2017 Conference USA football season | |
---|---|
League | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
Sport | Football |
Duration | August 26, 2017 through December 27, 2017 |
Number of teams | 14 |
TV partner(s) | ESPN, CBS Sports Network, Stadium, beIN Sports, CUSA.tv, FloSports |
2018 NFL Draft | |
Top draft pick | DE Marcus Davenport, UTSA |
Picked by | New Orleans Saints, 14th overall |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | RB Devin Singletary, FAU |
East champions | Florida Atlantic |
West champions | North Texas |
Championship Game | |
Champions | Florida Atlantic |
Runners-up | North Texas |
Finals MVP | WR Kalib Woods, FAU |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Atlantic x$ | 8 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIU | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marshall | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Kentucky | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Old Dominion | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charlotte | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Texas x | 7 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UAB | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Miss | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana Tech | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTSA | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTEP | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: Florida Atlantic 41, North Texas 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 2017 Conference USA football season was the 22nd season of Conference USA football and part of the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on August 26 with Rice facing Stanford in Sydney, Australia. [1] This season was the third season for C-USA under realignment that took place in 2014, which added the 14th member Charlotte from the Atlantic 10 Conference. C-USA is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
C-USA consists of 14 members: Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, and Western Kentucky; and is divided into the East and West divisions. UAB will begin play for the first time since 2014, after the Blazer football program was dropped from competition. [2]
The 2017 preseason media football poll was released on July 18. [3] Western Kentucky was picked to win its third straight East Division title, while Louisiana Tech was picked to repeat as West Division champion.
East Division
| West Division
|
The conference preseason awards were released on July 17. [4] WKU senior QB Mike White was selected as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year. Rice senior LB Emmanuel Ellerbee was selected the Defensive Player of the Year, and WKU senior KR Kylen Towner was selected Special Teams Player of the Year honors
Position | Player | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
QB | Mike White | Senior | Western Kentucky |
WR | Richie James | Junior | Middle Tennessee |
WR | Jonathan Duhart | Senior | Old Dominion |
WR | Allenzae Staggers | Senior | Southern Miss |
RB | Ray Lawry | Senior | Old Dominion |
RB | Ito Smith | Senior | Southern Miss |
OL | O’Shea Dugas | Junior | Louisiana Tech |
OL | Will Hernandez | Senior | UTEP |
OL | Trey Martin | Senior | Rice |
OL | Austin Pratt | Senior | UTSA |
OL | Brandon Ray | Senior | Western Kentucky |
TE | Ryan Yurachek | Senior | Marshall |
Position | Player | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
DL | Marcus Davenport | Senior | UTSA |
DL | Jaylon Ferguson | Sophomore | Louisiana Tech |
DL | Chris Johnson | Senior | Western Kentucky |
DL | Oshane Ximines | Senior | Old Dominion |
LB | Emmanuel Ellerbee | Senior | Rice |
LB | Alvin Jones | Senior | UTEP |
LB | Josiah Tauaefa | Sophomore | UTSA |
LB | Anthony Wint | Senior | FIU |
DB | Brandon Addison | Senior | Old Dominion |
DB | Nate Brooks | Junior | North Texas |
DB | Joe Brown | Senior | Western Kentucky |
DB | Kishawn McClain | Senior | North Texas |
Position | Player | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
P | Jake Collins | Junior | Western Kentucky |
K | Canon Rooker | Senior | Middle Tennessee |
KR | Kylen Towner | Senior | Western Kentucky |
PR | Nacarius Fant | Senior | Western Kentucky |
LS | Matt Bayliss | Senior | UTSA |
Three Conference USA teams hired new head coaches for the 2017 season. All three were in the East Division, and all three were replacing coaches who had spent at least three seasons at their respective schools.
Note: All stats shown are before the beginning of the season.
Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | CUSA record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte | Brad Lambert | 5 | 16–30 | 16–30 | 3–13 |
FIU | Butch Davis | 1 | 63–43 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Florida Atlantic | Lane Kiffin | 1 | 35–21 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Louisiana Tech | Skip Holtz | 5 | 119–93 | 31–22 | 22–10 |
Marshall | Doc Holliday | 8 | 53–37 | 53–37 | 35–21 |
Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | 12 | 72–66 | 72–66 | 22–10 |
North Texas | Seth Littrell | 2 | 5–8 | 5–8 | 3–5 |
Old Dominion | Bobby Wilder | 9 | 67–30 | 67–30 | 14–10 |
Rice | David Bailiff | 11 | 77–84 | 56–69 | 39–41 |
Southern Miss | Jay Hopson | 2 | 39–23 | 7–6 | 4–4 |
UAB | Bill Clark | 2 | 17–10 | 6–6 | 4–4 |
UTEP | Sean Kugler | 5 | 18–31 | 18–31 | 11–21 |
UTSA | Frank Wilson | 2 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–3 |
Western Kentucky | Mike Sanford Jr. | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Regular season
| Post season
|
|
|
|
Legend | |
---|---|
CUSA win | |
CUSA loss |
(Rankings from final CFP Poll; All times Eastern)
Date | Time | Bowl Game | Site | TV | CUSA Team | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 16, 2017 | 1:00 p.m. | New Orleans Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA | ESPN | North Texas | Troy | 50–30 |
December 16, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. | AutoNation Cure Bowl | Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL | CBSSN | Western Kentucky | Georgia State | 27–17 |
December 16, 2017 | 4:30 p.m. | New Mexico Bowl | Dreamstyle Stadium • Albuquerque, NM | ESPN | Marshall | Colorado State | 31–28 |
December 16, 2017 | 8:00 p.m. | Camellia Bowl | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | ESPN | Middle Tennessee | Arkansas State | 35–30 |
December 19, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPN | Florida Atlantic | Akron | 50–3 |
December 20, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX | ESPN | Louisiana Tech | SMU | 51–10 |
December 21, 2017 | 8:00 p.m. | Gasparilla Bowl | Tropicana Field • St. Petersburg, FL | ESPN | FIU | Temple | 28–3 |
December 22, 2017 | 12:30 p.m. | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas | ESPN | UAB | Ohio | 41–6 |
December 27, 2017 | 1:30 p.m. | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium • Shreveport, LA | ESPN | Southern Miss | Florida State | 42–13 |
Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte | Jerry Richardson Stadium | 15,314 | 18,651 | 11,029 | 10,584 | 11,889 | 10,937 | 8,330 | — | 71,420 | 11,903 | 77.73% |
FIU | FIU Stadium | 20,000 | 5,017† | 15,348 | 16,433 | 18,874 | 17,127 | 16,199 | 14,004 | 103,002 | 14,715 | 73.57% |
Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium | 29,419 | 28,481 | 16,743 | 12,913 | 13,277 | 15,880 | 24,116 | 14,258 ‡ | 125,668 | 17,953 | 61.02% |
Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium | 28,562 | 24,002 | 28,100 | 22,013 | 17,815 | 18,504 | 16,511 | 15,651 | 142,596 | 20,371 | 71.32% |
Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium | 38,227 | 22,463 | 24,044 | 26,097 | 19,966 | 19,516 | 18,361 | 130,447 | 21,741 | 56.87% | |
Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium | 30788 | 26717 | 16523 | 15527 | 13412 | 11411 | 10128 | — | 93,718 | 15,620 | 50.73% |
North Texas | Apogee Stadium | 30,850 | 19,592 | 20,142 | 23,068 | 18,872 | 26,108 | 26,392 | — | 134,174 | 22,362 | 72.49% |
Old Dominion | Foreman Field | 20,118 | 20,118 | 20,118 | 20,118 | 20,118 | 20,118 | 20,118 | — | 120,708 | 20,118 | 100.00% |
Rice | Rice Stadium | 47,000 | 18,932 | 21,766 | 19,992 | 18,124 | 17,956 | — | — | 96,770 | 19,354 | 41.18% |
Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts Stadium | 36,000 | 22,761 | 24,337 | 21,907 | 21,970 | 19,101 | 20,189 | — | 130,265 | 21,711 | 60.31% |
UAB | Legion Field | 71,594 | 45,212 | 21,789 | 27,213 | 25,309 | 21,224 | 12,505 | — | 153,252 | 25,542 | 35.68% |
UTEP | Sun Bowl Stadium | 51,500 | 19,136 | 22,133 | 20,418 | 19,456 | 16,597 | — | — | 97,740 | 19,548 | 37.96% |
UTSA | Alamodome | 65,000 | 25,093 | 23,517 | 25,270 | 20,076 | 20,148 | — | — | 114,104 | 22,821 | 35.11% |
WKU | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium | 22,113 | 18,614 | 16,223 | 17,590 | 16,754 | 12,441 | 12,612 | — | 94,234 | 15,706 | 71.02% |
†Played at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL [12]
‡ Conference Championship Game
Lane Monte Kiffin is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Football League's Oakland Raiders from 2007 to 2008, head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers college football team in 2009, and head coach of the Trojans from 2010 to 2013. He was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history at the time when he joined the Raiders, and, for a time, was the youngest head coach of a BCS Conference team in college football. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama from 2014 until 2016, when he was hired to be the head coach at Florida Atlantic, a position he held until December 2019, when he became the head coach at Ole Miss.
