| | By Eric Crawford
Special to ESPN.com
Conference USA is a league in a hurry. Heading into its fifth season, the
conference has four bowl tie-ins, a spot in the Bowl Championship
Series-affiliated Liberty Bowl and a new, high-profile member on the way next
season in TCU.
But for many league coaches and fans, that isn't enough.
Nobody better illustrates that than Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower. After
his team finished 9-3 and ranked No. 13 nationally with a conference
championship and a win in the Liberty Bowl last season, Bower responded by
firing four assistant coaches to try to light a fire under his offense.
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Mon, August 14
I predict a tie between Southern Miss and East Carolina for the conference title. Both teams have veteran quarterbacks, Jeff Kelly for Southern Miss and David Garrard for East Carolina. The Pirates have a lot of quality returning players and are solid on defense, with nose guard Mbayo Ahmadu, linebacker Pernell Griffin and defensive back Anthony Adams.
The championship will be decided when Southern Miss and East Carolina play Nov. 25 at Southern Miss. I would not be surprised if Southern Miss knocks off one of the better teams on its schedule, like Tennessee or Alabama. And I would not be shocked if East Carolina beat Virginia Tech, handing the Hokies their first loss of the season.
I see Memphis as the conference's third-best. Offense is the Tigers' strength, but new defensive coordinator Tommy West gives them experience on the other side of the line.Houston fired Kim Helton after a seven-win season, and new coach Dana Dimel inherits a talented team, especially on defense, with linebacker Wayne Rogers.
Cincinnati has quarterback Deontey Kenner back, while Louisville must replace Chris Redman. Much about Louisville's season will be determined in its opener at Kentucky. I see UAB, Tulane and Army finishing as the conference's final three teams.
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"I don't think there's much point in just being good," Bower said. "We're
in this thing to try to be the best, to play at the highest level of college
football."
Southern Miss is 17-1 in C-USA play over the past three seasons and has
won three of the four league championships. C-USA coaches picked the Golden
Eagles to win a fourth in their preseason poll.
"With the track record Southern Miss has put up, everybody is gunning for
them," Houston linebacker Wayne Rogers said. "They're good. They could be in
the SEC and still put up a winning record."
And for the first two weeks of this season, the Eagles might as well be
in the SEC. They open with road games at Tennessee and Alabama before
traveling to Oklahoma State. In conference play, they'll have only three
games at home.
"When I first saw that schedule, I wondered who drew it up," quarterback
Jeff Kelly said. "It's crazy."
But it's also necessary for any middle-tier team that is looking to join
the big-names. And Southern Miss isn't the only one taking a shots at Top-20
targets.
Louisville, picked to finish third by the coaches in its first season
since the departure of record-setting passer Chris Redman, travels to Florida
State on Sept. 23. East Carolina, chosen as runner-up, plays host to Virginia
Tech in a Thursday night showdown on Sept. 7 and Memphis hosts both
Mississippi State (Sept. 7) and Tennessee (Nov. 4).
Last season's big scores came when last-place finisher Cincinnati knocked
off eventual Rose Bowl champ Wisconsin and East Carolina beat Miami (Fla.)
for a second straight year. Cincinnati will face Wisconsin again this year on
Sept. 16.
With several teams in the middle of the pack bidding to move up, the
C-USA infighting should be interesting and entertaining. C-USA was the only
conference in the nation to have every team average better than 20 points per
game last season.
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