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2009 Conference USA Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

conf usa 62509 Here’s the quick rundown on how I see Conference USA shaping up this season. If you would like to read my full report on each team, be sure to check out my college football betting articles archive. And also, be sure to take advantage of our special $500 match bonus at BetUS!

Conference USA East – 1st Place: East Carolina Pirates – With QB Patrick Pinkney being granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA, the Pirates won’t have the hole they were expecting under center. Add a veteran offensive line and a talented receiving corps to the mix, along with the best defense in the league, and you’ve got yourself a team capable of winning back-to-back Conference USA titles.

2nd Place: Southern Miss Golden Eagles – The Eagles will boast one of the best defenses in the league and they have star power on offense with QB Austin Davis, wide receiver DeAndre Brown, and running back Damion Fletcher. But having to play both Houston and East Carolina on the road likely keeps the Eagles from an East crown.

3rd Place: Memphis Tigers – The Tigers return solid skill players in QB Arkelon Hall, running back Curtis Steele, and wide receivers Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton, but an offensive line needing to replace four starters will likely keep them from challenging for an East title.

4th Place: Marshal Thundering Herd – Marshall is solid on both the offensive and defensive lines and that gives this team a chance to break its string of four straight losing seasons if it can get better play from the QB position.

5th Place: UCF Knights – The Knights ranked dead last in the country in total offense in 2008, averaging only 229.5 yards per game. The defense is solid, but an offense which can’t move the football figures to wear down the “D” again this season.

6th Place: UAB Blazers – QB Joe Webb figures to put up big numbers for the Blazers, but a defense which gave up over 31 points and nearly 430 yards per game last season will likely have UAB bringing up the rear in the tough East division.

Conference USA West – 1st Place: Houston Cougars – I expect the Cougars to win the West behind the best offense in the league. The Cougars ranked 2nd in the country with a ridiculous 562.8 yards per game average and we could see that number climb higher this season.

2nd Place: Tulsa Golden Hurricane – Tulsa won a school-record 11 games in 2008 and has boasted the nation’s top offense each of the past two seasons. Plenty of talent remains, but losing its starting QB and its all-time rushing leader appear to be two holes the team won’t be able to adequately fill this season.

3rd Place: UTEP Miners – A small defensive improvement to go along with a top notch offense could have the Miners bowling in 2009. Sophomore QB Trevor Vittatoe is a player to watch after throwing for 3,274 yards and 33 touchdowns as a freshman.

4th Place: SMU Mustangs – June Jones’ first season with the Mustangs was exactly the opposite as his last one with the Hawaii Warriors. The Stangs finished just 1-11, including 0-8 in league play. Improvement should be on the way this season with winning four games not out of the question.

5th Place: Tulane Green Wave – The Wave lost their final eight games last season to finish 2-10 on the year and 1-7 in Conference USA. It’s hard to expect much better from a team which scored just 16.7 points per game while giving up 34.5.

6th Place: Rice Owls – The Owls are coming off one of the most exciting seasons in school history, winning 10 games and capping things off with a Texas Bowl rout of Western Michigan. But losing the record setting tandem of QB Chase Clement and wide receiver Jarett Dillard will set this offense way back.

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