FAVORITE TEAMS

C-USA’s competition gets fierce with three teams from the West and two from the East (three if Western Kentucky bounces back) competing for the conference title.

Isaiah Green’s freshmen performance and Marshall’s balanced play throughout the season dubs them the East division favorite. But don’t overlook FIU because they have enough starters and depth to challenge for the division. Mid Tenn expects to decline this season after quarterback Brent Stockstill graduated. FAU is poised to bounce back but dominating the East division is unlikely. Western Kentucky could bounce back with 18 returning starters if new coach Tyson Helton can get this offense playing like a typical WKU offense. Old Dominion’s huge upset over ranked Virginia Tech was a huge confidence booster, but I don’t expect them to compete until next season with the roster they’ll have in 2020. I was nearly sold on Charlotte making a bowl run, but the loss of receiver Rico Arnold due to injury and questions at quarterback isn’t convincing enough.

Louisiana Tech expects to win the West with a balanced roster, led by quarterback J’Mar Smith, but the first three games in November will be an obstacle. North Texas has a conference title contending offense, but they’ll need their defense to develop quickly to give them that opportunity. Southern Miss has a conference title contending defense, but their offense must follow to steal North Texas and La Tech’s opportunity. Congrats to UAB on their first ever conference championship and bowl win, but I don’t expect them to compete for more than a bowl game. If UTSA can find the right quarterback, this team could compete for bowl-eligibility. Rice has an abundant of talent to compete…in 2020. UTEP’s quarterback Kai Locksley is eligible to play this season after an unusual offseason issue, but it’s not enough for UTEP to compete against anyone except Rice and Houston Baptist.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL PANTHERS

Quarterback James Morgan returns to lead an abundance of depth. If their run game improves, this is one of the most dangerous offenses in C-USA. Linebacker Sage Lewis returns but their defense must maintain and improve, especially against the run. The middle of the line could be problematic and give some lesser teams an opportunity. They also need to find a new punter. However, they do have a light schedule but they host Miami (FL) before visiting Marshall. If Coach Butch Jones has these guys prepared mentally, physically, and spiritually, the East division title may come down to that last game at Marshall. What’s more important is keeping James Morgan healthy.

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN

The offense is stacked at each level and shouldn’t be a problem to score a lot of points and put up yards once again. Quarterback Mason Fine should break some career records, but he’ll have a depth of running backs to hand off too. Their only setback from winning the West division is their defense. They improved but their passing coverage needs work. If they can’t resolve this, they’ll have teams like SMU and Houston putting up a lot of points on them, forcing their offense to score more. North Texas has a challenging first half of their schedule, and overcoming that would make them a threat in the conference and possibly win 10 games for the first time in school history. If their defense can’t improve against the pass, they can’t win more than maybe eight games.