UMass Lowell
Vermont
11:00 am, March 11
#25 Missouri
#4 Alabama
1:00 pm, March 11
Ohio State
#5 Purdue
1:00 pm, March 11
Norfolk State
Howard
1:00 pm, March 11
Saint Louis
VCU
1:00 pm, March 11
Cincinnati
#1 Houston
3:00 pm, March 11
Vanderbilt
#18 Texas A&M
3:30 pm, March 11
Penn State
#19 Indiana
3:30 pm, March 11
Fordham
Dayton
3:30 pm, March 11
Texas Southern
Grambling
5:30 pm, March 11
Tulane
Memphis
5:30 pm, March 11
#7 Texas
#3 Kansas
6:00 pm, March 11
Utah State
#20 San Diego State
6:00 pm, March 11
#15 Xavier
#6 Marquette
6:30 pm, March 11
Kent State
Toledo
7:30 pm, March 11
Marist
Iona
7:30 pm, March 11
#21 Duke
#13 Virginia
8:30 pm, March 11
UAB
Florida Atlantic
8:30 pm, March 11
Cal State Fullerton
UC Santa Barbara
9:30 pm, March 11
#8 Arizona
#2 UCLA
10:30 pm, March 11
Grand Canyon
Southern Utah
11:30 pm, March 11

2019 Conference USA Football Preview

Check out the CSD preview for the Sun Belt Conference’s 2019 season in this loaded preview featuring in-depth coverage of everything you need to know about all ten teams, projected records based on thousands of computer simulations, and a list of the top players in the conference.

2019 Unit Rankings

QBRBWR/TEOLDLLBDB
1. North Texas1. charlotte1. louisana tech1. florida atlantic1. marshall1. middle tennessee1. fiu
2. Southern Miss2. uab2. north texas2. marshall2. fiu2. uab2. louisiana tech
3. Florida atlantic3. florida atlantic3. fiu3. fiu3. southern miss3. marshall3. southern miss

All-Conference USA Team

Offense

QB – Mason Fine, North Texas
RB – Benny Lemay, Charlotte
RB – Spencer Brown, UAB
WR – Rico Bussey, North Texas
WR – Adrian Hardy, Louisiana Tech
WR – Ty Lee, Middle Tennessee (or Quez Watkins, Southern Miss if he returns)
TE – Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
C – Levi Brown, Marshall
OL – BJ Etienne, Florida Atlantic
OL – Brandon Walton, Florida Atlantic
OL – Miles Pate, Western Kentucky
OL – D’Antne Demery, FIU

Defense

DL – Teair Tart, FIU
DL – Juwuan Jones, Western Kentucky
DL – Jacques Turner, Southern Miss
DL – Alex Highsmith, Charlotte
LB – Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee
LB – Sage Lewis, FIU
LB – Rashad Smith, Florida Atlantic
LB – DQ Thomas, Middle Tennessee
DB – Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
DB – Ben DeLuca, Charlotte
DB – Brontae Harris, UAB
DB – Stantley Thomas-Oliver, FIU

Awards

Offensive POY: QB Mason Fine – North Texas
Defensive POY: LB Khalil Brooks – Middle Tennessee
Freshman OTY: CB DeShawn Gaddie – North Texas
Newcomer OTY: RB BJ Emmons – Florida Atlantic
Coach OTY: Doc Holliday – Marshall
Game OTY: FIU @ Marshall (November 30th)
Breakout Player: QB Tyler Johnston III, UAB


EAST

T1. Marshall

Top Returning Players: IDL Channing Harnes

Notable Players Leaving: WR Tyre Brady, LB Chase Hancock, LB Frankie Hernandez, S Malik Gant

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 61st
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Rankings: 67th

Average Projected Record: 7.9 wins, 4.1 losses (5.5 wins, 2.5 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Marshall Thundering Herd Team Preview

T1. Florida Atlantic

Top Returning Players: TE Harrison Bryant, LB Rashad Smith

Notable Players Leaving: RB Devin Singletary, WR Jovon Durante, IDL Steven Leggertt

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 77th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking 79th

Average Projected Record: 7.6 wins, 4.4 losses (5.5 wins, 2.5 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Florida Atlantic Owls Team Preview

3. FIU

Top Returning Players: WR Austin Maloney, LB Sage Lewis, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver III, S Dorian Hall, S Richard Dames

