2009 Conference USA Football Betting Preview

The ’08 Conference USA season brought new national respect and recognition. With 2 straight shocking upsets by East Carolina over ranked West Virginia and Virginia Tech at the begriming of the season that shot the Pirates all the to 14th in the national polls and made them the early favorite to bust the BCS. But that was wishful thinking as the Pirates fell apart soon thereafter, leaving the potential BCS busting to be done by Tulsa, who started the season 8-0. But the bubble was burst again as Tulsa ran into trouble when they visited Arkansas and finished the regular season 10-2. The two teams met up in the Conference USA Championship Game and it was an excellent game that East Carolina won 27-24, with the deciding factor being a 6 turnover difference in favor of the Pirates. Conference USA teams also ended up with a 4-2 bowl record to finish a great season.

This year should have the same excitement. 7 teams have won the conference championship in the last 7 years and there are no less than 5 programs this fall with a legit shot to emerge victorious at the end of the season. It is also a veteran conference, with 7 teams returning 15+ starters. With that much talent returning, C-USA could once again pull off some big time upsets. But the West division appears to be much more top-heavy than the East does as Tulsa and Houston appear to be the overwhelming favorites to win the division in the conference title game. Expect a long and action packed conference race that will more than likely see each division decided on the regular season’s last day.

OUR 2009 CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS PREDICTIONS

EAST:
1. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
2. East Carolina Pirates
3. Memphis Tigers
4. Marshall Thundering Herd
5. UAB Blazers
6. Central Florida Knights

WEST:
1. Houston Cougars
2. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
3. UTEP Miners
4. Southern Methodist Mustangs
5. Rice Owls
6. Tulane Green Wave

C-USA EASTERN DIVISION

Southern Miss Eagles

Fans did not expect Coach Larry Fedora’s offense to be picked up so fast by Southern Miss players. Transitioning into the spread offense is easier said then done, especially with a program that was running such a different offense previously. Southern Miss did an impressive job on the offensive in ’08 and they are back this season to win the division.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 7-1)

Southern Miss 2009 Season Preview – Southern Miss 2009 Season Schedule

East Carolina Pirates

The Pirates were all the talk in college football last September. East Carolina knocked off top 15 teams Virginia Tech and West Virginia. But things got a little bumpy after that. After starting out 3-0, East Carolina lost their next 3 games. They recovered from that little skid nicely and managed to win the Conference USA Championship, but for a while ECU had big dreams. We think they have the possibility of doing that again this season.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 6-2)

East Carolina 2009 Season Preview – East Carolina 2009 Season Schedule

Memphis Tigers

The Tigers may have had bigger expectations last season than a 6-7 record, but any time they can make a bowl, it is a good year. Head Coach Tommy West has a losing record during his reign at Memphis, but he does enough to give the Tiger faithful hope every year. This season may or may not be the breakout year, but it is possible it could happen sooner than later.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 5-3)

Memphis 2009 Season Preview – Memphis 2009 Season Schedule

Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall Head Coach Mark Snyder might be running out of time to turn around the program. Pumping out NFL caliber quarterbacks is a thing of the past for this once proud program and the next great QB is not showing up any time soon. With 8 starters returning on offense and defense there is reason to be hopefully, but the goal should be the winning 6 games and becoming bowl eligible. Winning the conference is out of reach.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 4-4)

Marshall 2009 Season Preview – Marshall 2009 Season Schedule

UAB Blazers

The Blazer have had some troubling times in the past, but it appears that UAB is making some major progress. Neil Callaway still has only 6 wins as Head Coach of the Blazers, but the ’08 season was a success. The 4 wins last year were not very impressive, but the best of them all did come at the end when UAB 15-0 shutout of Central Florida on the road. It is time to build off of that defensive victory.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 3-5)

UAB 2009 Season Preview – UAB 2009 Season Schedule

Central Florida Knights

In ’07 Knights went 10-4, while opening up their new stadium by almost beating the Texas and ended up playing against Mississippi State at the Liberty Bowl. That is the kind of season Central Florida fans have come to expect under Head Coach George O’Leary. But the ’08 season was not successful. In fact, most would describe the offense as dreadful.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 2-6)

