The 2025 football season technically got underway this past weekend but it will begin in earnest this week.
This season, the 12-team Conference USA will feature an 8-game conference schedule with the top two teams at the end of the regular season meeting for the league’s championship.
As we prepare for the beginning of the season, here are our preseason power rankings for CUSA, and we will be updating these weekly during the season.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of ESPN FPI. Arrows denote change in power rankings since previous ranking.
1. Liberty #91
It’s hard not to predict the Flames at the top of the league. Look around the country and you will be hard-pressed to find someone not picking the Flames as the preseason favorites in CUSA, and that’s in spite of the 4th place finish last year and numerous question marks on this year’s team. There’s many reasons for this beginning with head coach Jamey Chadwell who is a proven winner. He hasn’t lost more than three games in the regular season in the past five seasons with four straight first or second conference finishes before last year’s blip. Add in the resources Liberty pumps into the program and a very favorable league schedule (not playing WKU and getting JSU with a new staff early) and the Flames seem to be the preseason favorite every year in CUSA.
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs Maine, 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
2. Western Kentucky (1-0, 1-0) #115
Previous: W vs Sam Houston, 41-24
Just like Liberty, Western Kentucky is a typical pick to finish near the top of CUSA in the revamped league over these past few seasons. It’s also very understandable. Under head coach Tyson Helton, the Hilltoppers have finished in the top 2 of the league in three of the past four seasons and haven’t finished below 4th in his six seasons while making a bowl game each year. Helton and WKU always seems to figure it out at the quarterback position regardless of who is there and typically have a strong offense. They will look to get back to the CUSA Championship game for a second straight year.
The Toppers opened the season in Week 0 with a 41-24 win at home over Sam Houston on Saturday evening. QB Maverick McIvor threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score in his WKU debut. He completed 33 of 51 passes. Matthew Henry had 148 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven receptions in his Hilltopper debut.
Next up: Saturday, August 30 vs North Alabama, 7 p.m., ESPN+
3. Jacksonville State #105
The Gamecocks got off to a slow start last season, dropping their first three games. They would quickly rebound to win eight straight, including a 31-21 decision at Liberty. Jax State would go on to defeat Western Kentucky, 52-12, in the CUSA Championship before falling to Ohio, 30-27, in the Cure Bowl to finish the season at 9-5 overall and 7-1 in CUSA. Following the season, Rich Rodriguez left JSU to return as head coach at West Virginia. The Gamecocks have hired Charles Kelly who is taking over in his first time being a head coach. The long-time defensive assistant was co-Defensive Coordinator at Auburn for the 2024 season and has also spent time previously at Colorado, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida State. The Gamecocks should have some talent to stay near the top half of the league, but there are question marks about this team and program moving forward in the post-Rich Rod era.
Next up: Thursday, Aug. 28 @ UCF, 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
4. UTEP #132
The Miners are entering their final season in Conference USA, and they will certainly be looking to put a stamp on their time in the league. Under first year head coach Scotty Walden last year, UTEP was 3-9 on the season and 3-5 in conference play. They did show some improvement late in the year, winning their last two CUSA games and three of their last five with the two losses coming by one score. Liberty defeated the Miners, 28-10, in Lynchburg on Sept. 14 last season. They could make a surge up the league standings this fall similar to what Sam Houston did a year ago. Malachi Nelson, a former five-star in the Class of 2023, began his career at USC and was at Boise State last year before transferring to UTEP. If he can win the job and live up to the hype, the Miners could certainly compete in the upper half of the league.
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 @ Utah State, 7:30 p.m., CBSSN
5. FIU #107
After three straight 4-8 seasons, Mike MacIntyre is out as head coach and Willie Simmons has taken over. Simmons inherits an FIU team that was also 3-5 in CUSA play, but their record may be worse than they were. The Panthers lost to Liberty, 31-24, in overtime at Williams Stadium. They had four other losses by three points or less. FIU was very close to achieving bowl eligibility. Simmons comes in after spending the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Duke. Prior to that he was the head coach at Florida A&M for six years, compiling an impressive 45-13 overall record and 34-5 conference record. The former starting quarterback at Clemson, Simmons was the head coach at Prairie View A&M for three years prior to his time at FAMU. He has never had a losing season as a head coach. Keyone Jenkins is back at quarterback after a brief stint in the transfer portal before Simmons convinced him to return. Jenkins is one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the league with nearly 5,000 passing yards in two seasons at FIU. The Panthers could be a sneaky good team in CUSA this season.
