Welcome back, college football fans, to the latest episode of the 2024-25 season. We started way back on May 15th with the 25th (and least) challenged conference and have worked our way every 4th day (on average) to make it to the number 10. A couple of seasons ago, there was a mass exodus as North Texas, Charlotte, UTSA, UAB, Rice, and FAU all jumped ship to the American (see last episode) from Conference USA. Add to that James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion to the Sun Belt. The exodus even made football pundits (myself included) question whether they would be able to survive. Discussions about joining the MAC were rampant. Instead, they added Liberty who played in a NY6 bowl last season as the top-ranked Group of 5 team and New Mexico St (10-5 last season) from the Independents as well as some promotions from the FCS ranks: Jacksonville St (9-4 last season) and Sam Houston (3-9). This season they are adding Kennesaw St (3-6) in a promotion from FCS which will bring their total back to 10. The Owls, based on the last two seasons, may struggle a bit, but they have the funding to become competitive. Overall, the conference at least has broken even and may be setting itself up for improvement with all of these changes. It’s not the first time that C-USA has had turnover – they seem to be an entry point for promotion schools who later move on to greener pastures, but if the newbies can continue to play well, maybe they can have some stability.
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The 10-team C-USA had 2 10-game winners last season and 2 more with 8 or more. If the GCR didn’t have to discount Kennesaw St’s meager 3 wins (FCS level), they may have jumped to 9th. If they continue to do well, they might promote next year. They play 11 Core 4 (used to be the Power 5 before the destruction of the Pac 12) teams with 8 of the 10 meeting that challenge.
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In the table below, (F) indicates a game against an FCS team, (G) indicates a non-conference tilt against a fellow Group of 5 school, (4) indicates a Core 4 opponent, (*) indicates a game against Kennesaw St (discounted for the FCS schedule last season), and (N) indicates a neutral site contest. It is with great pleasure that I present the 2024 Conference USA:
| Team | 2023 Record (Rank) | 2024 PS SOS (Rank) | Home Games | Away/Neutral Games | Opp 2023 Rec |
| W Kentucky Hilltoppers (1) | 8-5 (83) | 7.63 (58) | (34-37/.479) E Kentucky (F), Tulane (G), UTEP, Kennesaw St (*), LA Tech, Jacksonville St | (49-31/.613) Alabama (4), Boston College (4), Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston, New Mexico St, Liberty | 83-68 (.550) |
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (2) | 4-8 (98) | 7.52 (63) | (38-24/.613) Tennessee Tech (F), W Kentucky, Kennesaw St (*), Liberty, New Mexico St | (48-40/.545) Mississippi (4), Duke (4), Memphis (G), LA Tech, Jacksonville St, UTEP, FIU | 86-64 (.573) |
| UTEP Miners (3) | 3-9 (104) | 6.93 (86) | (20-36/.357) S Utah (F), Sam Houston, FIU, Middle Tennessee, Kennesaw St (*) | (53-35/.582) Nebraska (4), Tennessee (4), Colorado St (G) Liberty, W Kentucky, LA Tech, New Mexico St | 73-74 (.497) |
| Jacksonville St Gamecocks (4) | 9-4 (75) | 6.84 (89) | (32-44/.421) Coastal Carolina (G), Southern Miss (G), New Mexico St, Middle Tennessee, FIU, Sam Houston | (43-32/.573) Louisville (4), E Michigan (G), Kennesaw St (*), Liberty, LA Tech, W Kentucky | 75-76 (.497) |
| Sam Houston Bearkats (5) | 3-9 (128) | 6.63 (103) | (39-28/.582) Hawaii (G), New Mexico St, W Kentucky, LA Tech, Liberty | (39-46/.459) UCF (4), Rice (G), Texas St (GN), UTEP, FIU, Kennesaw St (*), Jacksonville St | 78-74 (.513) |
| Kennesaw St Owls (6) | 3-6 (254) | 6.31 (112) | (43-32/.573) Tennessee Martin (F), Louisiana (G), Jacksonville St, Liberty, Sam Houston, FIU | (34-41/.453) UTSA (G), San Jose St (G), Middle Tennessee, W Kentucky, UTEP, LA Tech | 77-73 (.513) |
| New Mexico St Aggies (7) | 10-5 (85) | 6.26 (114) | (35-39/.473) SEMO (F), New Mexico (G), Liberty, LA Tech, W Kentucky, UTEP | (36-39/.480) Texas A&M (4), Fresno St (G), Sam Houston, Jacksonville St, FIU, Middle Tennessee | 71-78 (.477) |
| LA Tech Bulldogs (8) | 3-9 (124) | 5.96 (122) | (29-40/.420) Nicholls (F), Tulsa (G), Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Jacksonville St, Kennesaw St (*) | (38-39/.494) Arkansas (4), NC St (4), FIU, New Mexico St, Sam Houston, W Kentucky | 67-79 (.459) |
| FIU Panthers (9) | 4-8 (135) | 5.48 (129) | (29-45/.392) Monmouth (F), C Michigan (G), LA Tech, Sam Houston, New Mexico St, Middle Tennessee | (35-37/.486) Indiana (4), FAU (G), Liberty, UTEP, Jacksonville St, Kennesaw St (*) | 64-82 (.438) |
| Liberty Flames (10) | 13-1 (14) | 5.20 (133) | (31-42/.425) Campbell (F), East Carolina (G), UTEP, FIU, Jacksonville St, W Kentucky | (32-42/.432) App St (G), UMASS (G), New Mexico St, Kennesaw St (*), Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston | 63-84 (.429) |
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That’s it for today. Tune in in about 4 days for the next episode where we discuss the 9th most difficult conference in 2024. Thank you for reading, providing feedback, and especially for sharing with others, G.
