Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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For the Record: The American has a 34-year rematch, a touchdown collector, and a 28-year-old punter
College football has a funny definition of a neighbor. Apparently, you can share a city, sit 3.2 miles apart, and still go 34 years without playing each other. Elsewhere in this week’s American Conference game notes, there’s a receiver collecting touchdowns in every available form, a punter born in 1998 and a quarterback family Jeff […]
For the Record: CUSA has pregame Skittles, a tight end with a camera, and a spooky Halloween connection
October is here, and Conference USA apparently got the candy out early. Middle Tennessee’s game notes include an actual pregame snack scouting report, while WKU’s packet takes a detour into the origins of Michael Myers. Somewhere between the sugar and the slasher movies, there’s a Delaware tight end helping tell his teammates’ stories and a […]
Rice Stadium becomes First Community Stadium in 20-year naming rights deal
Constructed in 1950, Rice Stadium was one of the older stadiums in college football, and it’s one with rich history. President John F. Kennedy delivered his “We choose to go to the Moon” speech there in 1962. Eleven years later, the venue played host to Super Bowl VIII, where Larry Csonka and the Miami Dolphins […]
FCS Week 5 Game of the Week: South Dakota State Jackrabbits @ Illinois State Redbirds: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions
Date: Saturday, October 3 Time: 7:00 PM (ET) TV: ESPN+ The Quick Hits Every week in the Missouri Valley from here on out will feature at least one pivotal game that will shape the eventual playoff picture. This week’s signature matchup will be between #2 South Dakota State (4-1, 1-0 MVFC) and #10 Illinois State […]
2026 Week 5 Preview: North Texas Mean Green @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Game notes Setting the scene North Texas and Tulsa weren’t exactly popular preseason contenders in the American Conference, but these two teams arguably hold the league’s most impressive non-conference results. Tulsa opened the season with a stunning 24-10 upset of Oklahoma State, while North Texas decimated UNLV 44-6 in Week 2. Both teams have played […]
Weekday CUSA Previews: 2026 Week 5
Welcome to the fourth season of Weekday CUSA. Originating in 2023, Weekday CUSA has become the official name of the conference’s series of nationally televised showcases throughout the month of October. The first Weekday CUSA slate typically features Thursday and Friday night contests, before the conference fully shifts its games to Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Week […]
2026 Week 5 Preview: UCF Knights @ Houston Cougars
Game notes Setting the scene From Conference USA to the American Conference to the Big 12, the Houston Cougars and UCF Knights have been attached at the hip for decades, frequently making conference moves in tandem. While it isn’t officially a rivalry, there is some budding tension between the programs — and it mainly has […]
2026 Week 5 Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats @ Arizona Wildcats
Game notes Setting the scene The Bearcats and Wildcats have met just once before. That was last November when Cincinnati controlled its own destiny for a Big 12 Championship appearance. Arizona spoiled those plans in a cross-country trip to Nippert Stadium, overcoming a halftime deficit for a 30-24 victory. The series shifts to Tucson this […]
Four thoughts from Week 4 in the American Conference
Four weeks of American Conference play are in the books, and most teams are wrapping up non-conference play. South Florida remains the conference’s lone undefeated team at 4-0, while Tulsa suffered its first setback on the road at Arkansas. UAB picked up a signature Friday night conference victory over Navy, while the other service academy, […]
UCF unveils Mission X Space Game uniforms
It’s become increasingly difficult to establish a new longstanding tradition in college football. Many of the sport’s newer traditions cease to exist the instant a coaching staff changes. But the UCF Knights created one of the greatest 21st century traditions college football has to offer — the annual Space Game, which started during the Knights’ […]
Where Does Eli Gillman Belong Among Big Sky, FCS Greats?
