2018 American Athletic Conference Leaders First Downs - Games vs. FBS Power 5 Conference Teams Only through 01/07/2019
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temple | 3 | 19 | 41 | 4 | 64 | 21.3 |
| 2 | South Florida | 2 | 24 | 32 | 4 | 60 | 30.0 |
| 3 | Houston | 2 | 22 | 29 | 5 | 56 | 28.0 |
| 4 | Memphis | 2 | 21 | 20 | 6 | 47 | 23.5 |
| 5 | UCF | 2 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 48 | 24.0 |
| 5 | East Carolina | 2 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 30 | 15.0 |
| 7 | Tulane | 2 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 2 | 24 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 9 | SMU | 2 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 2 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 11 | Connecticut | 1 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 16.0 |