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Bill ConnellyMay 30, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
- Bill Connelly is simply a writer for ESPN. He covers assemblage football, shot and tennis. He has been astatine ESPN since 2019.
It's bully to person a intent successful life. Conference USA's intent is to service arsenic the authoritative FBS invited mat.
With the additions of Delaware and Missouri State, determination are present 136 teams successful the Football Bowl Subdivision. CUSA has astatine 1 constituent oregon different housed astir a 4th of them. Of the 10 programs to determination up from FCS since 2014, 8 joined CUSA upon their arrival. Conference realignment hasn't been incredibly benignant to this league of late, with 3 schools leaving for the AAC successful 2014, 3 going to the Sun Belt successful 2022 and six heading for the AAC successful 2023. (UTEP departs for the Mountain West adjacent year.) But serving arsenic the Ellis Island of FBS assures the league of some an individuality and, well, quantity.
Two of these comparative FBS newcomers person won the league the past 2 years -- Liberty (first FBS year: 2018) took the rubric and a Fiesta Bowl bid 2 years ago, and successful 2024 Jacksonville State did the deed successful conscionable its 2nd twelvemonth aboard. Sam Houston, different second-year program, went an awesome 10-3.
On paper, Liberty appears beauteous apt to instrumentality the mantle backmost successful 2025, but nary 1 saw JSU coming a twelvemonth ago. Might we person different astonishment successful store? Let's preview Conference USA!
Through the summer, Bill Connelly volition preview different FBS conference, yet including each 136 FBS teams. The previews volition see 2024 breakdowns, 2025 previews and team-by-team capsules.
2024 recap
On paper, Liberty graded retired somewhat up of the battalion successful SP+ past year. The Flames inactive had backmost Kaidon Salter and moving backmost Quinton Cooley (plus 3 all-conference violative linemen) and scored astatine slightest 31 points 7 times. But random duds -- a 27-24 nonaccomplishment to Kennesaw State and its No. 134 defense, a 20-18 nonaccomplishment to Sam Houston -- rendered the Flames also-rans successful the CUSA race, and Rich Rodriguez's Jacksonville State took afloat advantage. The Gamecocks mislaid to Western Kentucky successful the past week of the regular play but administered a 52-12 thumping of the Hilltoppers a week aboriginal to instrumentality the title.
Sam Houston, meanwhile, besides took a beauteous measurement forward, albeit 1 tinged with bully fortune. Both JSU and SHSU past mislaid their caput coaches and prepared to commencement each implicit again.
Continuity table
The continuity array looks astatine each team's returning accumulation levels (offense, defence and overall), the fig of 2024 FBS starts from some returning and incoming players and the approximate fig of redshirt freshmen connected the roster heading into 2025. (Why "approximate"? Because schools sometimes marque it precise hard to ascertain who redshirted and who didn't.) Continuity is an progressively hard creation successful roster management, but immoderate teams propulsion it disconnected amended than others.
(* For consistency's sake, I attempted to grounds lone FBS starts successful the "returning/incoming starts" columns, truthful FBS newcomers Delaware and Missouri State instrumentality nary of those. But their returning accumulation numbers amusement that some instrumentality coagulated bases of experience.)
This league runs the gamut successful the continuity department. Kennesaw State replaced manager Brian Bohannon with Jerry Mack aft its archetypal FBS season, and Mack managed to support a coagulated magnitude of the Owls' two-deep intact portion importing a steadfast magnitude of acquisition from the transportation portal. Meanwhile, of 136 FBS teams, Jacksonville State returns the second-lowest magnitude of production, and WKU and Sam Houston failed to deed the 40% people successful this regard. These were the apical 3 teams successful past year's standings. That gives you a beauteous bully thought wherefore Liberty seems poised to rebound.
2025 projections
Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston stay successful CUSA's projected apical four, but the projected triumph totals are beauteous telling. From No. 107 Sam Houston to No. 123 UTEP, six teams are projected to triumph betwixt 4.8 and 5.8 games; whoever wins their adjacent games wrong this batch volition bask a beauteous bully season.
Liberty and WKU are CUSA's astir proven entities astatine the infinitesimal -- Liberty has won astatine slightest 8 games for six consecutive seasons (average SP+ ranking successful this span: 61.4), portion WKU has reached 4 CUSA title games, winning two, since joining the league successful 2014. Between them, the Flames and Hilltoppers commencement retired with a astir 50% accidental of winning the conference. But each different eligible squad has astatine slightest a 4% chance, and past year's champ, Jax State, started retired astatine conscionable 7%. We're not excessively acold distant from a chaotic race.
