Hey guys... I follow CUSA football pretty closely last week and plan to throughout the season. I'm going to rank the teams 1-14 based on what I have seen or heard as well as noting the best win, biggest surprise, and biggest disappointment.
Best Win - Marshall over Miami (OH) {Miami is expected to compete for Division Championship}
Biggest Surprise - MTSU dominated by Vandy. MTSU didn't score until the 4th quarter then had the XP blocked. With a the homefield advantage, MTSU's alleged vaunted passing attack only gathered 166 yards through the air with 112 to 1 target.
Biggest Disappointment - The combined performance of FIU & Charlotte. Both on the road at fellow G5 opponents neither were able to muster up much of a fight.
1) WKU - Raced out to 17-0 lead, before holding on to a 14 point victory against their most storied rival
2) Louisiana Tech - Despite playing poorly, they were still able to drop 52 points on a team they knew nothing about and it was their Super Bowl
3) Marshall - Got a home victory against a team that should be a decent G5 team. Marshall only had 1 offensive TD, but got 2 kickoff return TDs and an INT return for a TD. I have placed them here based purely on the result.
4) Southern Miss - Very impressed with defense against a pretty decent Kentucky offense. Held UK to only 254 total yards & 12 first downs. However, the USM offense was held to only 1.4 YPC while losing 3 fumbles. Southern Miss may have found their QB though when they replaced Keon Howard with Kwadra Griggs who threw 2 TDs and for 222 yards in only the second half.
5) Old Dominion - Much like WKU and LA Tech, ODU pulled ahead, then allowed Albany to make a game of it late. The offense only gained 285 yards and lost the TOP by 6 minutes which is concerning.
6) North Texas - The offense was efficient and electric, scoring TDs on 2 possession with only 5 total plays. UNT scoring 59 points and racking up 668 yards on anyone is a definite improvement. Their game at SMU this weekend will tell us a lot!
7) UTSA - Hurricane Harvey
8) FAU - I thought they competed hard against a tough opponent in Navy. I think much like UNT in the West, they will be the surprise in the East.
9) MTSU - Pathetic performance at home in front of 26,000. Didn't score until Vandy's 2nd/3rd stringers were in in the 4th. Only this high because everyone below is so bad.
10) UAB - Impressive victory and crowd with all things considered.
11) Charlotte - Another pathetic performance. Undisciplined poor play did them in.
12) UTEP - 2 words. Oklahoma Sooners
13) FIU - UCF dominated both sides of the ball while also forcing 4 turnovers.
14) Rice - Whether it was Hurricane Harvey, Australia, or Stanford, Rice wouldn't have beat any FBS team in week 1. Their first 2 plays were mired by Delay of Game penalties and it only got worse from there.
Best Win - Marshall over Miami (OH) {Miami is expected to compete for Division Championship}
Biggest Surprise - MTSU dominated by Vandy. MTSU didn't score until the 4th quarter then had the XP blocked. With a the homefield advantage, MTSU's alleged vaunted passing attack only gathered 166 yards through the air with 112 to 1 target.
Biggest Disappointment - The combined performance of FIU & Charlotte. Both on the road at fellow G5 opponents neither were able to muster up much of a fight.
1) WKU - Raced out to 17-0 lead, before holding on to a 14 point victory against their most storied rival
2) Louisiana Tech - Despite playing poorly, they were still able to drop 52 points on a team they knew nothing about and it was their Super Bowl
3) Marshall - Got a home victory against a team that should be a decent G5 team. Marshall only had 1 offensive TD, but got 2 kickoff return TDs and an INT return for a TD. I have placed them here based purely on the result.
4) Southern Miss - Very impressed with defense against a pretty decent Kentucky offense. Held UK to only 254 total yards & 12 first downs. However, the USM offense was held to only 1.4 YPC while losing 3 fumbles. Southern Miss may have found their QB though when they replaced Keon Howard with Kwadra Griggs who threw 2 TDs and for 222 yards in only the second half.
5) Old Dominion - Much like WKU and LA Tech, ODU pulled ahead, then allowed Albany to make a game of it late. The offense only gained 285 yards and lost the TOP by 6 minutes which is concerning.
6) North Texas - The offense was efficient and electric, scoring TDs on 2 possession with only 5 total plays. UNT scoring 59 points and racking up 668 yards on anyone is a definite improvement. Their game at SMU this weekend will tell us a lot!
7) UTSA - Hurricane Harvey
8) FAU - I thought they competed hard against a tough opponent in Navy. I think much like UNT in the West, they will be the surprise in the East.
9) MTSU - Pathetic performance at home in front of 26,000. Didn't score until Vandy's 2nd/3rd stringers were in in the 4th. Only this high because everyone below is so bad.
10) UAB - Impressive victory and crowd with all things considered.
11) Charlotte - Another pathetic performance. Undisciplined poor play did them in.
12) UTEP - 2 words. Oklahoma Sooners
13) FIU - UCF dominated both sides of the ball while also forcing 4 turnovers.
14) Rice - Whether it was Hurricane Harvey, Australia, or Stanford, Rice wouldn't have beat any FBS team in week 1. Their first 2 plays were mired by Delay of Game penalties and it only got worse from there.
