured the Tulane Green Wave and the SMU Mustangs. SMU defeated Tulane 26–14 for the program's first conference championship since it won a share of the Southwest Conference title in 1984.[1]
The 2023 American Conference Championship Game featured the Tulane Green Wave as the #1 seed, and the SMU Mustangs as the #2 seed. This was the second consecutive American title game appearance for Tulane and its second overall. The Green Wave won its previous appearance in 2022. This was the first and only American title game appearance for SMU, with the school set to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in July 2024.[2]
See main article: 2023 Tulane Green Wave football team. Tulane clinched a spot in the game following its win over UTSA on November 24.[3] It enters the game with an 11–1 record, 8–0 in conference play. This was the Green Wave's second-straight appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, having defeated UCF 45–28 in the 2022 game.
See main article: 2023 SMU Mustangs football team. SMU clinched a spot in the game following its win over Navy on November 25.[4] The Mustangs entered the game with a 10–2 record, 8–0 in conference play. This was the Mustangs' first and only appearance in an American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings made his first career start in the championship game. On the first play of the game, Jennings fumbled the ball, allowing Tulane to return it to the 1-yard line and score immediately afterwards. Despite this and two interceptions, SMU led Tulane 14–7 at the end of the first half thanks to its strong defense, which forced Tulane to punt the ball nine times over the course of the game. In the second half, Jennings continued to lead SMU down the field, allowing kicker Collin Rogers to score four field goals. Near the end of the fourth quarter, safety Isaiah Nwokobia intercepted the ball to seal SMU's 26–14 victory over Tulane, winning SMU its first conference championship since 1984.[5] [6] After the game, Nwokobia was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award, becoming the first defensive player to win such an award in an AAC title game.[7]