Five champion games of 2025
Here are the 5 league games that diagnostic (a) the highest combined SP+ ratings for some teams and (b) a projected scoring borderline nether 10 points.
Aug. 23: Sam Houston astatine Western Kentucky. Week 0's header crippled is Kansas State vs. Iowa State successful Dublin; the victor of that 1 volition instantly go 1 of the Big 12's favorites. But backmost successful the States, this crippled volition person a akin impact. The victor volition determination to the apical of the CUSA challengers list.
Sept. 6: Liberty astatine Jacksonville State. CUSA isn't messing around! We'll get different large crippled successful Week 2, with the 2024 champs hosting the 2023 champs. JSU is admittedly a enigma this year, but an aboriginal location triumph would assistance to forestall a Liberty coronation run.
Oct. 21: Western Kentucky astatine Louisiana Tech/Nov. 22: Liberty astatine Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech has struggled to make momentum nether Sonny Cumbie, winning conscionable 11 games successful 3 seasons. But the Bulldogs person an absorbing accidental this twelvemonth acknowledgment to a docket featuring location games against contenders WKU, SHSU and Liberty. Cumbie handed his discourtesy to freshmen and sophomores past year, and if improvement produces a breakthrough -- and decent location crowds: Tech averaged 20,439 successful location attendance successful 2019 but hasn't topped 16,000 since -- a Bulldog emergence isn't retired of the question.
Nov. 29: Western Kentucky astatine Jacksonville State. Last year, we headed into the last week of the regular play with 2 huge, pivotal games -- JSU astatine WKU and Liberty astatine SHSU -- deciding who would play successful the CUSA championship. If things are likewise undecided successful 2025, this crippled could extremity up alternatively pivotal.
Conference rubric (and, therefore, CFP) contenders
Head coach: Jamey Chadwell (third year, 21-5 overall)
2025 projection: 69th successful SP+ (62nd offense, 69th defense), 9.3 mean wins, 6.4 league wins
Last year, coming disconnected a triumphant 13-1 season, Jamey Chadwell's Flames returned their prima backmost (Kaidon Salter), their 1,400-yard rusher (Quinton Cooley) and six antiaircraft starters. They were projected 41st successful SP+. They finished 30 spots lower.
Without prima receiver (and LSU transfer) CJ Daniels, the large plays disappeared -- Salter went from averaging 16.3 yards per completion to 12.8 -- and portion Cooley and the tally crippled were inactive excellent, passing downs were abruptly a problem. The defence played astir the same, but the discourtesy fell from 3.1 points per thrust (sixth nationally) to 2.4 (49th), and Liberty averaged conscionable 17.5 points per crippled successful 4 losses.
Chadwell's violative way grounds remains strong, and successful his past 5 seasons astatine Coastal Carolina and Liberty, he's a combined 50-12. But past year's No. 60 violative SP+ ranking was the worst for a Chadwell squad since 2019; helium and violative coordinator Willy Korn person questions to reply successful that regard.
Ethan Vasko, who primitively signed with Chadwell astatine Coastal Carolina, transfers successful to apt commencement astatine quarterback; he'll acceptable up down a enactment that returns 3 starters (including halfway Aaron Fenimore, who earned all-conference honors arsenic a freshman) and adds Florida State defender transportation Christian Williams. The receiving corps adds Colorado State possession antheral Jamari Person and returns a brace of imaginable big-play guys successful Elijah Canion and Reese Smith. Though the RB corps is terribly unproven aft losing Cooley and backup Billy Lucas, (A) Chadwell offenses ever determination the shot connected the ground, and (B) returnees Vaughn Blue and Julian Gray averaged 6.0 yards per transportation betwixt them successful a constricted sample, and incoming freshman Jaylon Coleman is simply a four-star prospect.
The defence needed to prime up slack past twelvemonth with the discourtesy little consistent, and it didn't truly bash so. The Flames defended the tally beauteous well, but their blitzes didn't get home, and they got burned for rather a fewer large walk plays. It's hard to accidental the walk unreserved volition amended without sacks person TJ Bush Jr., who transferred to Cal this spring, but the summation of borderline transfers Aaron Hester (Florida State) and Derrell Farrar (Appalachian State) could help, and the LU defence wide could payment importantly from axenic experience. Sophomores specified arsenic extremity Brenton Williams, linebacker Ethan Crisp and country Jamal Miles could bask prima turns, but Liberty besides could commencement a afloat 11-man lineup of juniors and seniors, including proven entities specified arsenic extremity (and ace run-stopper) CJ Bazile Jr. and information A'Khori Jones.
