College Football Week: Day Two

Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference are on the docket today. These are two conferences that aren't too popular, but they bring a lot of energy to college football. Enjoy my thoughts of these two conferences!

Conference USA

East

1. Central Florida 9-3 (7-1) – Central Florida’s defense was top of the conference last year and that won’t change in this year’s campaign. With three returning senior starters and a lot of other young talents, UCF will be a defensive powerhouse. The offense will not be as good, but the offensive line should be solid.

Key Wins: East Carolina, Southern Miss, FIU. Key Losses: SMU, Ohio State, Missouri.

2. East Carolina 7-5 (6-2) – ECU had a disappointing season last year, but it won’t get too much better. The defensive front will continue to carry the team this year. There is also a good group of core players on the offensive side of the ball. Though they won’t be in the conference championship this year, they should be on everyone’s watch list for next year.

Key Wins: Southern Miss, Marshall, UTEP. Key Losses: UCF, Houston, Navy.

3. Southern Miss 5-7 (5-3) – This team will be better than their record shows. They have a really tough out of conference schedule and will be able to compete in every C-USA game they play in. The Golden Eagles just won’t have the sharpness on offense as they did last year. That will ultimately coast them enough games to keep them out of a bowl.

Key Wins: Marshall, Rice, Western Kentucky. Key Losses: UCF, East Carolina, SMU.

4. Marshall 4-8 (3-5) – Marshall had a decent season last year and when they return almost all their starters one may think they will min it again. That statement is false. They weren’t very good numbers wise last year and I think the team ahead of them have improved too much for the Thundering Herd to keep up.

Key Wins: Rice, Memphis, UAB. Key Losses: UCF, Southern Miss, East Carolina.

5. Memphis 4-8 (3-5) – In terms of football, Memphis should stick to basketball. They haven’t had a great program, but they will improve on last year’s 2-10 mark. Sophomore wideout Kevin Wright will be a big part of the offense. The experience he gained last year will help the Tigers get a few wins.

Key Wins: Rice, Tulane, UAB. Key Losses: Marshall, SMU, Southern Miss.

6. UAB 2-10 (1-7) – The Blazers from ‘Bama are going to have another rough season. Their defense is atrocious and the offense isn’t much better. They will get a few wins this season, but neither will carry much momentum for next season.

Key Wins: SE Louisiana, Tulane. Key Losses: Troy, Tulsa, Memphis, Marshall.

West

1. Houston 10-2 (7-1) – Houston has been the crème of the C-USA crop for the past few years. They have lost a lot of great play makers over the years, but they will reload once again. They will get their running back Charles Sims again this year and he will improve on last year’s stats. Though the QB spot will be in question, the Cougars have a great O-line ready to protect him.

Key Wins: SMU, Rice, Louisiana Tech. Key Losses: Tulsa, UCLA.

2. Tulsa 8-4 (6-2) – Tulsa has a great goup of seniors coming back. Their leadership will help the Golden Hurricane improve in all areas of the game. The defense will be the most improved. The secondary will be a lot stronger this year, but the pass rush will suffer.

Key Wins: Houston, SMU, Fresno State. Key Losses: UTEP, UCF, Iowa State.

3. SMU 7-5 (6-2) – The Mustangs will take a small step backwards in terms of their record this year. The offense has a lot of new starters that have yet to be tested. The defense will continue to be near the top of the conference and that will really carry them in some of their wins.

Key Wins: UCF, Southern Miss, Rice. Key Losses: Tulsa, Houston, TCU.

4. Rice 3-9 (2-6) – The talent just isn’t there yet for the Owls. Sure, they have some great guys who will make some great plays this year, but the teams at the top of this conference are just too good for them. When you pair that will a pretty tough out of conference schedule, you get a 3-9 record.

Key Wins: Tulane, UTEP, UTSA. Key Losses: SMU, Marshall, Louisiana Tech.

5. UTEP 2-10 (1-7) – The Miners have a hard time recruiting in Texas and that will show again this year.  The offense will continue to be sufficient. Their QB Nick Lamaison will have a pretty good year, but not enough to get some crucial victories. The defense won’t improve much this year as well.

Key Wins: New Mexico State, Tulane. Key Losses: Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

6. Tulane 1-11 (0-8) – What to say here…I don’t want to be mean, but it was hard for me to find a game that this team could win. They have major problems on both sides of the ball and their record will reflect it. Besides the one possible win I have for them, there isn’t much upside for this team.

