HERO Sports wraps up the previews with "Two-A-Days" for each FCS conference through Friday, Aug. 24 (see full schedule below). Today, we feature the Big South Conference.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Compare Any Two FCS Teams [divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
SUM IT UP
(NOTE: Team by team previews in this conference are below)
Last year, the Big South Conference managed two FCS playoffs spots, but that shouldn't be taken for granted to be a annual thing. It is hard to see that happening this year. Look, the obvious choice for frontrunner is Kennesaw State (see championship prediction below). The most interesting battle will be for No. 2. Both Monmouth and Charleston Southern look formidable based on the personnel they return. The game between them this year will be in New Jersey and will be the game of the year in this conference. It was a barn burner last year that culminated in a 3-point Monmouth win. Monmouth's offense and CSU's defense will be stellar, and if the other side of the ball improves too, these are two teams to watch nationally.
Meanwhile, you have an interesting mix of things happening with the other three teams in the Big South. Presbyterian is transitioning to non-scholarship football, and Campbell is moving up from non-scholie — so they'll wave at each other as they pass by this year. Gardner-Webb was a head scratching team a year ago that returns 16 starters — including 9 on offense. The Runnin' Bulldogs gave a handful of their opponents fits last year, despite going 1-10. Independents Hampton and North Alabama will be members soon, too, and will add depth and talent to a league that needs it.
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KSU Athletics[/credit]
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NAMES TO KNOW
THE VETERAN COACH: Kevin Callahan, Monmouth
Callahan has led the Hawks since 1992, and has won five conference titles. He led the program to the FCS Playoffs last year.
TOP PASSER: Kenji Bahar, Monmouth
Threw for 2,368 yards and 16 TDs on 205-of-331 passing.
TOP RUSHER: Pete Guerriero, Monmouth
He rushed for 1,061 yards and 9 TDs to finish up with 96.5 rushing yards a game. KSU QB Chandler Burks rushed for 1,103 yards and 18 TDs.
TOP RECEIVER: Reggie White Jr., Monmouth
Caught 74 passes last year for 874 yards and 8 touchdowns.
TOP TACKLER AND SACK MAN: Bryson Armstrong, Kennesaw State
The returning Jerry Rice Freshman of the Year Award winner had 114 stops last year, with 11 sacks.
TOP INT ARTIST: Tie
Teammates Bryson Armstrong and Jace White of Kennesaw State hold this place with 3 INTs.
BOUNCE BACK ARTIST: Eric Zokouri, Monmouth
Was playing well before a season-ending injury after 5 games – 497 yards rushing, 6 TDs.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Kameron Brown, WR, Charleston Southern
Brown showed flashes of brilliance the past two years, and had big-play ability using his big frame.
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TOP FANBASE (*)
Kennesaw State is No. 5 and just a hair away from No. 4 in the FCS in terms of how engaged their fans are with the previews we produced, and not surprisingly led the Big South in attendance last year also. With a good year ahead of it, the Owls may rise from here.
(*) – Based on fan engagement with our previews this summer.
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THE DARKHORSE
Charleston Southern was five points away from beating two FCS playoff teams and finishing 8-3 last year, with two of those remaining losses coming to P5 teams (Mississippi State and Indiana). There are a lot of players still in this program who played in the Fargodome in the 2016 FCS Kickoff Classic and gave NDSU everything it wanted — pushing the game to overtime before falling. Guys like Solomon Brown, Shadarius Hopkins, J.D. Sosebee, Kam Brown, Johnny Robinson — they all made plays in that game, and they're all still here, folks, This team has talent and experience. CSU could be a serious threat in this league if the offense finds itself.
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THE FAVORITE
Kennesaw State proved it was the real deal, making it to the FCS Quarterfinals last year — and handling the two most serious league threats (Monmouth and CSU) by a combined score of 90-21. KSU returns just about everybody in its fourth year of existence — its first full-fledged senior class. For the most part, it seems the red carpet is laid out for KSU to win the Big South again and likely be seeded — and non-conference FCS battles with Samford and Jacksonville State are gutsy and will go a long way in defining KSU's status among the FCS elite.
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RANKING THE BIG SOUTH
| RANK | HERO SPORTS | COACHES |
| 1 | Kennesaw | Kennesaw |
| 2 | Char. Southern (up) | Monmouth |
| 3 | Monmouth | Char. Southern |
| 4 | Campbell (up) | Gardner-Webb |
| 5 | Gardner-Webb | Campbell |
| 6 | Presbyterian | Presbyterian |
| IND. | Hampton | Hampton |
| IND. | No. Alabama | No. Alabama |
THE DIFFERENCE: The game between Monmouth and Charleston Southern was a 3-point Monmouth win last year. Both teams look strong in the Big South again, but I have a feeling the Bucs win this one in 2018. The only other difference is swapping Campbell and Gardner-Webb, which truly is a coin flip because GWU does return a nice contingent. Campbell is new to the league, and to full scholarship football, but added 30+ new players to beef things up, returning 18 starters. The Camels have an electric quarterback (Daniel Smith) to lean on who was a 1,000 yard man in passing and rushing. This is an up and coming program, ready to reach into the upper half of this league.
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HERO SPORTS FCS PODCAST: Subscribe here
BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
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FCS PREVIEWS: The Rest Of The Big South
Campbell | Charleston Southern | Gardner-Webb
Kennesaw St. | Monmouth | Presbyterian
IND.'s in 2018 (*): Hampton | North Alabama
(*) — Will be in Big South in the near future
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FCS PREVIEWS CONFERENCE BY CONFERENCE
Aug. 19 – Missouri Valley & Ohio Valley
Aug. 20 – Southland, SoCon & Big South
Aug. 21 – MEAC & MVFC
Aug. 22 – CAA & NEC
Aug. 23 – Big Sky & Pioneer
Aug. 24 – Patriot & Ivy
