2016 Conference USA Football Projections

East

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 11-2 (7-1)

Middle Tennessee State Tigers 9-3 (6-2)

Marshall Thundering Herd 8-4 (6-2)

Old Dominion Monarchs 3-9 (2-6)

Florida International Panthers 4-8 (2-6)

Charlotte 49ers 3-9 (1-7)

Florida Atlantic Owls 2-10 (0-8)

West

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 8-5 (6-2)

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 8-4 (6-2)

Rice Owls 5-7 (4-4)

Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners 4-8 (3-5)

Texas-El Paso Miners 5-7 (3-5)

North Texas Mean Green 1-11 (0-8)

Conference USA Championship Game: Southern Mississippi vs. Middle Tennessee State

Conference Champion: Western Kentucky

As the past few years in college football have been defined by re-alignment and transition, Conference USA has attempted to weather the storm as they’ve seen former members leave for larger paydays from bigger conferences. Of the 13 football members in Conference USA in 2015, five of them made bowl games with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers finishing the season ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press Poll. It’s a long shot that we’ll see a Conference USA school participate in the College Football Playoff, but the underdog conference should still provide plenty of excitement.

Last year Western Kentucky was able to dominate the Eastern Division of Conference USA, but have the Middle Tennessee State Tigers closed the gap on them? Middle Tennessee State head football coach Rick Stockstill has one of the best offenses in the nation which begins with a quarterback that could be Conference USA’s Player of the Year. Stockstill’s son Brent was Middle Tennessee State’s starting quarterback last year and as a redshirt freshman, he passed for 4,005 yards while also throwing 30 touchdowns. Stockstill’s main receiving target is sophomore wide receiver Richie James who is arguably the best receiver in the conference as this duo is very tough to stop.

As Jeff Brohm is set to begin his third year as the head football coach at Western Kentucky, he must find a way to replace that contributions that Brandon Doughty made over the last few years at quarterback. Junior quarterback Mike White will have his chance to be the Hilltoppers starting quarterback and he will have a ton of talent around him that includes a veteran offensive line with three starting seniors as they are led by left tackle Forrest Lamp. Senior wide receiver Taywan Taylor and junior wide receiver Nicholas Norris are the best pass catching duo in Conference USA as secondaries within the conference will once again have their hands full with the Hilltoppers.

 

But as Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky will be slugging it out to win the Eastern Division, the Marshall Thundering Herd could be laying in the weeds. Doc Holliday has comprised a record of 50-28 in six years as Marshall’s head football coach and he has provided wizardry on the offensive side of the football. Marshall has a promising quarterback in sophomore Chase Litton who has the ability to keep the Thundering Herd in the Conference USA Title picture.

Over in the West, the race will be between the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Southern Mississippi and Louisiana Tech represent the last two winners of the Western Division and they’ll once again be in the mix this year.  The Bulldogs have a veteran laden team which features a trio of senior wide receivers in Carlos Henderson, Trent Taylor, and Conner Smith. Last year saw Ryan Higgins take a backseat to Jeff Driskel at quarterback. But as this is Higgins’ senior year, he is out to show what he can do and lead Louisiana Tech to the Conference USA Championship.

For Southern Miss, they are once again preparing for life under another new head football coach. After three years in Hattiesburg, Ted Monken departed to become the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he left a good team behind. Former Alcorn State Braves head football coach Jay Hopson inherits one of the best offenses in the nation that features senior quarterback Nick Mullens who passed for 4,476 yards last year, along with junior running back Ito Smith who could be the conference’s best running back, and senior wide receiver D.J. Thompson as this trio can put up points with the best of them.

Southern Miss senior defensive end Dylan Bradley can make life tough for opposing quarterbacks in Conference USA due to his pass rushing skills, and if he lines up on the same side of the formation with senior outside linebacker D’Nerius Antoine, then the Golden Eagles will have a huge advantage on defense.

The October 15 meeting between Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State, along with the November 25th affair between Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech will go a long way in determining who will get to the Conference USA Championship Game in December.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Brohm-Western Kentucky

Offensive Player of the Year: Nick Mullens-Quarterback-Southern Miss

Defensive Player of the Year: Dylan Bradley-Defensive End-Southern Miss

Sources: Sports-reference.com, Ourlads.com, Cfbstats.com