The future looked bleak for this conference last
summer when news emerged that Louisville, Cincinnati,
and South Florida would leave C-USA for the Big East,
while Depaul and Marquette would join them for
basketball. Then, Army announced it was leaving to
become an independent, and TCU decided its future
looked brighter playing west of the Mississippi and
joined the Mountain West.
So, C-USA reinvented itself. Marshall and Central Florida joined from the MAC, while Tulsa, Rice, SMU,
and UTEP came from the WAC. Instead of teetering on
the precipice, C-USA emerged as a new strong league.
With 12 teams comes divisional play and a championship
game to be played at the home field of the top overall
team.
C-USA retained five bowl partnerships (Liberty, GMAC,
Hawaii, New Orleans, and Ft. Worth). Added to that
good news are 50 nationally televised games. C-USA
emerges as a healthier, more competitive league in
2005.
The official preseason college football poll picked
Southern Mississippi to win the East Division,
followed by UAB, Memphis, Marshall, and a tie for last
between East Carolina and Central Florida. UTEP was
the pick in the West with Houston, Tulane, Tulsa,
Rice, and SMU to finish in that order. I guess my
ratings use the same criteria as the coaches. I agree
with them exactly, with the small exception that I
call for East Carolina to be a tiny hair better than
Central Florida to start the season and Houston and
Tulane to be dead even. Of course, with home field
advantage factored in, I pick UAB to beat Southern Miss and gain the title game over the Eagles.
C-USA has no teams getting five home field advantage
points, but Marshall and Southern Miss get four.
Everyone else gets the minimum of three.
East
1. Southern Mississippi PiRate: 101 HFA: 4
The Golden Eagles have some key players to replace
this year, but Coach Jeff Bower has a solid nucleus
returning. The defense failed to live up to its
annual standards and surrendered 25 points per game in
2004. Look for those numbers to return to the usual
17 to 20 this year. After giving up 376 yards per
game a year ago, I look for the stop troops to carve
at least 50 yards off that total this season.
The secondary could be tough. Cornerback John Eubanks
will make someone's NFL roster in 2006. He is a
shutdown corner, as well as one of the top punt and
kick returners in all of NCAA Division I-A. Safety
Trevis Coley made 104 tackles last year, broke up six
passes, and picked off four more. He is strong enough
to play at linebacker, and he could see time at the
weak-side spot. His twin brother Kevis will start at
middle linebacker.
The defensive line will be anchored by end Akeem Lockett. An A student who has already earned his
undergraduate degree in computer science, Lockett
emerged as the star of the New Orleans Bowl last year
with a couple of sacks and two tackles for loss
against North Texas.
The offense may not be a juggernaut, but Southern Miss
can win games 21-14. Quarterback Dustin Almond is
mobile and has a strong arm. Backups Jeremy Young had
such a good spring that former part-time QB Damion Carter moved full-time to wide receiver.
The receiving corps looks to be a team strength.
Tavarres Williams is a deep ball threat. He combines
quickness with great hands. Antwon Courington has
size, speed, and strength. He will catch the ball
running the crossing routes even knowing he is going
to get smacked in the ribcage.
Larry Thomas will lead a running back by committee
effort this year. He averaged nearly 7 yards per
touch last year but only saw the ball 49 times. The
USM running game has not had a real breakaway threat
this millennium.
Southern Miss is the preseason favorite in the East,
but by the slimmest of margins.
2. Alabama-Birmingham PiRate: 100 HFA: 3
After favorite son Watson Brown was shown the door at
his alma mater, he found success everywhere he
ventured. He successfully implemented a solid passing
game into Oklahoma's triple option offense. He made
the Mississippi State offense halfway dangerous for
the first time since the late 1970's. Then, he took
an infant program at UAB and made them into winners.
Last year the Blazers challenged for the C-USA title,
winning seven games and advancing to the Hawaii Bowl.
This year, UAB should make that two consecutive bowls.
They just might be playing for the conference title
at the end of the year as well.