The Florida Atlantic Owls football program represents Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in the sport of American football. The Owls compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the American Athletic Conference (American/AAC). The Owls' head coach is Tom Herman. The Owls play their home games at FAU Stadium which has a seating capacity of 29,419.
The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of the American Athletic Conference. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accepted the invitation to join The American and became a full member on July 1, 2023.
Jeffrey Scott Brohm is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, a position he has held since the 2023 season. Brohm played college football for the Louisville Cardinals under coach Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1994 to 2000 and the XFL in 2001. Brohm served as the head football coach at Western Kentucky University from 2014 to 2016 and Purdue University from 2017 to 2022.
Willie Author Taggart is an American football coach who is the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He has held the head coach position at five NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Western Kentucky ; South Florida ; Oregon (2017); Florida State ; and Florida Atlantic. At all five schools, he was the first African-American to be hired as the head coach.
The 2014 Conference USA football season was a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was played from August 2014 through January 2015. The 2014 football season marks the 20th season of the Conference USA's existence and 19th of football competition; although C-USA was established in 1995, it did not begin football competition until 1996.
The 2016 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by third year head coach Jeff Brohm. They finished the season 11–3, 7–1 in C-USA play to win a share of the East Division title with Old Dominion. Due to their head-to-head victory over Old Dominion, Western Kentucky represented the East Division in the Conference USA Championship Game where they defeated Louisiana Tech to be crowned C-USA champions. They were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl where they defeated Memphis. This team led the NCAA in Scoring Offense.
The 2016 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls played their home games at the FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by third-year head coach Charlie Partridge. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the East Division.
The 2016 Conference USA football season was the 21st season of Conference USA football and part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 with Charlotte facing Louisville. This season was the second season for the C-USA under realignment that took place in 2014, which added the 14th member Charlotte from the Atlantic 10 Conference. The C-USA is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
The 2016–17 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Rick Stansbury in his first season. They played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky and were third-year members of Conference USA. They finished the season 15–17, 9–9 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost to UTSA in the first round of the C-USA tournament.
The 2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season began with practices in October 2016, followed by the start of the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in late December and concluded in early March.
The 2017 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the school's fifth season of NCAA football, their third season of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) play, and their third season as a member of Conference USA's East Division. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Brad Lambert and played its home games on campus at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers finished the season 1–11, 1–7 in C-USA play to finish in last place in the East Division.
The 2017 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team (WKU) represented Western Kentucky University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by first-year head coach Mike Sanford Jr. The Hilltoppers finished the season 6–7, 4–4 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. They received an invite to the Cure Bowl where they lost to Georgia State.
The 2018 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls played their home games at the FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by second-year head coach Lane Kiffin. They finished the season 5–7, 3–5 in C-USA play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.
The 2019 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 49ers played their home games at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, NC, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by first-year head coach Will Healy.
The 2019 Conference USA football season was the 24th season of College Football play for Conference USA (C-USA). It was played from August 29, 2019 until January 2020. Conference USA consisted of 14 members in two divisions. It was part of the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
Brent Forrest Stockstill is an American football coach and former player who is currently a defensive analyst for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). A former quarterback at Middle Tennessee, he set multiple career program records including passing yards, touchdown passes, completed passes, and pass attempts. Stockstill had also obtained a reputation for being one of the toughest players in college football for his ability to play while being hindered by injuries.
The 2021 Conference USA football season was the 26th season of college football play for Conference USA (C-USA). The season started on August 28, 2021 and ended on December 23, 2021. The conference consisted of 14 members in two divisions. It was part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
The 2022 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 49ers played their home games at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and competed in Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by fourth-year head coach Will Healy. Charlotte fired Healy after eight games; offensive line coach Peter Rossomando finished out the season.
The 2022 Conference USA football season was the 27th season of college football play for Conference USA (C-USA). The season started on August 27, 2022, and is ended on January 31, 2023. The conference consisted of 11 members and was part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season.