Lineup
Tweak
With UAB
back in the Conference USA this season, the loop will now operate with 14
teams. Each school will play every team in its division once for six games,
while playing two crossover opponents from the opposite division.
We Won't
Back Down
Conference USA teams refuse to shy
away from playing challenging non-conference competition, and this season is no
exception. Among the teams on this year's schedule are Arizona, Baylor,
Florida, Iowa, Kansas State, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Stanford,
Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.
A total of 28 games are scheduled
against teams that played in a bowl game last season.
We'll
Bowl You Over, Too
Last season, Conference USA sent a
record seven teams to bowl games. In the process, Conference USA posted its
sixth consecutive winning season in bowl play and two programs - Louisiana Tech
and WKU - are among nine schools that have won a bowl game in each of the
past three seasons, joined by Clemson, Georgia, Stanford, Tennessee, Utah,
Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
C-USA is 22-11 SU and 20-12-1 ATS
over the last six years in bowl games. No other FBS conference owns a higher
bowl SU and ATS win percentage than the C-USA the last six years.
Note: Team write-ups are excerpts from the 2017
PLAYBOOK Football Preview Guide magazine - the 25th Anniversary
Issue, on sale at newsstands nationwide. The numbers following each team name
represents the amount of returning starters on offense and defense, along with
the number of returning linemen, with an asterisk (*) designating a returning
quarterback.
2017 CONFERENCE USA EAST PREVIEW
CHARLOTTE Off
- *6/3 Def
- 6/1 44
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
The youthful 49ers were FBS' newest
spring chickens in 2015 when they debuted and won two games. They doubled
that output last season. Better yet, six of their eight CUSA titles were
either wins (3) or one-possession losses (3). On the surface it appears Brad
Lambert's veteran staff (over 150 years of experience) has this squad
fast-tracked, but before they continue an expected uptick they will need to
address a defense slipped from 94th to 108th last season. Gone are 22 members
from a senior class that was part of the Niners' first team in 2013. Now
a young core of sophomores and juniors are set to take over. A soft schedule
figures to help.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Since becoming
an FBS school, Charlotte is 0-6 SU and 0-5-1 ATS in its final six games of the
season.
PLAY ON: at Florida International
(9/30)
FLORIDA ATLANTIC Off
- *9/4 Def
- 8/2 63
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: TRAVELING A NEW LANE
Like their cross county rivals, FIU,
FAU made a celebrity hire in controversial Lane Kiffin as its new mentor. The
former Tennessee, USC, and Oakland Raiders head coach, Kiffin inherits a pair
of strong recruiting classes from his predecessor, Charlie Partridge. In fact,
this year's junior class led the nation with 16 true freshmen starters two
seasons ago while last year's squad featured 68 underclassmen. And speaking of
last year's team, through the first seven games last season the Owls started a
different OL all seven games. Meanwhile, RB Devin "Motor" Singletary became the
first freshman in Owl history to break the 1,000 yard plateau last year when he
rushed for 721 yards, 8.1 Yards Per Rush, and 10 TDs over the final 4 games of
the 2016 season. With no back-to-back road games and with the addition of FSU
stud transfer WR De'Andre Johnson, the experienced Owls are perched for
success.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Owls are
6-18 SU in one-possession games since Howard Schnellenberger resigned,
including 2-8 the last two seasons
PLAY ON: as a dog vs. Middle
Tennessee (9/30)
FLORIDA INT'L Off
- *6/2 Def
- 9/3 57
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: BEAMING BUTCH IS BACK
Celebrated head coach Butch Davis
takes over the FIU football program, and he couldn't be happier. The 65-year
old Davis has compiled a 79-43 overall record in 10 years as a college head
coach, including three Big East Championships while coaching the University of
Miami. What Davis knows is that the FIU campus is within 40 miles of 15 south
Florida high schools that have produced numerous state champions. Meanwhile, SR
QB Alex McGough leads a deeply experienced team that ranks No. 1 in the nation
by SB Nation's Bill Connelly's metrics - one that returns 85% production on
both sides of the ball. It's no wonder Butch is beaming.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: FIU is 11-1 SU
and 10-2 ATS versus sub .333 conference foes without Ron Turner since 2010.
PLAY ON: at Rice (9/23)
MARSHALL Off
- *7/4 Def
- 4/2 52
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: MORE BLUNDERING THAN
THUNDERING
After being the only Group of 5
program to record a third straight 10-win season in 2015, the Herd went from a
thundering 33 wins in three seasons to a blundering 3 victories last year. Safe
to say, Doc Holliday is walking around campus these days looking over his
shoulder. Strangely, Marshall committed only 16 turnovers in 2016, the fewest
for the program since it entered FBS waters in 1997. They also led the
conference in 4th-down conversions (66.7%) as well. JR QB Chase Litton ranks on
MU's all-time Top 10 quarterback list. It remains to be seen, though, if the
confidence can be restored to a team that may still be shell-shocked. We do
know this, though: Marshall is 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS as a home favorite with
conference revenge.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Herd are
10-1-2 ATS as home dogs of more than 6 points.
