Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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North Texas and San Diego State to play in 2025 New Mexico Bowl
Two of college football’s biggest breakout teams of 2025 are going head-to-head in Albuquerque. The North Texas Mean Green (11-2, 7-1 American) and San Diego State Aztecs (9-3, 6-2 Mountain West) accepted bids to the 2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl. The game kicks off from University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, Dec. 27. This […]
Houston and LSU to play in 2025 Texas Bowl
The 2025 Kinder’s Texas Bowl will feature the hometown team and a frequent visitor. The Houston Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) earned a bid to the Texas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, and they are slated to battle the LSU Tigers (7-5, 3-5 SEC) in a Big 12 vs. SEC matchup at NRG Stadium. This […]
Cincinnati and Navy to play in 2025 Liberty Bowl
Old American Conference opponents meet again in an American Conference venue. The Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) will square off against the Navy Midshipmen (9-2, 7-1 American) in the 2025 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN. The game is slated to transpire Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, making it the antepenultimate non-playoff bowl game of the […]
James Madison receives No. 12 seed in CFP, will play at Oregon
For the first time in history, the Sun Belt crashed the College Football Playoff. The James Madison Dukes (12-1, 7-1 Sun Belt) earned the No. 12 seed and final spot in the 2025 College Football Playoff, qualifying as the fifth highest-ranked conference champion. James Madison will battle No. 5 seed Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) […]
Tulane receives No. 11 seed in CFP, will play at Ole Miss
For the second time in the history of the College Football Playoff, the American Conference is represented. The Tulane Green Wave (11-2, 7-1 American) received the No. 11 seed as the fourth highest-ranked conference champion and will face the Ole Miss Rebels (11-1, 7-1 SEC) in Oxford, MS in the first round on Saturday, Dec. […]
FCS Playoffs Round 2 Recap: Flipping the Script
The second round of the FCS playoffs lived up to its billing as an exciting weekend of action. It just didn’t necessarily unfold the way many thought it would or at least a lot of it didn’t. Round two was historic in a lot of ways for several different squads. From a thrilling finish in […]
Duke’s OT ACC Championship win paves way for JMU playoff bid
Dukes fans suddenly turned into the biggest Duke fans on Saturday night. There was one domino left to fall in an action-packed championship weekend to set the College Football Playoff bracket. Four of the five conference champions — Indiana, Georgia, Texas Tech, and Tulane — already sealed their bids into the 12-team bracket. Determining the […]
Delaware and Louisiana to play in 2025 68 Ventures Bowl
The 2025 68 Ventures Bowl matchup is official, and it features a first-ever bowl qualifier against a postseason regular. The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens will battle the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in Mobile, AL on Wednesday, Dec. 17 in a Conference USA vs. Sun Belt matchup. Both teams enter with identical 6-6 records, and only the […]
James Madison head coach Bob Chesney off to UCLA; Billy Napier tabbed successor
In an ongoing theme of this season, a head coach of a College Football Playoff contender accepted another job prior to the formation of the bracket. On Saturday, Dec. 6, less than 24 hours after winning a Sun Belt championship, James Madison head coach Bob Chesney was officially hired to the same position at UCLA. […]
Marion Leaves Sac State after One Season as Drama Keeps Growing for Independent-Bound Hornets
The seemingly never-ending Sacramento State saga took another turn last week as head coach Brennan Marion announced he would be leaving to take the offensive coordinator position at Colorado. Marion, who only coached the Hornets for one season, led the team to a 7-5 overall record this last fall. For Marion, the job is unquestionably […]
Kennesaw State wins CUSA title in year two, ousting Jax State in 19-15 thriller
Many conference championship runs are predictable before the first ball is kicked off the tee. Other conference championship runs unravel in the most unlikely of scenarios. The Kennesaw State Owls are just in their second year of FBS, fresh off experiencing the typical struggles of a program transitioning from the FCS level. The Owls produced […]
Tulane solidifies CFP bid, handles North Texas 34-21 for American title
Even through a cascading downpour, the Yulman Stadium stadium lights never shined quite this bright. Transpiring under those lights was truly an unforeseen American Conference Championship stage, with lofty stakes attached to both teams, unlike anything the conference ever saw in its previous 10 title matchups. Prior to Friday night in New Orleans, the 2021 […]
James Madison captures Sun Belt title over Troy, CFP still in play
The snowballs may have been flying around in Harrisonburg, VA on Friday night, but that didn’t stop the Dukes of James Madison from capturing their first Sun Belt Conference Championship with a 31-14 win over Troy. The first quarter was low on scoring as the defenses stood tall at Bridgeforth Stadiun, but a late JMU […]
Will Familiarity Help or Hurt Redbirds in Quest to Dethrone #1 Bison?