Notable Players Leaving: WR C.J. Worton, IDL Anthony Johnson

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 83rd
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 83rd

Average Projected Record: 7.2 wins, 4.8 losses (4.7 wins, 3.3 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 FIU Panthers Team Preview

4. Middle Tennessee

Notable Players Leaving: QB Brent Stockstill, S Wesley Bush

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 68th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 94th

Average Projected Record: 6.2 wins, 5.8 losses (4.5 wins, 3.5 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Team Preview

5. Western Kentucky

Top Returning Players: T Miles Pate, EDGE Deangelo Malone, CB Ta’Corian Darden

Notable Players Leaving: LB Ben Holt

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 113th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 105th

Average Projected Record: 5.3 wins, 6.7 losses (3.4 wins, 4.6 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Team Preview

T6. Old Dominion

Top Returning Players: CB Joe Joe Headen

Notable Players Leaving: QB Blake LaRussa, WR Travis Fulgham, EDGE Oshane Ximines

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 114th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 115th

Average Projected Record: 4.3 wins, 7.7 losses (2.6 wins, 5.4 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Old Dominion Monarchs Team Preview

T6. Charlotte

Top Returning Players: T Cameron Clark, WR Victor Tucker, EDGE Alex Highsmith, CB Natees Lyon, LB Jeff Gemmell, S Ben DeLuca

Notable Players Leaving: LB Juwan Foggie

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 105th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 114th

Average Projected Record: 4.5 wins, 7.6 losses (2.6 wins, 5.4 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Charlotte 49ers Team Preview

WEST

1. North Texas

Top Returning Players: QB Mason Fine, RB DeAndre Torrey, WR Rico Bussey Jr., EDGE LaDarius Hamilton, S Khairi Muhammad

Notable Players Returning: IDL
Ulaiasi Tauaalo, LB E.J. Ejiya, LB Brandon Garner, CB Kemon Hall, CB Nate Brooks

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 78th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking 80th

Average Projected Record: 7.7 wins, 4.3 losses (5.5 wins, 2.5 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 North Texas Mean Green Team Preview

2. Southern Miss

Top Returning Players: EDGE Jacques Turner, LB Racheem Boothe, S Ky’El Hemby

Notable Players Leaving: WR Quez Watkins, S Xavier Marion

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 92nd
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 82nd

Average Projected Record: 6.7 wins, 5.3 losses (5.2 wins, 2.8 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Team Preview

Image result for uab logo

3. UAB

Top Returning Players: QB Tyler Johnston III, CB Brontae Harris, LB Kristopher Moll

Notable Players Leaving: WR Xavier Ubosi, WR Andre Wilson, IDL Anthony Rush, IDL Quindarius Thagard, EDGE Tre’ Crawford, LB Chris Woolbright, CB D.A. Williams, S Mar’Sean Diggs

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 71st
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 91st

Average Projected Record: 7.8 wins, 4.2 losses (5.0 wins, 3.0 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 UAB Blazers Team Preview

4. Louisiana Tech

Top Returning Players: WR Adrian Hardy, CB Amik Robertson, CB L’Jarius Sneed

Notable Players Leaving: EDGE Jaylon Ferguson

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 93rd
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 87th

Average Projected Record: 7.5 wins, 4.5 losses (4.8 wins, 3.2 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Team Preview

5. UTSA

Top Returning Players: EDGE Lorenzo Dantzler, EDGE Jarrod Carter-McLin

Notable Players Leaving: LB Josiah Tauaefa, S C.J. Levine

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 127th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 119th

Average Projected Record: 4.2 wins, 7.8 losses (2.8 wins, 5.2 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 UTSA Roadrunners Team Preview

T6. Rice

Top Returning Players: IDL Myles Adams

Notable Players LeavingL EDGE Roe Wilkins, IDL Zach Abercrumbia

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 123rd
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 127th

Average Projected Record: 2.5 wins, 9.5 losses (1.9 wins, 6.1 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 Rice Owls Team Preview

T6. UTEP

Notable Players Leaving: LB Jamar Smith, CB Nik Needham, S Kahani Smith

Final 2018 CSD Prime Ranking: 126th
Projected 2019 CSD Prime Ranking: 130th

Average Projected Record: 3.5 wins, 8.5 losses (1.9 wins, 6.1 losses)

Click Here to Read the 2019 UTEP Miners Team Preview

2019 Conference USA Title Game Prediction: Marshall 28, North Texas 27