PLAY AGAINST: at Florida Atlantic
(11/3)
MIDDLE TENNESSEE Off
- *6/32 Def - 6/0 40 Lettermen
TEAM THEME: STILL WELL-STOCKED
SBNation.com's
Bill Connelly contends MTSU may field the two best offensive players in the
conference in quarterback Brent Stockstill and receiver Richie James. After a
promising 6-2 start last season, Stockstill (head coach Rick's son) was lost to
a broken collarbone and the Blue Raiders responded by losing three of their
final five games. The super sharp southpaw (threw for a school record 3,233
yards and 33 TDs) and his go-to target, WR Richie James, are back but the
biggest question mark surrounding this year's squad is the rush defense, one
that surrendered more than 200 RYPG in 2016. If that same rebuilt unit comes
around, the blue smurfs could be deadly.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: MTSU has been
bowl eligible eight times in 11 years under Rick Stockstill and competed in six
bowl games.
PLAY ON: vs. Vanderbilt (9/2) - KEY
as a dog
OLD DOMINION Off
- 8/4 Def
- 6/3 46
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: BEYOND THEIR WILDEST
DREAMS
Spurred by a six-game season-ending
win skein, the Monarchs capitalized on force-feeding freshmen in 2015 (their
first ever losing season under head coach Bobby Wilder) to win 10 games last
year. Through it all, Old Dominion tied for 1st place in the East Division and
made its first bowl appearance when it defeated Eastern Michigan in the Bahamas
Bowl. ODU became the youngest program (eight years) to win 10 games in a season
since the NCAA formed Division I in 1978. Not only did Wilder's crew set a
single-season team rushing record with 2,595 yards last year, they also tied
Miami Florida for the 2nd best team in the nation in fewest turnovers lost
(10). Wow. This year, though, it will be a major surprise to find them sniffing
10 wins again as they must replace their starting QB and all three starting
linebackers. And in a scheduling quirk, ODU has no back-to-back home or
back-to-back road games this season.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Monarchs
have sold out all 54 home games in school history and own a 41-13 SU record in
those games.
PASS
UAB Off
- 0/0 Def - 0/0 0 Lettermen
TEAM THEME: #FREE UAB
They're back. No thanks to bunked up claims from its
president of losing money, the Blazers shut down the football program and
missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons. But UAB and the city of Birmingham raised
over $43 million for the reinstatement of its football program, and as a result
they are back as full Division 1 FBS and Conference USA members in 2017. Bill
Clark is back, too. In Clark's first season as head coach of the Blazers in
2014, he turned around a program that was 2-10 the year before into a team that
finished 6-6 and earned bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004. Yes,
they are the feel good story for 2017.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Per 247Sports, Clark has
inked 18 three-star prospects in the last two classes.
PASS
WESTERN KENTUCKY Off
- *4/2 Def
- 6/2 52
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: HILL STREET WOOS
Considered one of college football's
brightest offensive minds (and a former Hilltopper assistant), Mike Sanford was
named the 20th head football coach at WKU. Sanford spent the previous two
seasons as the OC/QB coach at Notre Dame and replaces Jeff Brohm who, after 30
wins in three seasons, took the money and bolted to Purdue. T he good news for
Sanford is that after leading the nation's top scoring offense and securing
WKU's 2nd consecutive C-USA title, SR QB Mike White returns to The Hill as the
nation's No. 2 returning passer behind Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield. The Toppers
also owned the nation's No. 2 ranked rush defense last season.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Hilltoppers
have gone OVER their season win total each of the last five years.
PLAY ON: at Vanderbilt (11/4) - *KEY
2017 CONFERENCE USA WEST PREVIEW
LOUISIANA TECH Off
- 5/3 Def
- 5/3 27
Lettermen
In a year of foremost accomplishment
last season, the Bulldogs won the CUSA West and the Armed Forces Bowl,
recording their third straight bowl win (a first in school history). In the
process, Louisiana Tech has won 19 of its last 24 conference games and is tied
with WKU for the best winning percentage in games over that span.
