2017 Conference USA football season
Sports season
2017 Conference USA football season League NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Sport Football Duration August 26, 2017 through December 27, 2017 Number of teams 14 TV partner(s) ESPN , CBS Sports Network , Stadium , beIN Sports , CUSA.tv , FloSportsTop draft pick DE Marcus Davenport , UTSA Picked by New Orleans Saints , 14th overallSeason MVP RB Devin Singletary , FAU East champions Florida Atlantic West champions North Texas Champions Florida Atlantic Runners-up North Texas Finals MVP WR Kalib Woods, FAU
The 2017 Conference USA football season was the 22nd season of Conference USA football and part of the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The season began on August 26 with Rice facing Stanford in Sydney, Australia .[ 1] This season was the third season for C-USA under realignment that took place in 2014 , which added the 14th member Charlotte from the Atlantic 10 Conference . C-USA is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference , the Mid-American Conference , the Mountain West Conference , and the Sun Belt Conference .
C-USA consists of 14 members: Charlotte , FIU , Florida Atlantic , Louisiana Tech , Marshall , Middle Tennessee , North Texas , Old Dominion , Rice , Southern Miss , UAB , UTEP , UTSA , and Western Kentucky ; and is divided into the East and West divisions. UAB will begin play for the first time since 2014, after the Blazer football program was dropped from competition.[ 2]
Preseason
The 2017 preseason media football poll was released on July 18.[ 3] Western Kentucky was picked to win its third straight East Division title, while Louisiana Tech was picked to repeat as West Division champion.
East Division
1. Western Kentucky (20 first-place votes)
2. Middle Tennessee (4)
3. Old Dominion (3)
4. Marshall (1)
5. Florida Atlantic
6. FIU
7. Charlotte
West Division
1. Louisiana Tech (20)
2. UTSA (7)
3. Southern Miss (1)
4. North Texas
5. Rice
6. UTEP
7. UAB
Preseason awards
The conference preseason awards were released on July 17.[ 4] WKU senior QB Mike White was selected as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year. Rice senior LB Emmanuel Ellerbee was selected the Defensive Player of the Year, and WKU senior KR Kylen Towner was selected Special Teams Player of the Year honors
Offense
Position
Player
Class
Team
QB
Mike White
Senior
Western Kentucky
WR
Richie James
Junior
Middle Tennessee
WR
Jonathan Duhart
Senior
Old Dominion
WR
Allenzae Staggers
Senior
Southern Miss
RB
Ray Lawry
Senior
Old Dominion
RB
Ito Smith
Senior
Southern Miss
OL
O’Shea Dugas
Junior
Louisiana Tech
OL
Will Hernandez
Senior
UTEP
OL
Trey Martin
Senior
Rice
OL
Austin Pratt
Senior
UTSA
OL
Brandon Ray
Senior
Western Kentucky
TE
Ryan Yurachek
Senior
Marshall
Defense
Position
Player
Class
Team
DL
Marcus Davenport
Senior
UTSA
DL
Jaylon Ferguson
Sophomore
Louisiana Tech
DL
Chris Johnson
Senior
Western Kentucky
DL
Oshane Ximines
Senior
Old Dominion
LB
Emmanuel Ellerbee
Senior
Rice
LB
Alvin Jones
Senior
UTEP
LB
Josiah Tauaefa
Sophomore
UTSA
LB
Anthony Wint
Senior
FIU
DB
Brandon Addison
Senior
Old Dominion
DB
Nate Brooks
Junior
North Texas
DB
Joe Brown
Senior
Western Kentucky
DB
Kishawn McClain
Senior
North Texas
Specialists
Position
Player
Class
Team
P
Jake Collins
Junior
Western Kentucky
K
Canon Rooker
Senior
Middle Tennessee
KR
Kylen Towner
Senior
Western Kentucky
PR
Nacarius Fant
Senior
Western Kentucky
LS
Matt Bayliss
Senior
UTSA
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Mike White , Senior, QB, WKU
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Emmanuel Ellerbee, Senior, LB, Rice
Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year: Kylen Towner, Senior, KR, WKU
Head coaches
Three Conference USA teams hired new head coaches for the 2017 season. All three were in the East Division, and all three were replacing coaches who had spent at least three seasons at their respective schools.