The Blazers return the top quarterback in the league
in Darrell Hackney. Hackney led C-USA with 3,070
passing yards tossing 26 touchdown passes against only
eight interceptions. He is big and strong and must be
contained by defensive ends. If he gets to the
outside, he can be hard to bring down in the open
field.
Every running back who carried the ball 20 times last
year returns in 2005. Dan Burks combines the speed of
a halfback and the power of a fullback into one nice
package. He can get an extra yard up the middle and
get to the outside with speed. After rushing for 880
yards last year, he could top 1,000 this year.
Hackney's top two receivers from 2004 departed. The
cupboard is not completely bare though. Norris
Drinkard and Reggie Lindsey are multi-tooled athletes.
Drinkard can play at running back, while Lindsey is
the team's punt and kick return specialist. Though
neither has the deep threat abilities of former
receivers Roddy White and Bradly Chavez, they can
catch the ball in a crowd.
The Blazer offensive line should be a strength this
year. Led by pro prospect Matt Batusic at center, the
UAB interior all weighs 300 pounds or better.
Hackney's sack total should drop from last year's high
total of 34.
Defensively, UAB was too generous last season giving
up nearly 30 points and 412 yards per game. The
biggest 2004 weakness was the pass defense. While the
deep backs are improved, an entirely new trio of
linebackers must be broken in. If UAB fails to
challenge for the East title, it will be because
opponents take advantage of the inexperience in the
second line of defense.
3. Memphis PiRate: 98 HFA: 3
Coach Tommy West's Tigers won eight regular season
games for the second time in a row last season. If
they are to three-peat, a rebuilt offense will have to
find more weapons than returning national number
three-ranked runner DeAngelo Williams. Williams
rushed for 1,948 yards and 22 scores in 2004, but
unless a competent quarterback and offensive line
emerges quickly, Williams could be forced to escape
tacklers in his backfield several times a game.
Quarterback Danny Wimprine graduated. So did top
reserve Bobby Robison. That leaves Patrick Byrne to
take over. Byrne has no game experience at
quarterback; his only action has been as one of the
top kickoff specialists in the South. Add to the fact
that four new offensive linemen will be starting, and
it looks like Memphis could be scoring several fewer
points this year. Maurice Avery and Mario Pratcher
could emerge as big playmakers at the wide outs if
Byrne gets enough time in the pocket. The biggest
Tiger weapon this year could be kicker Stephen
Gostkowski, the best in the conference. Last year,
Gostkowski connected on 20 of 24 field goal attempts.
He has a range of about 50-55 yards.
Defensively, the Tigers are in better shape and should
improve on their numbers from last year. Defensive
coordinator Joe Lee Dunn stresses the frequent use of
dogs and blitzes, but it can backfire if the secondary
cannot cover one-on-one. Wesley Smith earned 1st team
All-C-USA accolades at free safety last year.
Cornerback Dustin Lopez can be left out on an island
and cover a speedy receiver.
Carlton Baker and Tim Goodwell, the top two tacklers
lead the linebackers in 2004. Baker could be a late
round draft choice next year. Greg Hinds could emerge
to make this the best line-backing group in the
league.
Up front, there are some question marks. Marcus West
earned second team all-conference honors last year and
led the Tigers with six sacks. He's the lone
returning starter in the trenches.
Memphis scored 36 points per game and gave up 31 last
year. Look for those numbers to come down to about 26
to 25. The Tigers still have a good shot at a third
straight bowl game.
4. Marshall PiRate: 88 HFA: 4
My how the mighty have fallen! The once top 10
Thundering Herd join C-USA at the wrong time. 16
starters have left including the quarterback, top
running back, and top two receivers. Only one of the
top nine tacklers return. Marshall also lost its head
coach, Bob Pruett just before spring practice started.
The new coach is Mark Snyder, who was the defensive
coordinator at Ohio State.
The new quarterback is Jimmy Skinner. His prior game
experience shows him completing just two of four
passes for nine yards.
Skinner's primary duty will be handing the ball to
tailback Ahmad Bradshaw. The runner-up Freshman
Player of the Year in the MAC in 2004, Bradshaw rushed
for 462 yards at a 4.9 average. He is a threat to
take a screen pass and go the distance, as he proved
against Kent State last year.
