Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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FCS Football: The Sunday After – Overreactions to Week 9
October ball has officially come to an end for most everyone now and that means there’s less than a month left before the FCS Playoff Committee comes together to decide who plays on and who doesn’t. Week 9 around the subdivision had some surprises and some very expected results. With just four weeks of regular […]
Quinton Jackson’s 248 yards lead Rice to 37-34 double-OT upset over UConn
There was no question what was going to happen when the ball entered the hands of No. 10 in the blue uniform. It was Quinton Jackson’s day, and nothing was going to stop him. Rice relied on its feature tailback to bring home an upset victory, and he delivered. On the second play of double-overtime, […]
Memphis shows resolve, stuns South Florida 34-31
The Memphis Tigers had it all — an undefeated record, the longest win streak in the country, and a clear path to an elusive College Football Playoff appearance. Then, one of the most stunning results of the college football season deterred the Tigers’ trajectory. As 23.5-point favorites, they were upended by UAB on a crunch-time […]
Houston fends off Arizona State 24-16 for ranked road win
The Houston Cougars’ 2025 season was off to a spectacular start. They generated six victories in their first seven tries, clinching early bowl eligibility en route to their best start since 2021. However, one important box was left unchecked on Houston’s stellar résumé, preventing the Cougars from crashing the rankings for the first time since […]
Drew Mestemaker delivers historic 608 yards in 54-20 win over Charlotte
Friday night was one for the history books for North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker. The redshirt freshman already enjoyed a stellar beginning to his first season as a collegiate starter. But Friday night’s 54-20 win over Charlotte rewrote records. Mestemaker fired for a school-record 608 yards and four touchdowns in the dominant road victory, connecting […]
Three reasons Cincinnati vs. Baylor will be most exciting game of Week 9
College GameDay is en route to Nashville, TN for a top 15 matchup between College Football Playoff hopefuls Missouri and Vanderbilt. Another top 15 matchup graces the schedule, as Oklahoma and Ole Miss compete in a battle of 6-1 teams vying to qualify for their first-ever SEC Championship Game. And of course, you can’t forget […]
2025 Week 9 Preview: UConn Huskies @ Rice Owls
Game notes Setting the scene Before 2023, the Rice Owls and UConn Huskies never met each other on the gridiron. Now the current and the former American Conference members battle in non-conference action for the third-straight October. Both matchups went in the Huskies’ favor as Jim Mora Jr. and Co. generated back-to-back 7-point wins over […]
2025 Week 9 Preview: South Florida Bulls @ Memphis Tigers
Game notes Setting the scene Memphis and South Florida fans envisioned this as the American Conference’s premier matchup. The College GameDay buses were potentially on their way to Memphis for the first time since 2019 in anticipation of this ranked vs. ranked matchup with conference title and College Football Playoff stakes. What was slated to […]
FCS Week 9 Game of the Week – North Dakota State Bison @ South Dakota State Jackrabbits: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions
Date: Saturday October 25, 2025 Time: 8:00 PM (ET) TV: ESPN2/ESPNU The Quick Hits One of the biggest games in the FCS is back and, once again, it will have the country as a whole watching. #1 North Dakota State (7-0) rolls into Brookings with a head of steam, having won 11 straight games dating […]
2025 Week 9 Preview: Houston Cougars @ Arizona State Sun Devils
Game notes Setting the scene Saturday night introduces a new Big 12 matchup. Three years ago, the Houston Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils would have been American Conference vs. Pac-12, but the recent transplants now share the same league, and it’s a league in which they’re thriving. Houston is bowl eligible at 6-1, emerging […]
Wednesday CUSA Roundup: Delaware and Missouri State both above .500
The FCS to FBS transition isn’t supposed to be easy. Even in an era where the transfer portal grants these programs additional assistance and resources, many newcomers struggle out of the gate before finding their footing. Not Delaware or Missouri State. Wednesday night Weekday CUSA showcased both of the FBS’s 2025 newcomers on a national […]
2025 Week 9 Preview: North Texas Mean Green @ Charlotte 49ers
Game notes Setting the scene Charlotte and North Texas both got the call to transition from Conference USA to the American Conference in 2023. Neither program attained bowl eligibility in years one or two, but there is a vast separation in year three trajectories. North Texas (6-1, 2-1 American) is eyeing a conference title and […]
Tuesday CUSA Roundup: Kennesaw State rolls, WKU bowls