In presumption of some acquisition and upside, this is the astir proven roster successful Conference USA. But we said the aforesaid happening past year. The Flames carnivore a spot much load of impervious this clip around.
Head coach: Tyson Helton (seventh year, 48-32 overall)
2025 projection: 85th successful SP+ (102nd offense, 68th defense), 7.7 mean wins, 5.6 league wins
Tyson Helton and WKU person won 8 oregon 9 games for 4 consecutive seasons with a stellar mean SP+ ranking of 66.5. After making 1 of the champion coordinator hires of the 2020s -- Zach Kittley came to municipality successful 2021, and WKU surged from 120th to seventh successful violative SP+ -- Helton has seen his discourtesy get a small shakier each year, but his defence has dilatory picked up the slack. Despite rather a fewer coordinator changes and an mean of 18 transfers per twelvemonth successful and 21 transfers retired implicit the past 4 seasons, WKU someway has managed to enactment retired the aforesaid results.
If the results don't alteration this year, they ne'er will. Helton is dealing with his astir upheaval yet. He'll beryllium breaking successful his 4th violative coordinator successful 5 years (Rick Bowie) and his archetypal caller antiaircraft coordinator successful 4 years (co-coordinators, actually: Da'Von Brown and Davis Merritt). Meanwhile, according to the numbers astatine 247 Sports, 37 players person transferred retired portion 43 person transferred in. That's fractional a roster! Only 2 starters stay from past year's lineup -- two! -- but Helton brought successful 4 starters from different FBS defenses, and the discourtesy volition boast prolific and explosive players successful backmost Maverick McIvor (3,828 yards astatine Abilene Christian past year) and receivers Jairus Mack (22.0 yards per drawback astatine Charlotte), Isaiah Myers (18.2 YPC astatine Charlotte) and Matthew Henry (18.9 YPC astatine Western Illinois).
With Bowie, Helton is fundamentally calling backmost to 2021, erstwhile Kittley came from Houston Christian and brought a fig of HCU stars with him, including backmost Bailey Zappe, who proceeded to propulsion for 5,967 yards and 62 TDs. Bowie was Abilene Christian's (and McIvor's) violative coordinator past twelvemonth arsenic the Wildcats astir bushed Texas Tech -- McIvor threw for 506 yards and 3 TDs successful a 52-51 nonaccomplishment -- and reached the FCS playoffs for the archetypal time. Relying astir wholly connected newcomers is simply a beauteous scary prospect, but the imaginable is obvious. In summation to the receivers above, McIvor volition besides person Kody Epps (BYU), Kelby Williams (Old Dominion) and high-potential holdovers K.D. Hutchinson and Cameron Flowers moving routes. Tackle Marshall Jackson, the lone returning starter, is good, and Helton signed 8 transfers and 5 juco players to soma retired the two-deep up front. The RB corps is unproven, but I don't get the content WKU volition tally much.
The defence is arsenic caller and perchance little proven. Of the batch of 16 incoming transfers (plus 3 juco players), the astir intriguing newcomers are astir apt unreserved extremity Dominic Oliver (San Diego State), 315-pound antiaircraft tackle Rylen Su'a-Filo (Southern Utah) and sophomore country Braxton Myers (Southern Miss), but the wide statistical résumé of the caller defenders isn't rather arsenic strong.
A mates of breaks distant from a run
Head coach: Charles Kelly (first year)
2025 projection: 104th successful SP+ (105th offense, 99th defense), 6.6 mean wins, 4.5 league wins
Continuity hires aren't guaranteed to work. When Michigan replaced Jim Harbaugh with erstwhile lieutenant Sherrone Moore successful 2024, it didn't halt the Wolverines' triumph full from getting chopped successful half. And conscionable due to the fact that Ohio promoted violative coordinator Brian Smith aft winning 31 games successful 3 years and losing caput manager Tim Albin, that doesn't mean the Bobcats won't autumn disconnected course. Every caller prosecute is an accidental to complaint guardant oregon autumn apart, careless of however good the caller feline knows the past guy.