Key Win: UL Monroe. Key Losses: Every conference game. 

Championship Game: UCF over Houston

MWC

1. Boise State10-2 (7-1) – Boise has been the hot team out of the Mountain West for years (or at least the media plays it that way. What about those Horned Frogs?). Without that certain team in purple this year, the Broncos should have an easy route to the conference title. They lost a lot of key players like Kellen Moore, but head coach Chris Peterson will make sure his team is ready for the season ahead. Watch for both sides of the ball to have some difficulty in the beginning of the year, but once they get into conference play, the Broncos should be fine.

Key Wins: BYU, Wyoming, Fresno State. Key Losses:  Michigan State, Nevada.   

2. Nevada 8-4 (6-2) – Nevada has been overshadowed by TCU and Boise for years. When Boise leaves, it will show how great this team really is. They have a great and unique offense and the defense is usually solid. QB Cody Fajardo will have another break out season and will become the premier signal caller in the entire WAC. Soon the Wolf Pack will rise up as one of the many dynasties that the WAC has seen over the past decade.

Key Wins: Boise State, Wyoming, San Diego State. Key Losses: Fresno State, Hawaii, Cal.

3. Wyoming 9-3 (6-2) – This is another program that is on the rise. Head Coach Dave Christenson has taken the lowly Cowboys and made them mighty. 2012 will undoubtly be their break out season. They are returning a lot of talent on defense and offense. The one thing that will be holding them back this season is those hideous uni’s!

Key Wins: Toledo, Fresno State, San Diego State. Key Losses: Texas, Nevada, Boise State.

4. Fresno State 6-6 (5-3) – The Bulldogs have an up and down season ahead of them. They just seem to be in the middle of the road in every statistic and just aren’t that convincing to me. They did get a lot of key offensive players back this season, but the defense just isn’t there for me.

Key Wins: Nevada, Air Force, San Diego State. Key Losses: Boise State, Colorado State, Colorado.

5. San Diego State 6-6 (4-4) – The Aztecs are known for one thing: their defense. They will continue to pound other offenses, but their own offense will really be in question. They have a new QB this season and a new running back. I think those two positions will hurt them the most.

Key Wins: Hawaii, Air Force, Colorado State. Key Losses: Wyoming, Fresno State, Nevada.

6. Air Force 6-6 (4-4) – The Falcons will be competitive this year. There will be times when they aren’t playing the best, but it should be an overall great season. The offense will continue to produce at a great pace and the defense will stand through some of the tougher attacks they will face this year. They will have a hard time being the best military academy though.

Key Wins: Army, Colorado State, UNLV. Key Losses: Navy, Fresno State, San Diego State.

7. Colorado State 7-5 (4-4) – The Rams will be much improved since last year. The offensive is deep with talent and that should help the rest of the offense mature this season. The defense returned a whole lot of starters and should improve on their lack luster performance last year. The only problem is that they aren’t talented enough to really compete for a conference title this year.

Key Wins: Utah State, San Jose State, Hawaii. Key Losses: Colorado, Air Force, San Diego.

8. Hawaii 5-7 (3-5) – The Warriors will have another decent season. I feel that they always have a chance for a near .500 season because of the travel for home games. The only problem is that they have to play away games. This season the Warriors will have a great passing attack with David Graves and the rest of the offense should feed off that. The defense will be tough, but they will not be able to stop teams for the entire game.

Key Wins: Nevada, UNLV, South Alabama. Key Losses: Colorado State, Air force, USC.

9. UNLV 3-10 (2-6) - The Las Vegas Rebels will have another tough season. The talent and experience isn't there for them. The defense has really been an issue and I think they will grow up a lot this season. The offense has a great line, but the other positions will need work. They will be able to grind out a few games, but teams will still pound them for most of the season.

Key Wins: Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming. Key Losses: Hawaii, Colorado State, Minnesota.

10. New Mexico 1-11 (0-8) – I don’t have much to say about this team either. They have fallen upon some rough years recently and even though they have a lot of returning starters, this still won’t be a good year. Their conference will dominate them this year and they will only grab a single win against some D2 school.

Key Win: Southern. Key Losses: Every other game.  

Thanks for reading!