Oct. 21 wasn’t just any Weekday CUSA Tuesday. It was separation Tuesday, pitting hopeful Conference USA contenders against one another to determine what the league pecking order might look like. Games kicked off in Miami, FL and Ruston, LA, but the winners hailed from Kennesaw, GA and Bowling Green, KY in the CUSA double-header: Now […]
Tulane unveils new unique City Edition uniforms
It started with Nike and the NBA, then it made its way to the MLB, and now the trend is commencing at the college football ranks — City Edition uniforms. These alternate uniforms don’t traditionally utilize team colors but rather incorporate elements of the city the team plays in. The Tulane Green Wave unveiled their City […]
Sac State Gets its “Prove It” Chance vs. Montana on National TV
Over the past year, Sacramento State has been anything but bashful about its current place among its FCS peers and it’s perceived place in the FBS for that matter. From boldly laying out plans for a re-imagined venue in the hopes of joining the Pac 12 to applying for the FBS as an independent and […]
Weekday CUSA Previews: 2025 Week 9
We’re in the thick of October, and Weekday CUSA is still going strong. The prior week provided us a masterclass from the nation’s leading rusher Cam Cook, UTEP’s first FBS victory of the year, a down-to-the-wire finish in Lynchburg, and a stunning upset crafted by the FIU Panthers. What Weekday CUSA has truly shown us […]
The Ins and Outs of the 2025 Dakota Marker
It’s that week again. The one that most every fan in both of the Dakotas have had circled on their calendars since last year. The one where a large rock means a whole lot more than the two state abbreviations that are etched into its sides. A game that has so often been the deciding factor in championship […]
Temple blows past Charlotte 49-14, claims winningest season in six years
Temple head coach K.C. Keeler built a valuable reputation at the FCS level, claiming national championships at Delaware and Sam Houston prior to their recent promotions to the FBS. He continued to work his magic as Sam Houston made the difficult transition between the subdivisions in 2023. By year, Keeler led the Bearkats to a […]
North Texas gets back on track, eviscerates UTSA 55-17
Something special is in the air in Denton, TX. The record crowd of 31,386 in Week 7’s Friday night matchup against ranked South Florida could sense it, and that’s why people are flocking in droves to DATCU Stadium this year to support this program. While an unfortunate string of five turnovers prevented North Texas from […]
Houston WR Stephon Johnson Jr. confirms he is out for season
The Houston Cougars are off to their best start since 2021, clinching bowl eligibility Saturday after a walk-off 31-28 victory over Arizona. However, Houston will be without one of its starting wide receivers for the remainder of this promising season. Stephon “Boogie” Johnson Jr. confirmed on Instagram that he would miss the remainder of the […]
FCS Football: The Sunday After – Overreactions to Week 8
For most FCS teams there is just one October game left, which is a wild thing to think about. The season is well into its latter half and the Week 8 slate further separated the wills and the will nots for 2025. Although there wasn’t a ton of surprises over the weekend, there were some […]
SMU exacts revenge on Clemson 35-24, remains perfect in ACC play
The SMU Mustangs had never lost a conference matchup since joining the ACC, entering Saturday a spotless 10-0. But the Mustangs weren’t completely spotless against their peers in the new league. On Dec. 7, 2024 SMU competed in the ACC Championship Game, storming back from a 31-14 fourth quarter deficit to knot the game at […]
UAB completes stunning upset over undefeated No. 22 Memphis, 31-24
Last Sunday, UAB fired third-year head coach Trent Dilfer after compiling a 9-21 record as the Blazers’ frontman. During his tenure, he never won a single road game and only defeated one opponent that qualified for bowl eligibility. Offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen claimed interim head coach duties, and his job was merely to keep the […]
Tulane scores 2 TD in final 2 minutes to push past Army, 24-17
Tulane appeared destined to fall into the service academy trap. In the previous 10 years, there was nothing more dangerous than an American Conference contender running into an option-based service academy. 2015 Memphis, 2016 Houston, 2022 UCF, and 2024 Memphis were all ranked or high-profile teams that watched American title hopes dissipate thanks to losses […]
Houston walks off Arizona 31-28, clinches bowl eligibility for first time since 2022
Houston needed a feeling out period to adjust to Big 12 football. The Cougars commenced their tenure in the new conference with back-to-back 4-8 seasons, looking for a spark to reignite the program. With three seconds remaining in a deadlocked 28-28 ballgame, all of the trials and tribulations of acclimating to the Big 12 stood […]
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