I'm inactive struggling a spot with the alteration astatine Jacksonville State, however. With an ever-delightful, run-centric offense, Rich Rodriguez led the Gamecocks to contiguous FBS success, going 18-9 implicit JSU's archetypal 2 seasons earlier returning to West Virginia. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith served arsenic JSU's interim caput manager against Ohio successful the Cure Bowl, but alternatively of handing the reins to Smith oregon a likewise offense-minded coach, JSU replaced Rodriguez with antiaircraft seasoned Charles Kelly.
The 57-year-old Kelly is an Alabama feline who served, delightfully, arsenic some JSU violative coordinator (1996) and antiaircraft coordinator (1997-98) aboriginal successful his career. He has coached for Jimbo Fisher, Nick Saban, Deion Sanders and Hugh Freeze successful the past decennary alone. And aft hiring balance-minded violative coordinator Clint Trickett and having to regenerate fundamentally 18 starters, he's going to pb a wholly antithetic JSU squad onto the tract this fall, for amended oregon (more likely, successful my estimation) worse.
Kelly has brought immoderate well-traveled erstwhile blue-chippers with him: backmost Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers/Kentucky), moving backmost Cam Cook (TCU), antiaircraft tackle Khurtiss Perry (Alabama/Virginia Tech), nickel backmost Tre'Quon Fegans (Alabama/USC/UCF). He didn't bash a ton of portal enactment successful the trenches -- which made consciousness connected defence (four of past year's apical six linemen return) but little truthful connected discourtesy (six of past year's apical 7 are gone) -- but helium brought successful rather a fewer wideouts and DBs.
JSU's past of occurrence stretches acold beyond Rich Rod: The Gamecocks won a Division II rubric successful the 1990s and reached the FCS rubric crippled successful the 2010s. With due programme support, Kelly mightiness beryllium capable to triumph large too. But successful the abbreviated term, astatine least, I'm not astir arsenic optimistic arsenic SP+.
Head coach: Phil Longo (first year)
2025 projection: 107th successful SP+ (118th offense, 91st defense), 5.2 mean wins, 4.2 league wins
I precocious looked astatine good and atrocious luck for 2024, from 3 antithetic angles: turnovers, adjacent games and injuries/lineup consistency. One squad was among the 15 astir fortunate successful each 3 categories: KC Keeler's Sam Houston. The Bearkats did plentifulness close successful charging from 3-9 to 10-3 -- the discourtesy constricted mistakes and antagonistic plays, and the defence defended the walk beautifully -- but blessed turnover and wounded luck, combined with a 6-0 grounds successful one-score games, is astir intolerable to replicate.
With Keeler disconnected to Temple, caller caput manager Phil Longo takes implicit a programme that is a) apt to spot less blessed breaks, b) replacing each azygous antiaircraft starter and c) playing its location games successful Houston, 70 miles distant from Huntsville, portion Bowers Stadium undergoes renovations. This seems ... suboptimal. After a mostly woebegone stint arsenic Wisconsin's violative coordinator, Longo mightiness make speedy violative occurrence astatine SHSU -- backmost Hunter Watson is back, arsenic are 3 starting linemen and Watson's 2 astir explosive receivers (Qua'Vez Humphreys and Michael Phoenix II), and Longo brought 2 Wisconsin QB signings with him conscionable successful case. Plus, successful transfers Shane Porter (North Texas) and Elijah Green (Indiana), helium welcomes 2 RBs who averaged 6.7 yards per transportation betwixt them. Throw successful Long Island receiver transportation Aviyon Smith-Mack (18.0 yards per catch), and you tin speech yourself into the offense.
The defense, however, is wholly starting over. Even including 3 transfers, lone 4 Bearkat defenders saw much than 110 FBS snaps past season. I'm intrigued by smaller-school transfers linebacker JaMair Diaz (21 TFLs and 12 sacks astatine Glenville State) and antiaircraft extremity Keelan Cox (six sacks astatine Texas Southern), but it's hard to judge caller antiaircraft coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay volition person the extent helium needs, peculiarly up front.
Even with a mediocre Wisconsin run, the Longo prosecute made immoderate consciousness -- helium has plentifulness of violative occurrence connected his résumé, and you tin astir surely find what you request to tally a high-tempo, free-flowing discourtesy successful Texas. But adjacent though the projections are astatine slightest semi-optimistic, this feels similar a monolithic Year Zero concern for Longo and SHSU.
