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

JOINING SUN BELT WILL HELP APPALACHIAN STATE SCHEDULING

APP STATE PLAYERS PREPARE TO TAKE THE FIELD
SUN BELT HELPS APPALACHIAN STATE (LINK)

Appalachian State may be a bit of an enigma to the casual College Football fan, but to those in the know, this is a program with winning in its blood.  App State has a stellar history of fan support and winning games that matter, including 3 FCS Championships. While they are sure to encounter growing pains as they make the move from FCS to FBS, this is one of the programs that I have applauded the Sun Belt for taking.  Read the linked story to learn more about what membership in the Sun Belt will mean to Appalachian State.

SEVERAL G5 PLAYERS PICKED FOR 2014 THE MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST

TEMPLE QB P.J. WALKER NAMED TO MAXWELL AWARD LIST
CLICK FOR COMPLETE MAXWELL AWARD LIST

The Maxwell Football Club located in Louisville KY, announced on Monday, the watch list for their annual award naming the seasons best College Football Player. 75 players were picked as watch recipients this year.  Last year's winner of the Maxwell Award went to Alabama QB, AJ McCarron. Here is the list of G5 players chosen for the list and the schools they represent.


G5 MAXWELL AWARD LIST PLAYERS

Raymond Maples Senior RB: ARMY

Jay Ajayi Junior RB: BOISE STATE

Matt Johnson Junior QB: BOWLING GREEN

Shane Carden Senior QB: ECU

Justin Hardy Senior WR: ECU

Rakeem Cato Senior QB: MARSHALL

John O'Corn Sophomore QB: HOUSTON

Taylor Heinicke Senior QB: ODU

P.J Walker Sophomore QB: TEMPLE

Chuckie Keeton Senior QB: UTAH STATE

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BOISE STATE: A DARK HORSE FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SPOT?

BOISE STATE PLAYOFF BOUND?(link)

The article linked is early speculation about a Boise State appearance in the new 4 team College Football Playoff. While I think Boise will be competitive this year, it will take a near miracle run for them to be one of the four playoff teams. Strength of Schedule and a new Head Coach make the Broncos an improbable G5 squad to make the playoffs.

For a G5 team to earn one of the highly coveted playoff spots, they will need a strong SOS and most likely go undefeated as well. There are few teams in the G5 that have the type of SOS and players needed to squeak into the College Playoffs this year.  Schools like ECU, and UCF have very good SOS this season, but seem unlikely to go undefeated. Stay tuned.

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G5 NEWS AND ISSUES PRESEASON PICK: UL RAGIN CAJUNS WILL BE SUN BELT CHAMPS

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You are unlikely to find an FBS program that has gone from rags to riches as quickly and as convincingly  as the UL Ragin Cajuns have.  After decades of wandering the football desert, UL has found a plush and deep oasis in head football coach Mark Hudspeth. Hudspeth, has brought discipline, passion , and talent to a UL program that had been in desperate need of all three of these qualities. Mark  Hudspeth should lead the Ragin Cajuns  to a Sun Belt title this year and a possible birth in the newly formed ACCESS BOWL. For a more in depth look at the 2014 UL Football preseason click here UL Football.

UL however, will have steep competition this year in the Sun Belt. Their Oct 21st match against Ark State, my pick for the second slot in the Sun Belt, could easily help to determine the eventual winner of the Sun Belt .  Arkansas State begins the 2014 season with a talented team and looks to have chosen another excellent head coach in  Blake Anderson.

South Alabama, my third place pick in the Sun Belt, has under head coach Joey Jones( read the coaching profile on Jones here: Joey Jones) amassed some quality players. The Jaguars( read about  South Alabama ) have taken advantage of very good leadership and the talent rich state of Alabama to create a football program that is on an impressive upward trajectory.

The Sun Belt also offers some of the most intra conference intrigue this year among the G5. How for example will new Sun Belt members, Georgia Southern and App State compete against the top teams in the conference? How much rebuilding will Idaho and New Mexico State need before they can move out of the Sun Belt cellar?Will Georgia State be able to take advantage of the talent in around Atlanta to make a move up the Sun Belt ladder? All of these questions will make  the Sun Belt a fun  conference to watch this year.

We will revisit the Sun Belt picks at the end of the 2014 Football Season. Stay tuned.



PREDICTED SUN BELT 2014 FINISH

1. UL
2. ARKANSAS STATE
3. SOUTH ALABAMA
4. TROY
5. TEXAS STATE
6. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
7. ULM
8. APPALACHIAN STATE
9. GEORGIA STATE
10. IDAHO
11. NEW MEXICO STATE

THE TIMES PICAYUNE: AAC STRONG IN FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL

AAC VERY COMPETITIVE LEAGUE(Link)

JULY 1ST BRINGS NEW LOOK TO AAC, SUN BELT AND CONFERENCE USA. WHICH LEAGUE BENEFITS THE MOST?

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HAPPY JULY 1ST

July 1st brings a new look to the AAC, CONFERENCE USA AND SUN BELT. What conference benefits the most from the changes, what  conference benefits the least. First however, lets take a look at the conference shifting that occurs today.

AAC: Loses Louisville, gains ECU, TULANE AND TULSA

CONFERENCE USA: Gains WKU, loses ECU, TULANE AND TULSA

SUN BELT: Loses WKU, gains APPALACHIAN STATE, GEORGIA SOUTHERN, IDAHO(football only) NEW MEXICO STATE ( football only)

JULY 1ST WINNERS: SUN BELT

Although losing WKU will hurt the Belt in Basketball, APP STATE and GEORGIA SOUTHERN make up for the lose of WKU in the only sport that really matters in conference realignment, Football. APP STATE and GEORGIA SOUTHERN , however, will need to prove that they can carry their winning traditions and strong fan base with them to the FBS division if the Sun Belt is going to  be fully rewarded for inviting them to the conference. IDAHO and NEW MEXICO STATE will need to considerably strengthen their game if they hope to add any  value to the Sun Belt.

I also give the nod to the Sun Belt as a winners today because losing WKU is a much less significant blow to the conference than  Louisville leaving the AAC and ECU, TULANE and TULSA leaving  Conference USA. All things considered, count July 1st as a win for the Sun Belt and the Sun Belt leadership.

JULY 1ST LOSERS: AAC AND CONFERENCE USA

AAC: It might seem strange to call today a losing proposition for the AAC. They are after all, gaining two of the best teams from Conference USA,  ECU and  TULSA . They also gain  TULANE. These three programs do not make up for the departure of Louisville. The lose of the Cardinals is a big blow to Mike Aresco and the AAC.  The AAC can take solace however, in knowing that they have reduced significantly reduced the fire power of Conference USA.

CONFERENCE USA: Conference USA is between a rock and hard place at the moment. Britton Banowsky, Conference USA Commissioner , has publicly stated that he believes  it is a good thing when Conference USA schools move on to better conferences. It is hard to imagine,  however,   that losing ECU and TULSA is  good for the conference.

While Conference USA is getting a solid pick up in WKU , the Hilltoppers simply do not have the same pedigree or winning tradition that  the Pirates or  Golden Hurricanes have in  Football. As I wrote in this earlier piece, CONFERENCE USA, July 1st Changes, no conference in the G5 has been hit harder during the recent wave of conference realignment than Conference USA. Stay tuned.