2014 Preseason Conference USA Power Rankings

If you claim to know about the 2014 C-USA football season in and out during this opening week, your full of it.

With so many transitions, transgressions, and defections, this newer look C-USA for the second straight year has more unknowns than contenders.

The clear cut favorite in my mind obviously is Marshall, though outside of UTSA, Middle Tennessee, and maybe Rice and North Texas, C-USA has a lot of figuring out to do in order to determine who is for real, and who is not.

Marshall of course returns all-world quarterback Rakeem Cato, and a favorable schedule have many people thinking Marshall could make headway into the new College Football Playoff with a 13-0 season.

Tommy Shuler will be Cato's number one target again, Shuler has a chance at NCAA history if he has another 100 catch season, which would mark his third consecutive.  And having Middle Tennessee, Rice, and FAU at home are huge as well.

Three of Marshall's four losses from a year ago will have to play in Huntington where the Herd have won eight straight, it appears its Marshall then everybody else in the grand scheme of C-USA, especially in the east.

UTSA has an interesting situation: so much returning, proven experience outside of the quarterback spot, but for the first time in program history there are high expectations from a hungry fan base.

With the tools returning along the defensive front, (Codie Brooks, Ashaad Mabry, Cody Rogers and few others), a tackling machine in the secondary in Tristan Wade, the Runners lack of experience at quarterback is a non-issue to me with the way they stymied certain teams using that nasty defensive front as an anchor last season.

The bigger issue for me about UTSA is the strength of their pre-conference schedule and how they handle keeping up with high flying offense's Houston and Oklahoma State on the road, and also Arizona at home will really gauge if the UTSA hype is real.  Or will that tough early schedule break them down and if it does is there truly enough depth for them to contend a top the west in year two.

Middle Tennessee returns just three starters on offense, though returns two of the best defensive players in the league which still makes the stingy Blue Raider defense a serious threat and possibly one of the best in C-USA again.

Linebacker T.T. Barber and safety Kevin Byard return along with six other returing starters for the Blue Raiders who were fifth in the nation in takeaways last season.  There will be some unknowns along the defensive front and secondary, but can Middle Tennessee use defense to replace the offensive minded ECU Pirates as giants in the east along with Marshall?

Western Kentucky could be a sleeper team out of the east, although its just to early for me to start crowing teams who have a lot to prove once conference play starts but have the on paper accolades and program growth to show some fight i.e. La. Tech, FAU.

This leads into the C-USA West and other questions I have around the league in week one.....

Can Rice fight through the transitions of a new offensive coordinator and tough early schedule to repeat as champs?

Was North Texas's run just a one year wonder, or will this team built heavily along the offensive line reload or rebuild?

Who outside of UTSA, Rice, and North Texas will be improved teams in the C-USA west?

Will Western Kentucky transcend from a Sun Belt contender the past couple of seasons to C-USA contender this season?

Is the East truly, madly, deeply  Marshall's to lose or will someone step up and contend?

So many questions, but plenty of weeks ahead to answer those, here are the preseason rankings.

1.

Marshall Thundering Herd

2013 Record: 10-4, 7-1 C-USA

This Week: @Miami (OH), Saturday

Returning Letterman:  59 Returning Starters: Offense: 6 Defense: 8

2.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

2013 Record: 8-5, 6-2 C-USA

This Week: vs Savannah State, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 49 Returning Starters: Offense: 5 Defense: 8

3.

Rice Owls

2013 Record: 10-4, 7-1 C-USA

This Week: @ Notre Dame, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 43 Returning Starters: Offense: 6 Defense: 5

4.

UTSA Roadrunners

2013 Record: 7-5, 6-2 C-USA

This Week: @ Houston, Friday

Returning Letterman: 54 Returning Starters: Offense: 9 Defense: 10

5.

