2016 American Athletic Conference Leaders First Downs - Games in August/September Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 5 | 56 | 71 | 10 | 137 | 27.4 |
| 2 | Tulsa | 4 | 53 | 44 | 7 | 104 | 26.0 |
| 3 | UCF | 4 | 52 | 30 | 10 | 92 | 23.0 |
| 4 | Tulane | 4 | 48 | 13 | 3 | 64 | 16.0 |
| 5 | South Florida | 4 | 47 | 36 | 10 | 93 | 23.3 |
| 6 | Navy | 3 | 45 | 10 | 2 | 57 | 19.0 |
| 7 | SMU | 4 | 33 | 42 | 9 | 84 | 21.0 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 5 | 33 | 57 | 7 | 97 | 19.4 |
| 9 | East Carolina | 4 | 32 | 63 | 6 | 101 | 25.3 |
| 10 | Cincinnati | 4 | 30 | 51 | 4 | 85 | 21.3 |
| 11 | Temple | 4 | 27 | 36 | 6 | 69 | 17.3 |
| 12 | Memphis | 3 | 26 | 37 | 8 | 71 | 23.7 |