The receiving corps barely averaged over 10 yards per
catch last year. Even with the loss of its top two
receivers, this year's group should do just as well or
better. Hiram Moore should emerge as the top wide
out.
There is one bright spot on the offensive line. Toby Bullock is 6-04 and 340 pounds. He can play both
guard and tackle, but he is expected to settle in at
left tackle this year.
Defensively, The Herd loses its entire starting front
seven. None of this year's starters would have been
picked in the upper half of the MAC, so expect
opponents to run the ball down their throats this
year.
The secondary has talent, as two members have
legitimate NFL aspirations. Cornerback Willie Smith
picked off four passes in 2004, including one that he
returned the distance in the Ft. Worth Bowl. Safety
Curtis Keyes led the team with 108 tackles.
The bottom three teams in the East are virtually tied,
but Marshall starts the season a couple points ahead
of the other two. Look for a rare losing season in
C-USA year one.
5. East Carolina PiRate: 86 HFA: 3
Skip Holtz begins his first season as head coach of a
division 1-A team in Carolina. Unfortunately for him,
the direction says East instead of South. John Thompson went 3-20 in two years in Greenville, so even
though 17 starters return, don't expect the junior
Holtz to turn around this program overnight.
ECU surrendered 40 points per game last year. New
defensive coordinator Greg Hudson should get better
results, partly because the talent is better and
partly because ECU will attempt to run the clock down
on offense and subtract about 10-15 plays off the
total average for each game.
The strength of the stop troops should be the
secondary. Travis Williams and Zach Baker not only
have the talent to break up passes, they are threats
to score points on defense with their exceptional
speed. Williams is one of the most dangerous punt
returners in the nation as well.
Chris Moore is a powerful middle linebacker. If he is
completely over an injury, he should contend for
All-Conference honors.
The defensive line remains the weakest link on the
stop side, but they should be much better than 2004,
when ECU surrendered almost five yards per rush and
recorded only 15 sacks.
The offense returns eight starters, but I believe it
will take a step backward this season. The Pirates
averaged 21 points and 309 yards per game last season.
This year, I predict the total yardage may stay about
the same, but the average points scored will drop to
between 14 and 17. Holtz will be more conservative on
offense trying to run the clock and avoid turnovers.
With a sub-par offensive line, ECU only rushed for 93
yards per game in 2004, so I look for better numbers
on the ground. I don't see another 200+ yard passing
year this season. A repeat 2-9 season is possible.
6. Central Florida PiRate: 85 HFA: 3
Head coach George O'Leary must have thought last year
was punishment for falsifying his resume a few years
back. The Golden Knights went 0-11, losing multiple
games in the fourth quarter. The only way to go is up
this year, and UCF should get off the schneid before
November.
The UCF offensive line will be the most improved line
in C-USA. The Knights' running game rushed for only
97 yards per game last year at a 2.8 clip, but if you
remove the sacks (using the NFL's rules for stats),
UCF averaged 130 yards rushing at a 3.8 clip.
Any failures in the running game this year may come at
the fault of the backs. Gone is top rusher Alex
Hayes. Dontavius Wilcox has speed and can also come
out of the backfield as a fifth receiver.
Quarterback Steven Moffett completed close to 65% of
his passes last year with a respectable 4.4%
interception rate. He has a deep threat in Maike
Walker, a two-way player who started at cornerback
last year in addition to his offensive duties.
The defensive line has some bright spots this year.
Keith Hologan and Paul Carrington should make it hard
for opponents to run the ball their way (note:
Carrington recently suffered a head and neck injury in
a scrimmage, and it is uncertain at this time when he
can come back). Former defensive end Chris Welsh
moves to linebacker where his 240-pound frame should
be put to better use.
The secondary yielded 60.5% and 217 yards passing last
year, and the same results could happen this year.
Walker was the top pass thief last year, and he may
not play defense this year.
UCF could finish as high as fourth in the East, but
they have only four home games. The game with
Marshall on September 24 should give them their best
shot at a conference win.
