2016 American Athletic Conference Leaders First Downs - Games vs. Ranked Teams Only (AP Poll) through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Carolina | 3 | 18 | 34 | 1 | 53 | 17.7 |
| 2 | UCF | 3 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 51 | 17.0 |
| 3 | Houston | 2 | 10 | 31 | 5 | 46 | 23.0 |
| 4 | SMU | 2 | 18 | 24 | 2 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 4 | Memphis | 2 | 16 | 25 | 3 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 6 | Navy | 2 | 25 | 16 | 1 | 42 | 21.0 |
| 7 | Temple | 2 | 18 | 17 | 4 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 8 | South Florida | 2 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 2 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 2 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 28 | 14.0 |
| 11 | Tulsa | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 12 | Tulane | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8.0 |