Conference Breakdown: Conference USA
5 things to know about Conference USA
Biggest game: WKU at Marshall, Nov. 26
Player to always watch: MTSU WR Richie James, a 5'9 catching machine who shows up big in big games.
Team nobody wants to play: FAU
Coach who really needs wins: Ron Turner's done a good job at FIU, buuut is in danger of delivering four straight losing seasons.
Don't be surprised if ... you look up in November and Southern Miss has already won 10 games.
Bill Connelly's Power Rankings
Tier 1
Western Kentucky
WKU lost its star QB, but Jeff Brohm's Hilltoppers will still score a billion points.
Tier 2
Southern Miss
USM clawed its way out of the valley, and 2016's schedule couldn't be kinder.
Marshall
The Herd's busy reloading, but a good 2016 should lead to a great 2017.
Louisiana Tech
Skip Holtz is doing well, but he's got a lot of transition to deal with.
Middle Tennessee
MTSU's longtime head coach replaced his QB with his son, and it's working.
Florida Atlantic
FAU kept getting in its own way last year. How high can these Owls fly?
Tier 3
Florida International
Some serious opportunity awaits, if the Panthers are ready.
Old Dominion
ODU is playing the long game, but could make its first bowl run in 2016 anyway.
UTEP
Now that the Miners are healthy and experienced, they get an impossibly easy schedule.
Tier 4
North Texas
Bill's 128-preview countdown started with UNT and finished with Bama, if that tells you anything.
Charlotte
Charlotte established its identity in 2015. Can the 49ers turn it into wins?