West
1. U T E P PiRate: 102 HFA: 3
Coach Mike Price got a second chance last year and
made the most of it. He took over a Miners team that
had won two games each for three straight years and
guided them to eight victories and a berth in the
Houston Bowl. Enough talent returns this year to make
UTEP the favorite in the balanced West. If the Miners
stay healthy and get the lucky bounces, they could be
this year’s Utah.
Quarterback Jordan Palmer finished 2004 with three
consecutive 300-yard passing games. He has all his
receiving weapons returning this year. Johnnie Lee
Higgins is the principal deep threat. Last year, he
caught 34 passes for almost 21 yards per reception and
10 scores. Jayson Boyd led UTEP with 42 receptions.
Chris Francies and Chris Marrow give UTEP two more
quality receivers. Francies can go deep, while Marrow
is more of a possession receiver.
The running game will be improved if UCLA-transfer
Tyler Ebell stays healthy and isn't rusty. The former
Bruin narrowly missed rushing for 1,000 yards in 2002.
The defense improved by over 13 points per game and
gave up 87 fewer total yards per game last year.
There should be a drop off in pass defense, but the
run defense will be strong. If a talented defensive
line can get a decent pass rush on opposing QBs, the
secondary may get the job done.
UTEP starts the year as the strongest team in the
conference. The schedule is favorable for a big year.
This could be the best Miner team since 1967.
2(tie).Houston PiRate: 98 HFA: 3
From the late 1960's through the early 1990's, Houston
was a perennial national power. Former Coach Bill
Yeoman's split veer offense confounded defenses every
week, as it rushed for 300 and passed for 200 yards,
even scoring 100 points against Tulsa in 1968. Former
Coach Jack Pardee's run and shoot offense broke all
kinds of passing records, as Andre Ware won the
Heisman Trophy.
Times have changed. Houston has won more games than
they lost only twice in the last seven years and
doesn‘t know what it feels like to be ranked. Worse,
the Cougars have been invited to bowls just twice in
the last 17 years. Things could change this season,
as Houston should be back above .500.
Third year coach Art Briles has loads of talent
returning from a team that went 3-8 last year. Every
skill player who contributed in 2004 is back.
Junior quarterback Kevin Kolb was the 2003 C-USA
Freshman of the Year. He comes off a year where he
led the league in total offense while throwing less
than 2% interceptions. He has a quick release and a
deft touch.
Anthony Evans leads a stable of tough running backs.
He is tough enough to run between the tackles without
a lead blocker, and he can get outside quickly when he
makes it through the line. He ran for 788 yards last
year despite playing on an injured calf.
Vincent Marshall has sprinter's speed at one wide out.
He caught 61 passes for 1,040 yards in 2004. Donnie Avery gives Kolb another deep threat.
The offensive line is set up to run to the left. The
top two blockers, guard Roy Swan and tackle SirVincent Rogers align on that side. They combine 645 pounds
into their double team blocks.
The Cougar defense yielded 32.2 points and 399 total
yards per game last year. They are switching from a
4-3 to a 3-4 alignment this year. On the front line,
nose tackle Marquay Love and Kade Lane are better
against the run than the pass, but they both could
contend for all-league honors.
The line-backing quartet would be one of the strongest
in the nation if not for a knee injury to top defender
Lance Everson. Wade Koehl has exceptional team speed
and gets to the ball.
The star in the secondary is free safety Will Gulley.
Last year, he intercepted four passes and broke up
five others.
2(tie).Tulane PiRate: 98 HFA: 3
The Green Wave missed out on a winning season by one
game last year. They were upset at East Carolina, a
game they should have won. Seventh year coach Chris
Scelfo has 17 starters returning, and TU has a great
shot at getting back to a bowl.