FIU hired Butch Davis to replace Ron Turner , who was fired after going 0–4 with the panthers.[ 5] Ron Cooper was promoted as interim head coach after the fire until the hire of Davis. Davis is coming from a break from coaching football from 2011 to 2016. He was the head coach for many teams in college such as North Carolina and teams in NFL . Littrell was hired on November 14, 2016.[ 6]
Florida Atlantic hired Lane Kiffin to replace Charlie Partridge , who was fired after leading the Owls to a 9–27 record during his three-year tenure at Florida Atlantic.[ 7] Kiffin spent three years prior to Florida Atlantic at Alabama as an offensive coordinator under the head coach, Nick Saban . Lane was hired on December 12, 2016.[ 8]
Western Kentucky hired Mike Sanford Jr. to replace Jeff Brohm , who resigned on December 5, 2016, to become the head coach at Purdue . Sanford was a quarterback coach and an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame for two seasons. Sanford was hired on December 14, 2016.
Note: All stats shown are before the beginning of the season.
Records against FBS conferences
Regular season
Post season
Postseason
Postseason awards
Most Valuable Player : Devin Singletary , RB, Florida Atlantic[ 9]
Offensive Player of the Year : Mason Fine , QB, North Texas[ 9]
Defensive Player of the Year : Marcus Davenport , DE, UTSA[ 9]
Special Teams Player of the Year : Isaiah Harper, KR, Old Dominion[ 9]
Coach of the Year : Bill Clark , UAB[ 10]
Freshman of the Year : Spencer Brown , RB, UAB[ 9]
Newcomer of the Year : Jalen Guyton , WR, sophomore, North Texas & Teddy Veal, WR, junior, Louisiana Tech[ 9]
All-Conference Teams
[ 11]
Position
Player
Team
Second Team Offense
QB
Mike White
Western Kentucky
RB
Jeffery Wilson
North Texas
RB
Spencer Brown
UAB
WR
Teddy Veal
Louisiana Tech
WR
Ty Lee
Middle Tennessee
WR
Jalen Guyton
North Texas
TE
Harrison Bryant
Florida Atlantic
OL
Jordan Budwig
FIU
OL
O'Shea Dugas
Louisiana Tech
OL
Levi Brown
Marshall
OL
Devin Farrior
Southern Miss
OL
Chris Schleuger
UAB
Second Team Defense
DL
Fermin Silva
FIU
DL
Ryan Bee
Marshall
DL
Xavier Thigpen
Southern Miss
DL
Kevin Strong
UTSA
LB
Anthony Wint
FIU
LB
Chase Hancock
Marshall
LB
Khalil Brooks
Middle Tennessee
DB
Brad Muhammad
FIU
DB
Amik Robertson
Louisiana Tech
DB
Malik Gant
Marshall
DB
Curtis Mikell
Southern Miss
Second Team Special Teams
P
Jack Fox
Rice
K
Trevor Moore
North Texas
KR
Keion Davis
Marshall
PR
Austin Trammell
Rice
LS
Matt Bayliss
UTSA
Position
Player
Team
Honorable Mention Offense
QB
Alex McGough
FIU
QB
Jason Driskel
Florida Atlantic
QB
Brent Stockstill
Middle Tennessee
QB
A. J. Erdely
UAB
RB
Alex Gardner
FIU
RB
Gregory Howell
Florida Atlantic
RB
Jarred Craft
Louisiana Tech
RB
Boston Scott
Louisiana Tech
RB
Ray Lawry
Old Dominion
WR
Rashid Bonnette
Louisiana Tech
WR
Marcel Williams
Marshall
WR
Michael Lawrence
North Texas
WR
Austin Walter
Rice
WR
Allenzae Staggers
Southern Miss
WR
Andre Wilson
UAB
WR
Nacarius Fant
Western Kentucky
WR
Lucky Jackson
Western Kentucky
TE
Pharoah McKever
FIU
TE
Kam McKnight
Louisiana Tech
TE
Deon Yelder
Western Kentucky
OL
Nate Davis
Charlotte
OL
Eugene German
Charlotte
OL
Joshua Outlaw
Louisiana Tech
OL
Ethan Reed
Louisiana Tech
OL
Robert Behanan
Middle Tennessee
OL
Chandler Brewer
Middle Tennessee
OL
T. J. Henson
North Texas
OL
Sosaia Mose
North Texas
OL
Jordan Murray
North Texas
OL
Elex Woodworth
North Texas
OL
Nick Clarke
Old Dominion
OL
Isaac Weaver
Old Dominion
OL
Calvin Anderson
Rice
OL
Trey Martin
Rice
OL
Drake Dorbeck
Southern Miss
OL
Arvin Fletcher
Southern Miss
OL
James Davis
UAB
Bowl games
Legend
CUSA win
CUSA loss
(Rankings from final CFP Poll; All times Eastern)
Date
Time
Bowl Game
Site
TV
CUSA Team
Opponent
Result
December 16, 2017
1:00 p.m.