To those in the FCS know, it’s no secret that Illinois State faces a herculean task this weekend. After soundly beating Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond last Saturday, the Redbirds are again sent on the road for the second round of the playoffs. This time their travels take them to the hardest place and situation to […]
South Florida and Old Dominion to play in 2025 Cure Bowl
The 2025 bowl matchups are slowly materializing, and the third one to be finalized features a pair of 9-3 teams. The South Florida Bulls (9-3, 6-2 American) will play the Old Dominion Monarchs (9-3, 6-2 Sun Belt) in the 2025 StaffDNA Cure Bowl. The Cure Bowl kicks off from Orlando on Dec. 17, with both […]
2025 American Championship Game Storylines: Tulane vs. North Texas
The American Conference Championship Game kicks off Friday night at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT from Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. It’s a higher-stakes title game than the conference typically sees, given the current rankings of the participants — the No. 20 Tulane Green Wave and No. 24 North Texas Mean Green. College […]
2025 CUSA Championship Preview: Kennesaw State Owls @ Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Game notes Setting the scene Jacksonville State joined the FBS in 2023. This is the program’s second year eligible for a conference championship. In their first season of eligibility in 2024, the Gamecocks sat on the throne of Conference USA, throttling WKU 52-12 behind the backdrop of AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville. However, Jax State lost […]
Houston logs six 2025 All-Big 12 selections
2025 marked year three in the Big 12 for the Houston Cougars, and it was by far the program’s most successful season as members of the conference. After winning an eight combined games in 2023 and 2024, the Cougars rattled off nine victories in the regular season — positioning themselves at No. 21 in the […]
Sun Belt Championship: JMU hosts Troy for potential CFP spot
It’s Championship Weekend and the #FunBelt will help kick it off as James Madison will host Troy in the 2025 Sun Belt Championship game on Friday night. The Dukes (11-1, 8-0 SBC) have had a storybook season, featuring a ranking of No. 25 in the College Football Playoff standings. Meanwhile their Sun Belt Coach of […]
2025 SWAC Championship – Prairie View A&M Panthers @ Jackson State Tigers: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions
Date: Saturday December 6, 2025 Time: 3:00 PM (ET) TV: ESPN2 The Quick Hits It’s time for the SWAC to crown its champion and, once again, Jackson State is right in the thick of things. After winning their first Celebration Bowl last season, the Tigers are one victory away from making a return trip to […]
Missouri State and Arkansas State to play in inaugural 2025 Xbox Bowl
A new bowl game has arrived to the scene. In 2025, we wave farewell to the Bahamas Bowl and welcome the new Xbox Bowl, which occupies the vacancy. The Xbox Bowl debuts in Frisco, TX on Thursday, Dec. 18 and pits together the Missouri State Bears and Arkansas State Red Wolves in a Conference USA […]
2025 American Conference Championship Preview: Tulane Green Wave vs. North Texas Mean Green
Game notes Setting the scene This is the 11th American Conference Championship since the advent of the game in 2015. This one is unlike the other 10, as the stakes are greater than ever for both teams involved. For the first time in the league’s history, both teams competing in the conference championship can qualify […]
SFA Tries for First Quarterfinal Berth Since 2009 vs. Abilene Christian
This fall has been a wildly successful one for Stephen F. Austin but it has gone largely under-the-radar in the grand scheme of the national FCS picture. While other big stories like North Dakota State’s prefect regular season, South Dakota State’s surging start then subsequent tailspin and Tarleton State’s rise stole much of the headlines […]
SMU logs five 2025 All-ACC selections
The SMU Mustangs are a bowl game away from completing their second season as an ACC member, and the tenure has started better than most people could have imagined. SMU qualified for the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff in year one, and in year two, the Mustangs were excruciatingly close to another ACC […]
South Florida hires Brian Hartline as head coach
Three days after experiencing a head coaching vacancy, the South Florida Bulls filled it. South Florida announced Brian Hartline as its seventh full-time head coach. Hartline replaces Alex Golesh, who was hired by Auburn on Sunday after three seasons as a 23-15 record. USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins confirmed Hartline was the team’s priority […]
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