Sean Higgs

VegasTopDogs

Conference USA

1 East Carolina --- HC Skip Holtz has 15 starters back and should top last seasons 8 wins. The schedule shapes up nicely as they get most of the bottom feeders on the road. Two tough opening games against Va Tech and West Va will show just how far this program has come, or needs to go.

2 Central Florida --- The Knights lose a huge piece of offensive with RB Kevin Smith going pro. But the defense is the heart of this year's club. Also with a new QB I don't see them matching last season's run. Their D is solid and will keep them within reach in most games.

3 Memphis --- Tigers come back with 16 starters and will clearly improve over last season. QB Arkelon Hall Jr will have a field day when he takes off behind his great O line. WRs Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton combined for 16 TDs last season and will improve on that number. The defensive is anchored by DT Clinton McDonald and SS Tony Bell, a pair of senior leaders ready to take this team to their next level.

4 Marshall ---- HC Mark Snyder will welcome back 2006 CUSA Defensive Player of the year Albert McClellan with open arms. After missing last season with a knee injury, he will lift the play of everyone around him. New coordinators on both sides of the ball will make this team much better than last years 3-9 version.

5 Southern Miss ---- The Golden Eagles welcome new HC Larry Fedora to Hattiesburg. The coach will be happy to see electric RB Damon Fletcher tearing up opposing defenses. On the defensive side of the ball MLB Gerald McRath was CUSA POY last season, which is great news since there are 4 new starters on the D-line.

6 UAB --- HC Neil Callaway comes into year two off a tough 2-10 season. While UAB will be better than last year, I see another rebuilding year, and no shot of climbing out of the basement. FS Will Dunbar will be a bright spot in a long year for the Blazers.

C-USA West

1 Tulsa --- Tulsa HC Todd Graham comes off a great 10-4 year and should improve on that number. The offense is stacked with RB Tarrion Adams and 3 solid WRs in Marion, Shelly and Johnson. The offensive line is a solid, veteran group. The QB spot goes to David Johnson, who has 63 career pass attempts. If he slides into the spot, the Golden Hurricane should run the table here.

2 Houston ---- QB Casey Keenum will lead new HC Kevin Sumlin's bunch. This team outgained opponents by nearly 140 yards a game. If they can adjust to their new coach, they shouldn't skip a beat. The offense is a little inexperienced, but the talent level is there. Cougars had the best defense in the conference last season and should be a huge strength this year.

3 Rice --- The Owls look good with senior QB Chase Clement tossing the ball to 2nd team All-America Jarrett Dillard. Offense won't be the problem for HC Dave Bailiff's bunch. The Owl D was ranked 118th in the nation. With some of the worse D's in this division, the offense should be able to win a few shootouts.

4 SMU --- Mustangs went an atrocious 1-11 last year, but with 41 returning letterman and new HC June Jones at the wheel, junior QB Justin Willis will be airing it out. The defense was almost as bad as their record ranking in at 116 in the country. That won't get you more than 1 wins in many seasons.

5 UTEP --- Another team off a poor (4-8) season. This team has talent at the skill positions. A new defense will be bought it to cause some mayhem, since last years D was ranked a miserable 117th in the country.

6 Tulane --- QB questions linger and HC Bob Toledo does have 14 starters back. Losing RB Matt Forte to the NFL will hurt since he was their offensive workload last year. The O-line brings back 4 starters, it will be a long year. They could easily finish with a better record (4-8) than last season.

Sean Higgs will tackle the PAC-10 Conference next.
 

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