24 Tulsa lost to Mississippi State 28-26 in the 2020 Armed Forces Bowl in a game that ended with a benches clearing brawl.

Gus Malzahn was hired to serve as the new head coach on February 15, 2021.

The season will conclude with the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Game on December 4.

The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs.

The following individuals received postseason honors as chosen by the league's head coaches.

* Denotes Unanimous Selection All Conference Honorable Mentions: The 2021 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), Sporting News (TSN, from its historic name of The Sporting News), Sports Illustrated (SI), The Athletic (Athletic), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), College Football News (CFN), Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and Fox Sports (FOX).

To be selected a consensus All-American, players must be chosen to the first team on at least half of the five official selectors as recognized by the NCAA.

Players named first-team by all five selectors are deemed unanimous All-Americans.

[58] Home Depot Coach of the Year Award Luke Fickell, Cincinnati[59] Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati[60] Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati[61] AFCA Coach of Year Luke Fickell, Cincinnati[62] Bear Bryant Award Luke Fickell, Cincinnati[63] Paul Hornung Award Marcus Jones, Houston[64] Jim Thorpe Award Coby Bryant, Cincinnati[65] Jet Award Marcus Jones, Houston[66] [67] The following list includes all AAC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.