G5 CONFERENCE NEWS PRESEASON PREDICTION: MARSHALL WILL BE CONFERENCE USA CHAMPS

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CUSA

MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD C USA WINNER

The Thundering Herd are men among boys in Conference USA this year. No team in the league comes close to matching the fire power, and talent that Head Coach Doc Holiday has gathered in Huntington. In fact, there is no conference in the G5 that has as wide a gap in quality from top to bottom as CUSA does at the moment. 

What makes Marshall so strong this year is their balance.  The Thundering Herd are far from a one dimensional team.  Yes the Herd have All Universe , Senior QB Rakeem Cato, the 2013 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and potential Heisman Candidate, but they also have a defense that should more than hold its own this year. The Thundering Herd sport a quality defensive unit  thanks in large part to 2nd year Def Coordinator Chuck Heater. Heater turned an undisciplined but talented Marshall defense into a respectable contender last year. Look for an even better Thundering Herd squad this year as Heater has some serious talent to work with including 4 Star VaTech DB transfer Donaldven Manning among others.

The Thundering Herd however, do have a few chinks in their armor, as  they  are prone to mental errors and breakdowns.  These mental breakdowns are at times costly and  occur most often when Marshall is on the road and away from Joan Edwards stadium. Last year  for example, Marshall lost to road foes Ohio and MTSU, games they should have won handily.

If Doc Holiday wants to lead the Herd  to a CUSA Championship this year, and perhaps even take the Access Bowl slot,  he will need to exercise his teams road demons and get his talented squad to work together as a team. Herd fans have every right to be excited for the start of the 2014 Football Season as their team has all the pieces in place to be one of the best Marshall teams ever.  For a more in-depth look at Marshall Football  click here( Marshall Football review).

CUSA WEST CHAMPION

My pick for CUSA West Champion is UTSA. What makes the Roadrunners such a strong contender this year are three ingredients every successful College Football teams needs; a superior O-Line,  an excellent Head Coach( Larry Coker) and strong  Senior leadership. The Roadrunners are flush in all three of these  departments including an eye popping 19 Senior Starters this year.

Head Coach Larry Coker is simply one of the best in the business. What he has accomplished with the Roadrunner program in the few years he has been its leader is a case study in how to get the most out of players and a program. What stands out the most on this  Roadrunner team is how solid they are at almost every position on the field. While Coker may not be coaching a large group of superstars, he is coaching a group of players who work hard and know how to play together as a team. Getting the most out of his players is Larry Coker's best asset as a coach. Look for him to lead his  19 Seniors and the rest of the Roadrunners  to win the Western Division of Conference USA this year

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MOST IMPROVED IN CUSA

This award goes to FAU. Yes the Owls had plenty of drama last year, especially surrounding the bizarre events culminating in the firing of Head Coach Carl Pelini. FAU however, made a good hire in the 40 year old  new Head Coach Charlie Partridge. Partridge, a Florida native with great recruiting chops, may just be the man the OWLS need to turn their underperforming program into a winner.

FAU finished the year strong last year finishing 6-6 including a four game win streak and impressive victory over a solid Tulane team. The OWLS have some nice local Florida talent on their team and return QB Jacquez Johnson. Johnson seemed to hit his stride at the end of last season and was workmen like in his approach to the game. FAU also returns the leagues best Secondary, something that will play in their favor especially in  the pass happy Conference USA. Don't be surprised if FAU is playing for the Conference USA East Championship by the end of the season.

CONCLUSION

CUSA is in rebuilding mode at the moment. They are fortunate to have one of the best G5 programs in the country in Marshall in this year. The Herd should bring some much needed positive national attention to CUSA this season. 

Although CUSA East, is Marshall's to lose, the West looks much less settled. UTSA is my pick for the West but look for  RICE to be close on their heels. If UTSA stumbles during the season  RICE has the best path forward to win the West.

Last years biggest surprise in C USA, North Texas, faces an uphill battle this year in their attempt to repeat last years excellent season. While the Mean Green return an  experienced and quality  O-line , they simply have  to many holes to fill on both sides of the ball to be considered a serious challenger for the West this year. The good news for North Texas fans, however, is that they have in Dan McCarney, one of the best Head Coach's in  Conference USA.  Look for the  Mean Green to reload this year and become a contender for the  2015 season.

Going forward, CUSA looks to be dominated by Marshall for many years to come. Programs like Southern Miss, UAN and UTEP will need to improve and improve quickly if the conference hopes to regain its former reputation as a solid, respectable league. Stay tuned.

CUSA EAST

MARSHALL

FAU

MTSU

WKU

ODU

UAB

FIU

CUSA WEST

UTSA

RICE

LA TECH

NORTH TEXAS

SOUHTERN MISS

UTEP