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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
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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