Everyone can talk about the Big 12, SEC, PAC 12, and Big Ten all making moves, but there's a ripple effect that goes all the way down the lowest of conferences. Enter Conference USA, which was pillaged by the American, that was pillaged by the Big 12. UTSA, Florida Atlantic, UAB, North Texas, Rice, and Charlotte have all joined the AAC leaving CUSA with just five teams and rumors of a MAC and Western Kentucky alliance. That alliance fell through and the conference brought in two independents, Liberty and New Mexico State, and two teams from the FCS (Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State) to fill the voids.
The main reason CUSA ranks above the MAC in conference power rankings is that there are fewer teams and they also have one team in the Top 50, something the MAC does not. There's a lot to learn about the new look conference, but it will likely be ignored by the big shots, so here's a snapshot.
Western Kentucky
Head Coach: Ty Helton (5th Season, 32-21)
Last Year Record (Rank): 9-5 (38)
Preseason Rank: 47
Prediction: 9-3
What's Ahead: Austin Reed was the nation's leading passer with 4,700 yards and 40 touchdowns and he's back to pick on some pretty weak competition. It should be a cakewalk for the Hilltoppers, but they'll probably stumble somewhere on their way to a spot in the R+L Carriers Bowl against the second-best Sun Belt team. The defense was just as good as the offense last season, but they lost a good number of players on that side of the ball. Ty Helton should be on the radar for bigger schools because he is an offensive guru that has had WKU slinging the pigskin and scoring points over his five years in Bowling Green.
Liberty
LYR: 8-5 (53)
PR: 67
Prediction: 7-5
What's Ahead: Speaking of coaches that have had a lot of success recently, Jamey Chadwell heads over from Myrtle Beach, where he made Coastal Carolina into a perennial Top 25 team. He takes over for Hugh Freeze, who left the program in pretty good shape before he headed back to the SEC. Chadwell will install a completely new offense and scheme, so it's hard to say who sticks around or who will make it from Week 1 until Week 6. A good coach and a program that is continuing an upward trend should breed success, but look for a few bumps along the way.
Middle Tennessee State
LYR: 8-5 (54)
PR: 76
Prediction: 6-6
What's Ahead: Rick Stockstill has seen all sorts of chaos and realignments because he's currently the fourth-longest tenured coach in all of college football and the longest out of any Group of 5 schools. He's always rebuilding and retooling and 2023 will be no different. He's got his leading rusher in Frank Peasant back, but otherwise, the offense is made up of a lot of new parts. The defense returns a handful of players, so they should help lead the Blue Raiders to yet another bowl under Stockstill. The one downside is their first game is to tune up Alabama and then they head to Missouri, hopefully in one piece before their first home game.
New Mexico State
LYR: 7-6 (69)
PR: 98
Prediction: 8-5
What's Ahead: The offense is bringing nearly everyone back and that's great news for Jerry Kill. Kill lead the Aggies to a winning season and a bowl win for the first time since 2017. New Mexico State is also back in a conference after being kicked out of the Sun Belt Conference in 2017. A fairly weak schedule should lift the Aggies to another bowl game, which would be the first time in history that they went in back-to-back seasons.
UTEP
Head Coach: Dana Dimel (6th Season, 17-40)
LYR: 5-7 (97)
PR: 107
Prediction: 6-6
What's Ahead: The Miners' best rushers entered the portal, but a good chunk of the offense is back, including four of the five starting linemen (the other one transferred as well). They have a chance to do enough to become bowl-eligible, something they fell short of achieving last season by one game.
Louisiana Tech
LYR: 3-9 (117)
PR: 118
Prediction: 4-8
What's Ahead: Smoke Harris is probably the only real exciting thing about this team at the moment, but Sonny Cumbie hopes he can get more out of the Bulldogs after a bad first season. Hank Bachmeier comes over from Boise State to throw Harris the ball in space and let him do his thing.
FIU
Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre (2nd Season, 4-8)
LYR: 4-8 (111)
PR: 120
Prediction: 2-10
What's Ahead: A lot of returning starters on both sides of the ball, but I think they'll struggle against the slightly better competition.
Jacksonville State
Head Coach: Rich Rodriguez (2nd Season, 9-2)
LYR: N/A
PR: 131
Prediction: 4-8
What's Ahead: First, let's meet one of the newest additions to the FBS. They are located in Alabama and not Florida despite what you might think and they are led by former West Virginia, Michigan, and Arizona head coach, Rich Rodriguez. Rich Rod did phenomenally in year one, leading the Gamecocks to a first-place finish in the Atlantic Sun (FCS). It'll be interesting to see if they adapt like James Madison did in 2022 or if they will falter in year one at the big level. One thing is for certain, quarterback Zion Webb was allowed to return for his seventh year of eligibility.
Sam Houston State
Head Coach: K.C. Keeler (11th Season, 85-27)
LYR: N/A
PR: 133
Prediction: 3-9
What's Ahead: Everyone say hi to the Bearkats, that's with a k on purpose (for some reason). The school is named after the first President of the Republic of Texas and they have had some great success at the FCS level as seen by Keeler's stellar record. Last year was a bit of a drop and this year might be the low point for SHST. Keegan Shoemaker returns as the quarterback, for now, but has a bunch of transfer quarterbacks looking to take his job if he puts up the same numbers as he did in 2022.
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