This is the last year of the Conference USA that we know, with six teams leaving and four arriving next year.
Yet for this final year, there should be one truly interesting race. Friday’s game in which UTSA visits Middle Tennessee State is an example of how interesting this race should be.
UTSA, headed next season to the American Athletic Conference, was the favorite in the Conference USA preseason poll. Middle Tennessee was only picked eighth.
UTSA (2-2, 0-0 Conference USA) has done nothing to suggest that the Roadrunners shouldn’t be the favorite. The early week college football betting odds had the Roadrunners as a 4.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM.
The two UTSA losses were to Houston 37-35 in three overtimes and to Texas, 41-20. UTSA is coming off a 52-24 win over FCS Texas Southern. The other victory was a 41-38 triumph over Army
Middle Tennessee State (3-1, 0-0) has been a surprise.
The Blue Raiders opened their season with a 44-7 loss to James Madison, which looked like a bad defeat since JMU was playing its first game after moving from FCS to FBS status. Of course, this past week’s 32-28 win by JMU over Appalachian State in a Sun Belt thriller showed that the Dukes (3-0) are indeed ready for the move up.
Since that opening loss, Middle Tennessee has won three in a row, including this past week’s stunning 45-31 victory at then No. 25 Miami.
It was a game where the Blue Raiders also made plenty of green. USA Today reported that MTSU received $1.5 million to make the trip to Miami to play the game. Plus there was an extra $40,000 for travel expenses.
Now that’s an ideal road trip.
MTSU quarterback Chase Cunningham completed 16 of 25 passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 29 yards and one score.
Check out this gem, a 98-yard scoring pass to DJ Chisolm-England.
This week’s game should actually be a great quarterback matchup.
UTSA sixth-year senior quarterback Frank Harris is a human highlight film. The lefthander has completed 67.5% of his passes for 1,310 yards, 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 162 yards (5.2 avg.) and two touchdowns.
At least the Roadrunners won’t be overwhelmed at facing a top-flight quarterback.
Against Miami, they did such a good job against highly touted sophomore Tyler Van Dyke, that the Hurricanes benched him after he completed 16 of 32 passes for 132 yards, one touchdown, but two interceptions. Even though he hasn’t matched his production of last year, Van Dyke had been mentioned as a potential future NFL first-round draft choice. Backup Jamie Garcia completed 10 of 19 passes for 169 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions against MTSU.
Both Miami quarterbacks had trouble dealing with redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Zaylin Wood. The 6-foot-1, 280-pound Wood was named the Walter Camp FBS Defensive Player of the Week, an easy choice. Wood had two sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception that he returned 15 yards for a touchdown.
So the Blue Raiders have impact players on both sides of the ball.
Yet the biggest question is whether they can put such a huge win behind them and get ready to face what may be the best team in the conference.
While coach Rick Stockstill will repeatedly tell his team to forget about last week, that is easier said than done.
The Blue Raiders were the big story in college football on Saturday and now they have to come up with a similar effort against a team that will likely have much better quarterback play. Of course, MTSU will enter the game with the confidence that it can beat anybody on its schedule. And of course, there is also the huge chip on the shoulder for being selected eighth in the preseason poll.
The Blue Raiders will be out to show that the preseason pollsters should take another vote and that last Saturday in Miami was not a fluke.