Quarterback Lester Ricard follows in the footsteps of
three consecutive NFL draftees. Shaun King, Patrick Ramsey, and J.P. Losman went to the NFL. In 2004,
Ricard threw for 1,881 yards and 21 touchdowns. He
out dueled Darrell Hackney last year in the big 59-55
victory over UAB. His numbers that day were an
unbelievable 36 of 49 for 417 yards and six TDs! Two
games later, he completed 18 of 19 for 323 yards and
four touchdowns in a big upset over Navy. A couple
more Saturdays like that, and Tulane will have its
fourth consecutive QB making an NFL roster.
The Greenies had co-starting running backs last year,
as Javon Jackson and Matt Forte split the duties and
rushed for an identical 624 yards. A stronger
offensive line may mean an extra 25 to 50 yards
rushing per game in 2005.
Wide outs Preston Brown and Fred Smith have little
experience, but they are both quick. True freshman
Cary Koch appears to have won the starting H-back
spot.
The offensive line is anchored by star tackle Chris McGee. He recorded 20 pancake blocks last season. A
set of twins, Joe and Matt Traina bolster a strong
front five.
Whether Tulane finishes with a winning record and
gains a bowl bid will be determined by defensive
improvement. The Green Wave allowed 422 total yards
and 33 points per game last year.
The defensive line has quality at the terminals in
Antonio Harris and Billy Harrison. MLB Anthony
Cannon leads the line backing corps, while Sean Lucas
leads the secondary unit. The defense should be
better, but it still should yield 375 to 400 yards and
25-30 points per game. Tulane has its best team since
1998.
4. Tulsa PiRate: 95 HFA: 3
The Golden Hurricane have enjoyed just one winning
season in the last dozen years. Third year coach
Steve Kragthorpe has the talent to guide Tulsa to a
winning season if everything falls into place, but in
this tough division, it is certainly a long shot.
The strength of the offense is the running game. Uril Parrish returns after running for 1,064 yards at a 5.1
per carry average. He will run slants off tackle with
the blocking aid of right tackle Jeff Perrett.
Perrett enjoyed two games with double-digit knockdowns
in 2004.
Paul Smith and David Johnson are competing for the
starting quarterback spot. Smith should begin the
season as the starter. He will have a couple of
excellent receivers at the other end of his passes.
Tight end Garrett Mills snagged 51 aerials for 560
yards last year, leading the Golden Hurricane for the
second year in a row. Ashlan Davis is a
multi-talented player. He caught 30 passes for 462
yards, but his claim to fame was returning five
kickoffs for touchdowns last year!
The Tulsa defense surrendered over 35 points per game
last year when you factor out the game against I-AA
Southwest Missouri. The defensive line gave up 211
yards per game rushing at a rate of 4.7 yards per
rush. Defensive end Brandon Lohr recorded 69 stops.
Lombardi Award nominee Nick Bunting, who made 88 stops
last year, leads the linebackers. Bandit defender
Kedrick Alexander, who returns to the squad this
season after being suspended last year, leads the
secondary.
Tulsa will be a long shot contender for a bowl bid
this year, and if the defense improves enough, the
Golden Hurricane could have a record reversal.
5(tie).Rice PiRate: 93 HFA: 3
The Owls have rushed for 307 and 317 yards per game
the last two years, but the impressive results have
not produced winning seasons. It has been four years
since Ken Hatfield's team went 8-4. 2005 doesn't look
like the year Rice will end a bowl drought that goes
back to 1961; they should improve slightly on last
year's 3-8 record.
Quarterback Joel Armstrong started the final four
games of 2004 and is the leading returning rusher
after gaining 608 yards on a 5.3 yard per carry
average. Passing isn't that much of a concern in this
offense, as the multiple option offense ran the ball
almost 85% of the time in 2004. Last year Rice
completed just 59 passes for the entire season!
The full house backfield relies on the fullback to
carry the ball more than the halfbacks. Last year's
fullback Ed Bailey, who rushed for over 1,000 yards,
departs. The new fullback is Andy Cates, who rushed
only three times for 10 yards last year. Joining him
in the backfield are Thomas Lott (the son of the
former Oklahoma quarterback) and Marcus Rucker.
Rucker averaged 7.2 yards per carry last year, but
that average was inflated by being on the receiving
end of many option pitches, where he received the ball
with an open field in front of him.
