Florida Atlantic shocked the college football world and won Conference USA in Lane Kiffin’s first year as head coach in 2017.
The Owls defeated North Texas 41-17 for the championship on December 2, 2017.
Looking ahead to 2018, Florida Atlantic appears on paper to be the favorite in the East Division, while the West Division is a complete toss-up.
With 54 days left until the college football season begins, let’s evaluate both divisions, and pick a winner for the 2018 Conference USA football crown.
East Division:
Florida Atlantic
Marshall
Florida International
Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky
Old Dominion
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic is once again favored to be the cream of the crop in the East Division, and it appears to be so without much question. While replacing Jason Driskel will be difficult, DeAndre Johnson and Chris Robison should be up for the task. On top of that, Lane Kiffin is an offensive mastermind. Both Marshall and Florida International have questions at quarterback and have had marginal play at the position for the past two years. Middle Tennessee could be the surprise team of the division if Brent Stockstill stays healthy at quarterback. Western Kentucky and Old Dominion will both be fighting to get back to a bowl game in 2018, while Charlotte is just hoping to win a game or two.
Key Divisional Matchups: FAU @ Marshall (10/20) and FAU @ FIU (11/3)
West Division:
Southern Miss
Louisiana Tech
North Texas
UAB
UTSA
UTEP
Rice
Southern Miss has been on the cusp of a division championship the past two years, but the lack of consistent quarterback play prevented the Golden Eagles from reaching the title game. Jay Hopson takes the next step in year three. Louisiana Tech is the most talented team in the west division, and quite frankly, it’s not close in my opinion. If Tech gets good quarterback play, Tech could win ten games. If Tech gets the same quarterback play they got in 2017, they’ll again find themselves with six or seven wins. North Texas beat up on bad teams in 2017, but that won’t happen in an improved division in 2018. UAB takes a step back in 2018 because of a lack of a high-powered offense. UTSA continues its search for a quarterback in year three of the Frank Wilson era. UTEP could be the surprise of the division if Texas transfer, Kai Locksley, plays well at quarterback. Rice is in rebuild mode; they’ll be down for the next couple of years.
Key Divisional Matchups: Tech @ Southern Miss (11/17), Tech @ North Texas (9/29), and Southern Miss @ North Texas (10/13)
Championship Prediction: Florida Atlantic over Southern Miss
Lane Kiffin and the Owls repeat as conference champions in 2018. The offensive system that is being run in Boca Raton is extremely difficult to slow down.
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