Head coach: Sonny Cumbie (fourth year, 11-26 overall)
2025 projection: 109th successful SP+ (126th offense, 80th defense), 6.0 mean wins, 4.1 league wins
Between the beauteous location docket and violative acquisition mentioned supra and my aforementioned skepticism of some Jax State and SHSU, I deliberation Louisiana Tech has an accidental to bash thing absorbing this season. It's been a small while. Three years nether Sonny Cumbie haven't borne fruit, and Tech hasn't won much than 5 games successful a play since 2019.
Development volition beryllium key. In 2024, Tech was led successful passing by a redshirt freshman (Evan Bullock) and successful rushing by a sophomore JUCO transportation (Omiri Wiggins); the 2 astir explosive walk catchers were sophomores (Jay Wilkerson and choky extremity Eli Finley), and the astir snaps connected the violative enactment went to different redshirt freshman (tackle Hayden Christman). There were veterans excessively -- elder slot antheral Tru Edwards caught 85 passes, elder defender Bert Hale earned honorable notation all-CUSA -- but the Bulldogs' discourtesy was awfully unseasoned.
That Bullock completed 66% of his passes with a 14-to-3 TD-to-INT ratio was encouraging, adjacent if determination were a batch of nibbling, abbreviated passes involved. But the instrumentality of these experienced players, positive the summation of 1 of the champion RBs successful NAIA (Keiser's 6-foot-2, 225-pound Andrew Burnette), has maine intrigued. So does the instrumentality of Tony Franklin. An aboriginal Air Raid adopter, the 67-year-old is backmost for his 2nd stint arsenic Tech's OC, and helium returns to full-sized shot aft a little but ascendant stint arsenic Army's sprint shot OC. There's a batch to regenerate connected the violative line, but it definite seems similar Franklin mightiness person immoderate amusive with Bullock and a accelerated accomplishment corps.
Of course, I'd consciousness adjacent amended astir Tech if Cumbie had held onto Jeremiah Johnson. The erstwhile Northern Iowa antiaircraft coordinator worked wonders successful improving the Bulldogs from 122nd to 67th successful antiaircraft SP+ past season, but helium was lured distant by Coastal Carolina. Cumbie replaced him with erstwhile Jax State DC Luke Olson, and Olson volition person his enactment chopped retired for him: Of the 11 players who saw astatine slightest 200 snaps successful the beforehand six past season, 8 are gone, including each six linemen. The secondary, led by information Jacob Fields, should beryllium sound, but a truly beardown tally defence needs to commencement over.
Head coach: Derek Mason (second year, 3-9 overall)
2025 projection: 125th successful SP+ (130th offense, 109th defense), 5.3 mean wins, 3.5 league wins
In a word, Derek Mason's archetypal twelvemonth succeeding Rick Stockstill astatine MTSU was horrendous. The Blue Raiders ranked 131st successful SP+ (131st connected offense, 122nd connected defense) and lone finished 3-9 due to the fact that they won each 3 of their games that were decided by azygous digits. Their 9 losses came by an mean people of 41-17. The passing crippled was decent, the defence was sporadically capable to crook without breaking, and tons of freshmen got experience, particularly successful the trenches. But Mason, the erstwhile Vanderbilt caput coach, wasn't capable to travel up with galore answers, adjacent if MTSU did run beauteous good successful the uncommon choky game. (Vandy was decent successful those situations nether Mason, too.) Things felt mostly hopeless.
I'm admittedly not making this dependable similar a "couple of breaks away" team, americium I? Well, that astir apt says thing astir however galore peculiarly iffy teams CUSA seems to person this season. But it besides says thing astir what MTSU returns. In a league afloat of mediocre returning accumulation numbers, the Blue Raiders fertile a coagulated 46th nationally, and 4th successful CUSA, down lone a squad with a caller caput manager (Kennesaw State) and the 2 FBS newcomers. Mason brought backmost some coordinators -- Bodie Reeder connected offense, Brian Stewart connected defence -- and the Blue Raiders instrumentality a coagulated and experienced backmost (Nicholas Vattiato), a brace of disruptive antiaircraft tackles (Shakai Woods and Damonte Smith, who combined for 11.5 TFLs and 20 tally stops), and a imaginable all-conference information successful John Howse IV. Mason besides recovered immoderate imaginable portal gems successful moving backmost Rickey Hunt Jr. (Ohio), receiver Amorion Walker (Michigan) and 6-foot-7 tackle Jacob Otts (Rhode Island).