Unfortunately, there is a price to be paid for all of that success as the
Bulldogs enter the 2017 season with only one start at the collegiate level from
the entire group of quarterbacks (this from a team that had a senior starting
signal-caller each of the last three seasons). Uh oh. Nonetheless, in the
watered-down West, the Bulldogs are still the favorite to capture division
honors. Don't be surprised if they are not nip-and-tuck with Southern Miss,
though.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Bulldogs
will face 7 bowl foes this season, but only 2 that owned winning records
overall.
PASS
NORTH TEXAS Off
- *7/4 Def
- 8/1 49
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: FEELING GOOD AND MEAN
AGAIN
You know you're in trouble when you
run a pass-first offense that can't pass. Sure, UNT won five times as many
games, and improved its numbers on both sides of the ball last season under
first year head coach Scott Littrell. All feel-good numbers, for sure. The question
is did they show dramatic improvement, or were they simply that bad in 2015
(the roster featured 36 non-scholarship players)? We do know that the
37-year old Littrell was considered one of the brightest offensive minds in
college football when he was hired from North Carolina (served as assistant
head coach of the offense). The bottom line is the Green are now in good hands
with Littrell.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Lean Green
have gone 2-17 SU and 4-15 ATS away the last three years, outyarded by 175 YPG.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Army (11/18) -
*Key if favored
RICE Off
- 5/5 Def
- 8/3 54
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: BAIL UP, OR BAIL OUT
After winning 30 games the previous
four years, and being just 6 wins shy of matching a school record for 36
victories over a five-year span, the 16 returning starter Owls stalled on their
perch in 2016 as they managed just three wins, the fewest since 2009. It should
be noted that after a stretch of five different lineups over its first eight
games of the season, Rice started the same offensive line for the last four
games of the season in 2016. It's relevant considering all five of the OL
represent the entire returning starter component of the 2017 offense. And don't
look now but somehow David Bailiff owns the 2nd most wins in school history.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Rice is just one
of two FBS teams that will face 2016 bowl teams in each of its four non-conference
games this season.
PLAY ON: at UTSA (10/21)
SOUTHERN MISS Off
- 6/2 Def
- 5/2 40
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: FORWARD THINKING
When 1st-year head coach Jay Hopson
witnessed his team go on a 34-0 run to turn a 35-10 deficit into a 44-35
victory over Kentucky in his debut game with the Eagles last season, he knew
this squad had finally turned the corner for good. Yes, the powerful forward
moving offense, led by RB Ito Smith - just the fourth Golden Eagle to gain more
than 1,000 yards in multiple seasons - and WR Allenzae Staggers, was almost
unstoppable. But their real success came from an unsung defense that not only
improved 50 YPG in 2016, the stop-unit ranked No. 2 in the land in 3rd down
conversion percentage defense. And they did it all despite recording a -17
turnover margin. Pretty impressive, to say the least. Remember that moving
forward this season.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Golden
Eagles have gone bowling 20 of the last 23 years.
PLAY ON: vs. Charlotte (11/18) -
*KEY
UTEP Off
- *5/3 Def
- 7/1 44
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: TURNING UP THE HEAT
Sean Kugler's fifth year with the
Miners will likely decide his future in El Paso. While production was up on
both sides of the ball last season, the win tally slipped, and with just one
winning season (7-6) to show for his effort, Kugler is suddenly feeling the
burn. The building blocks are there, but a strong core of freshmen last year
will need to mature in 2017. All-American SR Will Hernandez, who has started
all 37 games in his career at the left guard position, anchors the OL.
Meanwhile, JR QB Ryan Metz completed 64.7 percent of his passes last year, the
2nd-best completion percentage during a single season in program history. Stay
tuned.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Miners are
9-54-1 SU and 15-45-2 ATS in the last 64 games in which they have been
outgained in the stats.
PLAY AGAINST: at UAB (11/25) - *KEY
if favored
UTSA Off
- *6/3 Def
- 7/2 45
Lettermen
TEAM THEME: A JOB WELL DONE
Head coach Frank Wilson guided
Texas-San Antonio to six wins and its first-ever bowl game in his initial year
at the helm last season. In the process, the Roadrunners tied an NCAA modern
startup program record by playing in a bowl game in just their sixth season.
And to top it off, UTSA returns four All-Conference performers from a year ago,
including LB Josiah Tauefa, the CUSA Freshman of the Year. Better yet, living
up to his moniker as one of the nation's best recruiters, Wilson reeled in what
was considered the top recruiting class in program history and the No. 1-ranked
class in Conference USA, when he signed 23 highly decorated players (12
offense/11 defense) this offseason. Backers hope his squad can continue 2016's
torrid 5-1 ATS season-ending skein.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Roadrunners
are 2-14 ATS in SU conference losses.
PLAY ON: at UTEP (10/28)
Be sure to check back here next week
for Marc's 2017 Independent Football Preview!
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