The offensive line is young, but with this offense, it
is easier to prepare. There aren't as many
assignments to learn, and most of the plays involve
double team blocking on the play side.
Defensively, Rice returns seven starters from a team
that gave up 34.3 points per game. The Owls gave up a
respectable 365 total yards per game. Leading the
stop troops is defensive end John Syptak. Last year,
he recorded eight QB sacks and seven tackles for lost
yardage.
The line backing crew has one budding star in Adam
Herrin. He led the Owls with 74 tackles, including
seven behind the line of scrimmage.
The secondary has been the weak spot of this defense
for the last five plus years. Since Rice recruits
option QBs, they never have an exceptional passer on
their scout team. Thus, the Owl secondary doesn't get
ample practice opportunities against quality passers.
This year should see the Owls play better pass defense
in their 4-2-5 alignment. Chad Price is the bandit
defender (similar to a strong safety). He led the
Owls with five passes broken up last year.
Rice must improve by leaps and bounds in the special
teams department. They had the weakest kicking game
in the WAC in 2004.
5(tie). S M U PiRate: 93 HFA: 3
The Mustangs have never recovered from the death
penalty probation of 20 years ago. Prior to that,
they were a national power. They could have been the
12th member of the Big 12 at the expense of Baylor if
they had not been caught with all those infractions.
SMU has enjoyed just one winning season (and that was
6-5) since they returned to football in the late
1980's. The losing will go on at least another year.
Head coach Phil Bennett enters year number four in
Dallas with a three-year record of 6-29. He has the
most experienced roster returning with 18 starters and
more than 80% of the total lettermen returning.
The offense lost only one co-starter, so the Mustangs
should improve upon their 334 total yards and 18.4
points per game in 2004. Quarterbacks Chris Phillips,
Tony Eckert, and Jerad Romo shared the job last year
due to injuries. Eckert is the best pure passer,
while Remo is the best runner, actually leading the
Mustangs with 434 yards last season. Phillips
combines a little of both, and he opens the season as
the starter.
Five players who caught 20 or more passes return to
the fold. SMU's offense spreads the ball all around
the field with the tight end getting as many
opportunities as the wide outs. Bobby Chase and
Jay'Mond Cleveland are the team's main deep threats.
The offensive line returns intact with all members of
the two-deep back for action. The right side is
particularly strong with Brad Kieschnick at guard and
Chris Urbanus at tackle.
The Mustang defense surrendered 38.2 points and 467
yards per game. Not having to face Texas Tech,
Oklahoma State, Boise State and Fresno State this year
should lower those numbers before factoring in the
added experience.
The SMU front seven returns six starters. This group
has talent and should chop off a couple dozen rushing
yards allowed this year after giving up a generous 209
(4.9 avg) per game last season. Linebacker Alvin Nnabuife started the season in the secondary and moved
up due to injuries. He led SMU with 80 tackles in
2004. D.D. Lee missed 2004 with an elbow injury, but
when he was healthy in 2003, he recorded 100 tackles
with eight for loss.
The secondary allowed 61.2% of enemy passes to be
caught and gave up 258 yards per game. Those numbers
should improve this year as fellow cornerbacks are
hard-hitting speedsters and one year older.
SMU will be better, but it will be hard to improve too
much over their 3-8 record in the tough West this
year.
If All Games Were Played September 1st
(in other words, these ratings are only good for the
first week of the season)
(and predicted records may move a team up or down due
to HFA)
Team Conf. Overall
East
Alabama-Birm. 6-2 8-4 *
Southern Miss. 6-2 7-4
Memphis 4-4 6-5
Marshall 1-7 2-9
Central Florida 1-7 1-10
East Carolina 1-7 1-10
Team Conf. Overall
West
U T E P 8-0 12-0 +
Tulane 6-2 9-2
Houston 5-3 6-5
Tulsa 4-4 4-7
Rice 3-5 4-7
S M U 3-5 5-6
* UAB beats Southern Miss. at hoe to gain C-USA title
berth
+ UTEP wins C-USA championship game