Defensively, I honestly expected a fewer much transfers. Mason brought successful 3 transfers and 2 JUCOs successful the secondary but mostly fto it thrust with the beforehand six. Maybe that volition wage disconnected if Woods and different promising sophomore, extremity Anthony Bynum, support developing. But if a portion takes a spot measurement guardant successful 2025, I'm guessing it volition beryllium the offense. Regardless, MTSU has a level of continuity and acquisition that others successful the CUSA don't have; possibly that pays off.
Head coach: Tony Sanchez (second year, 3-9 overall)
2025 projection: 122nd successful SP+ (106th offense, 124th defense), 5.4 mean wins, 3.4 league wins
Jerry Kill won 17 games successful 2 seasons astatine NMSU (2022-23). In the 19 seasons earlier his arrival, the Aggies averaged 2.8 wins per year. In their archetypal aft his departure, they won three. In lawsuit idiosyncratic forgot however hard a occupation this 1 tin be, world struck the infinitesimal Kill left.
While Kill was serving arsenic main advisor to the caput manager astatine Vanderbilt successful 2024 (and helping to make a abrupt renaissance with backmost Diego Pavia and different erstwhile Aggies), Tony Sanchez was attempting to crippled a caller mode guardant successful Las Cruces. His 2024 Aggies inactive ran the shot beauteous well, and the play-action crippled occasionally struck gold. But determination was nary consistency successful the passing game, and an assertive defence didn't marque capable large plays to counteract the ones it was allowing. The Aggies could prosecute successful way meets astatine times -- they scored 28 oregon much points successful 5 games -- but they inactive ranked conscionable 120th successful points per drive, and the defence was shaky capable that they won lone 2 of those 5 prolific games.
While the tally crippled was a strength, some starring rushers and six of past year's apical 7 linemen are gone. The enactment inactive has coagulated size, and erstwhile blue-chip backs Kadarius Calloway (Cal) and Dijon Stanley (Utah) volition articulation either incumbent backmost Parker Awad oregon Montana transportation Logan Fife successful the backfield. But caller violative coordinator David Yost, a dispersed discourtesy aged hand, usually likes to propulsion the shot a bit. PJ Johnson III is bully astatine spell routes, but we'll spot which of 5 pass-catching transfers emerges arsenic absorbing weapons.
Defensively, we'll commencement with the good: Linebackers Tyler Martinez and Sone Aupiu (combined: 23 tally stops) are stone coagulated playmakers, Dakerric Hobbs is 1 of the astir assertive (and often successful) cornerbacks successful the conference, and with Sanchez signing seven JUCO antiaircraft backs, including six safeties, it's beauteous apt that a mates volition look arsenic coagulated options. But erstwhile you fertile 127th successful antiaircraft SP+, past suffer 8 starters, betterment isn't precisely guaranteed. Sanchez stuck with coordinator Joe Morris, and I similar the aggression, but likelihood are bully that the Aggies volition inactive get burned rather a bit.
Just looking for a way to 6-6
Head coach: Scotty Walden (second year, 3-9 overall)
2025 projection: 123rd successful SP+ (122nd offense, 113th defense), 4.8 mean wins, 3.3 league wins
If Sam Houston was the astir fortunate squad successful the league successful 2024, UTEP was the least. The Miners ranked 101st successful turnovers luck, 105th successful close-game luck and 124th successful lineup stability. Only 3 violative oregon antiaircraft players started each 12 games and, by my count, 44 started astatine slightest one. That is simply a fig I wouldn't person thought possible. That the squad went 3-3 down the agelong mightiness person been a flimsy motion of improvement, but it was a mislaid play from the start.
Of those 44 starters, 21 instrumentality successful 2025, including explosive wideout Kenny Odom and disruptive defenders successful tackle KD Johnson and extracurricular linebacker Nate Dyman. But Scotty Walden was super-aggressive this offseason, bringing successful 2 caller coordinators -- erstwhile TCU QBs manager Mark Cala connected offense, erstwhile Montana State DC Bobby Daly connected defence -- and 30 transfers. Former USC and Boise State blue-chipper Malachi Nelson was the biggest sanction of the bunch, but a bulk of the transfers were defenders. Among the much intriguing: antiaircraft extremity Ashaad Hall (11 sacks astatine SC State) and information Tyler Jones (four TFLs and 14 passes defended astatine Tennessee State). Daly's archetypal Miners defence volition beryllium assertive and reasonably experienced.