New Orleans Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA
ESPN
North Texas
Troy
50–30
December 16, 2017
2:30 p.m.
AutoNation Cure Bowl
Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL
CBSSN
Western Kentucky
Georgia State
27–17
December 16, 2017
4:30 p.m.
New Mexico Bowl
Dreamstyle Stadium • Albuquerque, NM
ESPN
Marshall
Colorado State
31–28
December 16, 2017
8:00 p.m.
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL
ESPN
Middle Tennessee
Arkansas State
35–30
December 19, 2017
7:00 p.m.
Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL
ESPN
Florida Atlantic
Akron
50–3
December 20, 2017
7:00 p.m.
Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX
ESPN
Louisiana Tech
SMU
51–10
December 21, 2017
8:00 p.m.
Gasparilla Bowl
Tropicana Field • St. Petersburg, FL
ESPN
FIU
Temple
28–3
December 22, 2017
12:30 p.m.
Bahamas Bowl
Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas
ESPN
UAB
Ohio
41–6
December 27, 2017
1:30 p.m.
Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium • Shreveport, LA
ESPN
Southern Miss
Florida State
42–13
Home game attendance
Team
Stadium
Capacity
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Game 6
Game 7
Total
Average
% of Capacity
Charlotte
Jerry Richardson Stadium
15,314
18,651
11,029
10,584
11,889
10,937
8,330
—
71,420
11,903
77.73%
FIU
FIU Stadium
20,000
5,017†
15,348
16,433
18,874
17,127
16,199
14,004
103,002
14,715
73.57%
Florida Atlantic
FAU Stadium
29,419
28,481
16,743
12,913
13,277
15,880
24,116
14,258 ‡
125,668
17,953
61.02%
Louisiana Tech
Joe Aillet Stadium
28,562
24,002
28,100
22,013
17,815
18,504
16,511
15,651
142,596
20,371
71.32%
Marshall
Joan C. Edwards Stadium
38,227
22,463
24,044
26,097
19,966
19,516
18,361
130,447
21,741
56.87%
Middle Tennessee
Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
30788
26717
16523
15527
13412
11411
10128
—
93,718
15,620
50.73%
North Texas
Apogee Stadium
30,850
19,592
20,142
23,068
18,872
26,108
26,392
—
134,174
22,362
72.49%
Old Dominion
Foreman Field
20,118
20,118
20,118
20,118
20,118
20,118
20,118
—
120,708
20,118
100.00%
Rice
Rice Stadium
47,000
18,932
21,766
19,992
18,124
17,956
—
—
96,770
19,354
41.18%
Southern Miss
M. M. Roberts Stadium
36,000
22,761
24,337
21,907
21,970
19,101
20,189
—
130,265
21,711
60.31%
UAB
Legion Field
71,594
45,212
21,789
27,213
25,309
21,224
12,505
—
153,252
25,542
35.68%
UTEP
Sun Bowl Stadium
51,500
19,136
22,133
20,418
19,456
16,597
—
—
97,740
19,548
37.96%
UTSA
Alamodome
65,000
25,093
23,517
25,270
20,076
20,148
—
—
114,104
22,821
35.11%
WKU
Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
22,113
18,614
16,223
17,590
16,754
12,441
12,612
—
94,234
15,706
71.02%
†Played at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL [ 12]
‡ Conference Championship Game
References
^ "FB: 2017 Schedule Released" . Conferenceusa.com. January 26, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017 .
^ "UAB to reinstate football for 2017 season" . ESPN.com . July 21, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2017 .
^ "FB: Preseason Media Poll" . Conference USA . Retrieved July 19, 2017 .
^ "FB: 2017 Preseason Awards" . Conference USA . Retrieved July 19, 2017 .
^ "Weekend Replay: Head Coach Ron Turner relieved of duties" . September 26, 2016.
^ "ESPN analyst Davis leaving to be FIU coach" . November 14, 2016.
^ "Florida Atlantic fires Charlie Partridge after three seasons" . USA Today .
^ Low, Chris; McMurphy, Brett (December 12, 2016). "Alabama OC Lane Kiffin to be next head coach of Florida Atlantic" . ESPN . Retrieved December 12, 2016 .
^ a b c d e f "FB: 2017 C-USA Individual Awards" (Press release). Conference USA. December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017 .
^ "FB: UAB's Bill Clark Named Coach of the Year" (Press release). Conference USA. December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017 .
^ "FB: 2017 All-Conference Awards" (Press release). Conference USA. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017 .
^ "Hurricane Irma 2017: FIU vs. Alcorn State to be played in Birmingham" . AL.com . September 7, 2017.
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