Central Florida 2009 Season Preview – Central Florida 2009 Season Schedule

C-USA WESTERN DIVISION

Houston Cougars

It sure did not take Houston Coach Kevin Sumlin long to get his offense going. In his 1st season he saw his Cougars rank 2nd in the country in passing offense and total offense. With all of his skilled returning players, ’09 could be even more impressive. Look out Texas Tech, there is a new high flying offense in the state.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 7-1)

Houston 2009 Season Preview – Houston 2009 Season Schedule

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Golden Hurricane Coach Todd Graham has created some excitement around the football team at Tulsa. After 21 wins in just 2 years, there is reason to be afraid that he may not be in Tulsa much longer. But for now he remains with the team, and Tulsa will look for another 10 win season and another trip to the C-USA Title Game.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 6-2)

Tulsa 2009 Season Preview – Tulsa 2009 Season Schedule

UTEP Miners

UTEP’s expectations continue to slowly diminish, after another year that ended without a trip to a bowl game. Head Coach Mike Price has a .500 record at UTEP and it seems like every year the expectations are high and the Miners end up not meeting those expectations. Not that the expectations will be very high in ’09, but the disappointment could come again if the D does not improve.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 4-4)

UTEP 2009 Season Preview – UTEP 2009 Season Schedule

SMU Mustangs

SMU Coach June Jones left Hawaii and his 1st season did not go as expected. The Mustangs managed to win just 1 game and that was against Texas State. Offensive minded Coach Jones could not turn the team into anything magical and the D was even worse. It will some take time get the program back on top but this year will be better than last.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 2-6)

SMU 2009 Season Preview – SMU 2009 Season Schedule

Rice Owls

It took only one year to turn around the Owls football program under Coach David Bailiff. Rice won a bowl game in ’08 and there is reason to think that the Rice program is headed on the right path. But, Rice lost most of their talent this year and there are some big gaps to fill.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 1-7)

Rice 2009 Season Preview – Rice 2009 Season Schedule

Tulane Green Wave

Season 2 as Green Wave’s head coach started out pretty well for Bob Toledo. Tulane was building off of a relatively successful 4-7 year heading into ’08. Things looked good early last year as well. The Wave had close losses against Alabama and East Carolina, who was everybody’s favorites at the time. Then the Green Wave pulled off just 2 wins in a row, which ended up to be Tulane’s only two victories of the year.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 1-7)

Tulane 2009 Season Preview – Tulane 2009 Season Schedule

Conference USA – 2009 Football Season Overview

Conference USA appears to have a few heavy favorites going into the ’09 season. Out East, Southern Miss and East Carolina are the big contenders, while Memphis seems to be the dark horse. With the exceptional depth in the division, all 3 teams face a tougher road to play for the conference title. Although, the most talented squad appears to be Southern Miss. Meanwhile, East Carolina has the most favorable schedule from the West and they will be neck and neck with the Golden Eagles for the entire 2009 season. But the final day of conference play will be highlighted by Southern Miss traveling to East Caroline to decide the Conference USA East division. While we are picking the road team, we think the Southern Miss will defeat East Carolina and play for the conference championship.

In the West, the Houston Cougars and Tulsa Golden Hurricane’s are clearly at the top of the division. Lacking depth beyond a marginally improved UTEP, we predict both teams to have strong conference records this year. But, Houston has a settled QB situation and some big time motivation after falling just short in the West last season. In the end, Tulsa has to play all 3 East contenders and Houston’s easier schedule gives them the leg up which means that we are predicting that Houston will the Conference USA West and host the conference championship game.

The title game between Houston and Southern Mississippi will end up being a great game for the conference’s top 2 teams. The Cougar’s will be able to move the football with returning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year Chase Keenum in charge but the Golden Eagle’s tough defense will prevent Keenum and Houston from running up the score. By this point in the season, Southern Miss superstar WR DeAndre Brown should be fully healthy and his ability to stretch the field should open up the running game for the conference’s best tailback, Damion Fletcher against the Cougar’s solid but unspectacular defense. The strength of Southern Miss’s D should be enough to allow their offense to win the game over Houston for their 1st conference championship in 6 years.

A full comprehensive preview of the upcoming 2009 Conference USA Football Season. Featuring in-depth College Football news, picks, odds, and predictions for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, East Carolina Pirates, Memphis Tigers, Marshall Thundering Herd, Alabama-Birmingham Blazers, Central Florida Knights, Houston Cougars, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, Texas-El Paso Miners, Southern Methodist Mustangs, Rice Owls and Tulane Green Wave.