Either Nelson oregon incumbent QB Skyler Locklear volition person a decent brace of seasoned receivers successful Odom and slot antheral Kam Thomas, but the tally crippled was abysmal past season, and that could marque explosive erstwhile Charlotte RB Hahsaun Wilson (6.1 yards per transportation successful 2024) astir arsenic important arsenic Nelson. The violative enactment mislaid 3 starters but should inactive beryllium large and beauteous senior-heavy.
Head coach: Jerry Mack (first year)
2025 projection: 131st successful SP+ (136th offense, 93rd defense), 4.3 mean wins, 3.0 league wins
I hated that, aft 1 pugnacious play successful FBS, Kennesaw State fired the lone caput manager successful its history. Brian Bohannon had the Owls successful the FCS playoffs by their 3rd twelvemonth successful existence; it was casual to deliberation helium should get a first-year FBS mulligan.
I besides loved the replacement hire. Jerry Mack was fantabulous astatine NC Central successful the mid-2010s, and aft a fewer years arsenic Rice's violative coordinator and an RBs manager with Tennessee (2023) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (2024), helium took implicit astatine KSU successful December. He kept a coagulated information of past year's defence intact -- 13 of the 17 players with astatine slightest 200 snaps instrumentality -- and helium besides added a Big Ten starter (Purdue linebacker Antonio Stevens), formerly well-touted recruits similar extremity Nasir Smith (Georgia Southern), nickel Kody Jones (Michigan), country Caleb Offord (Notre Dame/Alabama State) and information Isaiah Thomas (Miami), and breathtaking smaller-school transfers similar extremity Elijah Harper (Emory & Henry) and tackle Mike Jones (Virginia Union). This should beryllium a top-half-of-CUSA defense.
The offense, however, projects arsenic the worst successful the country. Longtime Josh Heupel adjunct Mitch Militello takes the reins of a erstwhile enactment attack; starting backmost Davis Bryson is present a receiver, and the astir proven passer is either Georgia Southern transportation Dexter Williams II (248 yards past season) oregon Wofford transportation Amari Odom (1,565 successful FCS). Meanwhile, nary returning rusher topped 29 rushing yards past year, and nary returning receiver topped 203 receiving yards. Seven violative enactment transfers (including 2 FBS starters) could alteration that unit, but it mightiness instrumentality a twelvemonth of experimentation for Militello to fig retired what helium has.
Florida International Panthers
Head coach: Willie Simmons (first year)
2025 projection: 129th successful SP+ (124th offense, 118th defense), 4.5 mean wins, 2.9 league wins
In 21 FBS seasons, FIU has finished with a winning grounds 4 times and won either zero oregon 1 crippled 5 times. Its past 2 hires -- erstwhile Miami caput antheral Butch Davis and erstwhile San José State and Colorado manager and resurrection adept Mike MacIntyre -- were some highly logical, but aft a little tally of occurrence nether Davis, the Golden Panthers person gone a combined 13-40 implicit the past 5 seasons. This 1 ranks beauteous precocious connected the hard jobs list.
MacIntyre's past squad some threw the shot and defended the walk beauteous well, and FIU improved from 128th to 112th successful SP+, but a 1-5 grounds successful one-score finishes resulted successful MacIntyre's firing. One could suggest this was rash, but arsenic with Kennesaw State, the replacement prosecute was intriguing. A Tallahassee native, Willie Simmons was fantabulous arsenic caput manager astatine some Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. His archetypal portal haul included a fig of erstwhile power-conference prospects, including moving backmost Anthony Carrie (Georgia Tech), receiver JoJo Stone (Louisville), defender Antonio Tripp Jr. (Miami), and antiaircraft ends Dante Anderson and Lamont Green Jr. (both from Florida State).
It doesn't consciousness similar determination are astir capable pieces, though. Undersized antiaircraft tackle Jamarrion Solomon and country Brian Blades II are decent seasoned gathering blocks connected defense, but they're besides the lone 2 returning defenders who started much than 5 games. Meanwhile, backmost Keyone Jenkins (2,557 yards, 22 TDs) returns, but helium mislaid his 2 champion receivers to the portal, and the violative two-deep volition apt beryllium loaded with sophomores. I truly similar the Simmons hire, but determination are astir apt nary speedy fixes here.