Transcendent talents, by their very nature, are difficult to come by. Not very often do us spectators get the knowledge in the midst of it that we are watching something that will stand the test of time. For Montana Grizzlies followers and those FCS fans in the know, however, they’ve been acutely aware of exactly […]
Case Keenum still has it, 15 years after dominating at Houston
Case Keenum hadn’t taken an NFL snap since Christmas Eve 2023. Three birthdays have passed since, and the 38-year-old Keenum stuck around in the NFL. The 15th-year veteran was more of a player-coach than a player, serving as a mentor to Chicago Bears’ quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. But when Williams suffered a hamstring […]
Middle Tennessee head coach Derek Mason criticizes officiating; reprimanded by CUSA
Middle Tennessee head coach Derek Mason wasn’t shy about his feeling toward the Conference USA officiating crew after his Blue Raiders’ 23-13 loss at Jacksonville State in Week 4. Mason opened his Monday press conference criticizing the officials, stating they missed 17 holding calls on Jax State. “I just got off the phone with (Conference […]
Undefeated South Florida escapes winless Bowling Green, 14-6, behind 4th quarter rally
Only one Week 4 matchup pitted a 3-0 team against an 0-3 opponent. Both records held, but it was a four-quarter defensive struggle between the teams headed in opposite directions. South Florida (4-0, 1-0 American) escaped Bowling Green (0-4, 0-0 MAC) with a 14-6 victory, remaining last undefeated team in the American Conference. Meanwhile, Bowling […]
SMU and Missouri State played the exact same game two years in a row
Casey Woods was an integral part of SMU’s rise into a perennial conference championship contender. Woods spent four seasons as offensive coordinator at SMU, directing three top-12 scoring offenses and leading the Mustangs to an American championship, two conference title game appearances, a College Football Playoff berth, and a bowl win. On Saturday, Woods was […]
Four takeaways from Cincinnati’s statement 31-26 win over Kansas State
A Saturday night statement was made. The Cincinnati Bearcats are 4-0 for the first time since 2021, when they qualified for the College Football Playoff. Cincinnati entered Saturday night at Nippert Stadium as touchdown underdogs to a Kansas State team which was hardly challenged during a 3-0 start, outscoring its first three opponents 136-30. While […]
Tulane clutches up; Will Hall gets revenge on Southern Miss, 24-21
Tulane and Southern Miss was already an established rivalry. The Battle for the Bell dates back to 1979, and the Green Wave and Golden Eagles settled things on an annual basis from 1979 through 2006. Even though conference realignment drew the rivals apart, the teams regularly schedule each other in the non-conference slate and Saturday […]
FCS Week 4 Recap: The Mighty Fall
The final weekend of September action is in the books for college football teams everywhere. The FCS sent the ninth month out with a bang. Several Top 25 teams went down on Saturday, many to unranked foes. It was a collection of results that shook up the landscape and changed the perception of a handful […]
Fritz leads Houston to 42-28 offensive surge in homecoming at Georgia Southern
Statesboro, GA was where it all began for Willie Fritz. After decades of rising in the coaching ranks from JUCO to Division II to FCS, Fritz finally received his first FBS coaching opportunity in 2014, tasked with facilitating Georgia Southern’s transition from the FCS to the FBS. Fritz flourished in Statesboro, producing a 17-7 record […]
UTSA outduels Colorado State in 59-45 shootout; highest-scoring regulation game since 2024
It started with the opening kickoff and never slowed down. UTSA and Colorado State put on a scoring marathon Saturday afternoon at the Alamodome to a level the sport hadn’t seen in years. The Roadrunners’ 59-45 victory was the highest-scoring regulation FBS game since Texas Tech and Oklahoma State also combined for 104 points on […]
Chris Marshall, Arkansas end Tulsa’s perfect record, 34-6
September 2026 was a month to remember for Tulsa. Tre Lamb led the Golden Hurricane to a statement 24-10 upset over Oklahoma State in opener, providing the spark the program needed for its first 3-0 start since 2008. However, Tulsa’s quest at non-conference perfection was abruptly stonewalled in SEC country. Arkansas, coming off consecutive losses […]
Army bounces back with 21-17 Friday afternoon win at Temple
Army and Temple both entered a rare Friday 4 p.m. ET matchup knowing they left the last on one the table. The Black Knights squandered a 10-point lead with under four minutes reamining to South Florida in their previous outing. Meanwhile, the Owls watched a 14-point advantage erase in the final 70 seconds of regulation […]
For the Record: CUSA has a versatile basketball player, return to Coastal, and the last home opener
Conference USA’s game notes this week delivered a basketball-to-football plot twist, a coach returning to the place that made him a star and one team that has yet to see its own home field. Shout out to the SIDs and communications staffs whose tireless work makes this column possible. This one’s for you. 1. Missouri […]
For the Record: Pac-12 has a Rodeo Champion, orange 14-yard lines, and a $100-per-catch pledge
The new Pac-12 has eight football teams, and its game notes already have more range than a Saturday viewing schedule. This week’s reading takes us from a rodeo arena to a stadium tribute to a tight end whose catches carry a little extra weight. Shout out to the SIDs and communications staffs whose tireless work […]
Week 4 in Big 12: Massive one in Morgantown, undefeated ‘Cats clash
We’ve reached Week 4, and so far, we’ve only had two conference matchups in the Big 12. Both delivered. The Arizona-BYU and Houston-Texas Tech matchups were both a tale of two halves, where the road underdog entered the break with a lead before the home favorite turned on the burners to finish. Now, we have […]
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