Next up: Friday, Aug. 29 vs Bethune-Cookman, 7 p.m., ESPN+
6. Louisiana Tech #123
Sonny Cumbie is likely coaching for his job this season after three straight losing records. LA Tech did make it to the Independence Bowl after Marshall withdrew from the game due to a large number of players entering the transfer portal. The Bulldogs lost to Army, 27-6, to finish the year at 5-8. They suffered three overtime losses and finished 4-4 in CUSA.
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs SE Louisiana, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
7. Delaware #104
After a long and storied tenure in the FCS, the Delaware Blue Hens will compete in the FBS for the first time in 2025. Delaware is coming off a 9-2 season where they were 6-2 in the CAA. Ryan Carty is entering his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater where he played quarterback. In his first three seasons, Delaware has gone 26-11 overall and 16-8 in conference while advancing to the second round of the FCS Playoffs in each of his first two years they were eligible. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Blue Hens competing near the top of CUSA quickly.
Next up: Thursday, Aug. 28 vs Delaware State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
8. Middle Tennessee #134
Head coach Derek Mason is only the 4th head coach in the last 44 years at Middle Tennessee as he took over a year ago from long time head coach Rick Stockstill. Mason is a former head coach at Vanderbilt where he guided them to two bowl games. Last year they finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in conference play. They have a veteran quarterback in Nick Vattiato (how does he still have eligibility?) who could help vault them up the standings some this year, especially as they enter a second year under their head coach.
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs Austin Peay, 7 p.m., ESPN+
9. New Mexico State #135
In his first year as head coach at New Mexico State, Tony Sanchez posted a 3-9 record and 2-6 mark in conference play. Sanchez has never had a winning record as a head coach also including his time at UNLV. Will they return to the level of success seen under Jerry Kill or return to being one of the worst teams in the FBS?
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs Bryant, 9 p.m., ESPN+
10. Missouri State #119
Third year head coach Ryan Beard saw great improvement after a 4-7 2023 campaign to an 8-4 mark last year. The Bears were 6-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the top FCS conference in the country. Their losses last year? #1 North Dakota State, #3 South Dakota State, #3 Montana, and FBS Ball State (42-34). The Bears face the second toughest schedule in CUSA this year, drawing all the top teams in the league and not facing fellow CUSA and FBS newcomer Delaware. Their first three games as an FBS are tough as they open at USC and Marshall before hosting SMU. They do return one of the top quarterbacks in all of FCS last season in Jacob Clark who was first-team All-MVFC while completing 69.7% of his passes for 3,604 yards with 26 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.
Next up: Saturday, Aug. 30 @ USC, 7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
11. Sam Houston #106
Previous: L @ Western Kentucky, 41-24
After a resurgence in their second year in the FBS and CUSA last year where the Bearkats were in contention for the CUSA Title until the end of the season, Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler left for Temple and they have just seven returning starters. It looks like a rebuilding year for first year head coach Phil Longo, and Sam Houston will be playing their home games an hour away from campus at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston due to renovations at Bowers Stadium.
In their season opener Saturday night at Western Kentucky, Sam Houston could not slow down Western Kentucky’s passing attack in their loss. The Bearkats gave up more than 400 yards through the air and played mostly from behind in Phil Longo’s Sam Houston debut. QB Hunter Watson and RB Alton McCaskill combined to rush for more than 150 yards to lead the Kats offensively.
Next up: Friday, Aug. 29 vs UNLV, 9:30 p.m., CBSSN
12. Kennesaw State #131
The Owls went on to finish their first year at the FBS level and in CUSA at 2-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play. They also fired the only head coach their program had ever known, Brian Bohannon, and hired Jerry Mack. He comes to Kennesaw after one year as the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously held the same position for the University of Tennessee. Mack was North Carolina Central’s head coach from 2014-2017 where he compiled a 31-15 overall record and 26-6 MEAC record, posting a winning season all four years.
Next up: Friday, Aug. 29 @ Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