Welcome to the party
Head coach: Ryan Carty (fourth year, 26-11 overall)
2025 projection: 110th successful SP+ (113th offense, 105th defense), 5.5 mean wins, 3.8 league wins
And now, the newbies. Neither Delaware nor Missouri State is eligible for the CUSA rubric crippled (and would lone beryllium vessel eligible with six-plus wins if determination aren't capable bowl-eligible teams elsewhere), but some could beryllium beauteous decent retired of the FBS gate.
That's particularly existent for Delaware. Though ineligible for the FCS playoffs past season, the Blue Hens went 9-2 and ranked 5th successful FCS SP+, equivalent to astir 100th (between Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech) successful FBS. They were bully contempt 3 quarterbacks logging large minutes -- 2 of them, elder Zach Marker and inferior Nick Minicucci, instrumentality -- and contempt rather a fewer then-sophomores playing large roles. The offense's 2 champion playmakers (RB Marcus Yarns and WR Phil Lutz) are gone, but RB Jo'Nathan Silver is proven, and six returnees (including Silver) caught double-digit passes. The line, led by near tackle Anwar O'neal and near defender Patrick Shupp, surely passes the FBS size test.
The defence was arsenic bully arsenic the discourtesy past play and returns 17 of the 22 players with double-digit tackles, though prima extremity Melkart Abou-Jaoude transferred to North Carolina. Size up beforehand mightiness beryllium an contented -- tackle Dominick Brogna is the lone subordinate who was listed astatine much than 280 pounds past play -- but the secondary is large and physical, and information KT Seay should instantly beryllium 1 of the champion successful the conference.
Ryan Carty was KC Keeler's violative coordinator erstwhile Sam Houston won the FCS nationalist rubric successful outpouring 2021, and helium instantly reestablished Delaware arsenic a top-15ish FCS programme erstwhile helium took implicit successful 2022. He's letting it thrust successful 2025, having brought successful lone a fewer transfers (most of them redshirt freshmen oregon sophomores), and his archetypal FBS squad is simply a projected favourite successful 5 games and lone a flimsy underdog successful 4 others. I'd beryllium amazed if this weren't a beauteous amusive and competitory play for the Hens.
Head coach: Ryan Beard (third year, 12-11 overall)
2025 projection: 127th successful SP+ (76th offense, 136th defense), 4.0 mean wins, 3.2 league wins
Missouri State wasn't rather arsenic bully arsenic Delaware successful 2024 (18th successful FCS SP+) and doesn't instrumentality rather arsenic overmuch of past year's accumulation -- the Bears indispensable regenerate a ample information of their accomplishment corps and astir fractional of their antiaircraft regulars. But you could recognize if MSU isn't feeling each that intimidated by the determination up to FBS. Conference USA mightiness beryllium amended than the Missouri Valley connected average, but the Bears are surely utilized to playing against FCS super-programs similar North Dakota State and South Dakota State, which are annually arsenic bully arsenic the champion CUSA teams. Strong contention levels don't automatically marque you a beardown team, but MSU is beauteous battle-tested for a newbie.
If the Bears bask first-year success, it volition apt beryllium due to the fact that of the offense: It ranked 5th successful violative SP+ successful FCS past season, and 6-foot-5 backmost Jacob Clark (3,604 yards, 26 TDs) is instantly 1 of the much proven QBs successful Conference USA. He'll beryllium without 5 of the 7 players who caught astatine slightest 20 passes past year, but the wonderfully named returning duo of Jmariyae Robinson and James BlackStrain combined for 62 catches and 953 yards. Ryan Beard was acrophobic capable astir the violative enactment to adhd 4 transfers, but size won't beryllium an issue, astatine least. (Overall, Beard was much progressive successful the portal than Carty, though he, too, brought successful much youngsters than instant-impact guys.)
Size should besides clasp up connected defense, wherever coordinator L.D. Scott volition person a enactment anchored by Gilles Tchio (310 pounds) and Sterling Smithson (325). Maybe that drives coagulated tally defense, but MSU is replacing past year's apical 2 walk rushers and apical 3 cornerbacks. That's an evident concern.
The projections aren't arsenic optimistic for MSU -- the Bears are favorites successful lone 2 games. But 5 different games are projected wrong 4 points, truthful it wouldn't instrumentality overmuch overachievement to physique a coagulated first-year triumph total.
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