SMU coach Sonny Dykes gets the pageantry. As does Memphis coach Mike Norvell.

Saturday will feature two of the best teams in the American Athletic Conference competing in a sold-out Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in front of a primetime audience on ABC. The national public won't see an SEC or Big Ten affair. It won't see the Big 12, Pac-12 or ACC go at it.

Saturday will be the AAC's time to shine. Memphis will host SMU in a battle of two national top-25 teams. And that's OK.

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"I think it's great because both teams have put themselves in this position," Norvell said. "For the country getting a chance to see this game on the national broadcast in primetime, it's huge for everybody. There's a tremendous buzz with our community and around our university. Our players are excited about it."

To which Dykes added: "It's good for our fans and certainly good for the conference. I think the American conference is a lot better than people think. Any time you can get two really good football teams playing against each other, and everybody in the country gets to see it, I think it opens people's eyes."

SMU held off Houston in a 34-31 win last Thursday. Memphis escaped Tulsa with a 42-41 win in a game where Tulsa missed a 29-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

The game is expected to be a battle of two of the best offenses in the conference -- which means an opportunity for both defenses to step up in front of a sold-out crowd watching live and a nationally televised audience.