North Texas Mean Green

2013 Record: 9-4, 6-2 C-USA

This Week: @ Texas, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 37 Returning Starters: Offense: 5 Defense: 4

6.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

2013 Record: 8-4, 4-3 Sun Belt

This Week: vs Bowling Green, Friday

Returning Letterman: 46 Returning Starters: Offense: 9 Defense: 4

7.

Florida Atlantic Owls

2013 Record: 6-6, 4-4 C-USA

This Week: @ Nebraska, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 40 Returning Starters: Offense: 6 Defense: 6

8.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

2013 Record: 4-8, 3-5 C-USA

This Week: @ Oklahoma, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 36 Returning Starters: Offense: 5 Defense: 7

9.

Old Dominion Monarchs

2013 Record: 8-4

This Week: vs Hampton, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 43 Returning Starters: Offense: 6 Defense: 10

10.

UTEP Miners

2013 Record: 2-10, 1-7 C-USA

This Week: @ New Mexico, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 43 Returning Starters: Offense: 8 Defense: 7

11.

UAB Blazers

2013 Record: 2-10, 1-7 C-USA

This Week: vs Troy, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 47 Returning Starters: Offense: 8 Defense: 8

12.

Southern Miss. Golden Eagles

2013 Record: 1-11, 1-7 C-USA

This Week: @ Mississippi State, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 56 Returning Starters: Offense: 7 Defense: 7

13.

Florida International Panthers

2013 Record: 1-11, 1-7 C-USA

This Week: vs Bethune-Cookman, Saturday

Returning Letterman: 54 Returning Starters: Offense: 9 Defense: 7

 

MinerRush All C-USA Teams

First Team Offense

Player	Position
Rakeem Cato-Marshall	QB
Kenneth Dixon-La. Tech	RB
Aaron Jones-UTEP	RB
Eric Tomlinson-UTEP	TE
Jamarcus Nelson-UAB	WR
Tommy Shuler-Marshall	WR
Scott Inskeep-UTSA	OL
Cyril Lemon-North Texas	OL
Mason Y' Barbo-North Texas	OL
Clint Van Horn-Marshall	OL
Isaiah Anderson-Middle Tennessee	OL

 

First Team Defense

Player	Position
Ashaad Mabry-UTSA	DL
Christian Covington-Rice	DL
Ra' Shawde Myers-Marshall	DL
James Rouse-Marshall	DL
T.T. Barber-Middle Tennessee	LB
James Radcliffe-Rice	LB
Andrae Kirk-FAU	LB
Bryce Callahan-Rice	DB
Tristan Wade-UTSA	DB
Kevin Byard-Middle Tennesee	DB
D'Joun Smith-FAU	DB

 

Specialists

Player	Position
Sean Ianno-UTSA	K
Autrey Golden-UTEP	KR

 

Second Team Offense

Player	Position
Jaquez Johnson-FAU	QB
Jordan Parker-Middle Tennessee	RB
Jordan Howard-UAB	RB
Mitchell Henry-Western Kentucky	TE
Jordan Taylor-Rice	WR
Larry Pinkard-Old Dominion	WR
Chris Jasperse-Marshall	OL
Sebastian Jonhson-Marshall	OL
Darius Johnson-Middle Tennessee	OL
Kaydon Kirby-North Texas	OL
Jerel Watkins-UTEP	OL

 

Second Team Defense

Player	Position
Codie Brooks-UTSA	DL
Richard Burge-UTSA	DL
Jiajuan Fennell-Middle Tennessee	DL
Brandin Bryant-FAU	DL
Derek Akunne-North Texas	LB
Terrick Wright-Southern Miss.	LB
Drew Douglas-UTSA	LB
Lairamie Lee-North Texas	DB
Adaius Barnes-La. Tech	DB
Thomas McDonald-La. Tech	DB
Cam Thomas-Western Kentucky	DB

 

Rush Awards

MVP-Rakeem Cato-Marshall

Offensive MVP-Tommy Shuler-Marshall

Defensive MVP: T.T. Barber-Middle Tennessee