The entire landscape of college football is changing quickly as teams jump to new conferences, and Conference USA is getting in on the action this season.
The University of Memphis will have six new foes in the newly rebuilt C-USA, two of which played in bowl games last season (Marshall and UTEP).
Marshall, Rice, Southern Methodist University, Tulsa, The University of Central Florida and The University of Texas at El Paso join the conference as football schools.
Memphis adds four of those to this season’s schedule.
U of M junior running back Joseph Doss looks at the situation as practically a do-over.
“It’s my second year here and with more new teams, it’s kind of like starting my freshman year again,” he said.
Players pointed to the loss of Louisville to the Big East as the biggest change, but feel new rivalries will develop over time.
“When you lose a top 10 team like Louisville, it’s big, but I like it better now with 12 teams and a chance to compete for a conference championship each year,” said Will Hudgens, a redshirt freshman quarterback.
Sophomore defensive back Jake Kasser said Southern Miss is the biggest in-conference rival right now, but feels a team like Tulsa could develop into a rival.
But the Tigers still have local rival Ole Miss on the schedule first, and that’s a move that came long before C-USA even existed.
A team-by-team look:
Marshall Thundering Herd
Location: Huntington, W. Va.
Head coach: Mark Snyder
2004 record: 6-6, including loss in Fort Worth Bowl
Potential offensive star: Sophomore RB Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 462 yards last season.
Potential defensive stars: Senior DBs Curtis Keyes and Chris Royal had 108 tackles and six interceptions last season, respectively.
Tiger all-time record against: None
Notes: Marshall has produced NFL stars Randy Moss, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich, as well as three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Brown of the New England Patriots.
Rice Owls
Location: Houston, Texas
Head coach: Ken Hatfield
2004 record: 3-8
Potential offensive star: Sophomore QB Joel Armstrong rushed for 608 yards and five touchdowns last season and threw for 341 yards and two TDs.
Potential defensive star: Senior defensive lineman John Syptak had 69 tackles in 2004.
Tiger all-time record against: None
Notes: The Heisman Trophy is named after former Rice coach John Heisman.
SMU Mustangs
Location: Dallas, Texas
Head coach: Phil Bennett
2004 record: 3-8
Potential offensive stars: Senior QBs Jerad Romo and Tony Eckert combined for 2,005 passing yards and 327 rushing yards last season.
Potential defensive star: Senior Alvin Nnabuife had 80 tackles and one interception in 2004.
Tiger all-time record against: 1-0
Notes: The Doak Walker Award was named for the first junior to win the Heisman in 1948 at SMU. Running backs nationwide compete for the trophy today.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Head coach: Steve Kragthorpe
2004 record: 4-8
Potential offensive stars: Senior RB Uril Parrish and Junior RB Brandon Diles rushed for a combined 1,661 yards and 15 TDs last year.
Potential defensive star: Junior linebacker Nick Bunting had 88 tackles in 2004.
Tiger all-time record against: 14-6
Notes: Veteran QB Gus Frerotte of the Miami Dolphins attended Tulsa.
UCF Golden Knights
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Head coach: George O’Leary
2004 record: 0-11
Potential offensive star: Junior QB Steven Moffett threw for 1,721 yards and nine TDs last season.
Potential defensive star: Senior CB Travonti Johnson had 50 tackles in 2004.
Tiger all-time record against: 1-0
Notes: Minnesota Vikings star QB Daunte Culpepper threw for 11,412 yards and 89 TDs in four seasons at UCF.
UTEP Miners
Location: El Paso, Texas
Head coach: Mike Price
2004 record: 8-4, including loss in EV1.net Houston Bowl
Potential offensive star: Junior QB Jordan Palmer threw for 2,818 yards and 26 TDs in 2004.
Potential defensive star: Senior LB Thomas Howard had 62 tackles last season.
Tiger all-time record against: None
Notes: NFL Hall of Fame receiver Don Maynard attended UTEP when it was called Texas Western. Maynard set numerous NFL records before he was enshrined at Canton in 1987.
