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Conference USA / AAC Coaching Carousel Updates

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The coaching carousel has been in full swing since the regular season ended. Here are the relevant changes in Conference USA and the American.

With the membership of both leagues in flux, there are folks tracking moves in both Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference as the coaching carousel continues to spin. Here’s the latest as of December 7.

Conference USA

Charlotte – In: Biff Poggi | Out: Will Healy

Healy was the first Conference USA coach dismissed in this cycle and it was likewise the first job filled. Off-field Michigan assistant Biff Poggi will take the reins. Credited with revitalizing the Wolverines behind the scenes, his financial connections and ability to fundraise will be equally valuable to the 49ers as the transition to the AAC.

North Texas – In: N/A |  Out: Seth Littrell

Seth Littrell was a late dismissal in this cycle after reaching the Conference USA Championship Game. Ultimately the departure of AD Wren Baker and a combined 44-44 record were not enough to keep him on the job. North Texas was late to the dance, but should still be an attractive job to many.

FAU – In: Tom Herman |  Out: Willie Taggart

Now former head coach Willie Taggart didn’t even make it to dinner time on the night of FAU’s final regular season game, a loss to Western Kentucky. Likewise, FAU moved quickly to replace him, hiring former Texas and Houston head coach Tom Herman. The Owls wanted someone with Florida ties, but couldn’t pass up on adding someone with proven AAC success like Herman.

UAB – In: Trent Dilfer |  Out: Bryant Vincent (Interim)

In a move that caught just about everyone by surprise, UAB went outside of the college football ranks to hire high school coach Trent Dilfer to be their head man. Bringing back interim Bryant Vincent didn’t seem likely after a 6-6 finish, but going off the grid to get Dilfer — who brings quarterback development and an NFL pedigree but not much else — was a stunner.

Liberty – In: Jamey Chadwell | Out: Hugh Freeze

Freeze was making public overtures for other jobs for quite some time, so a change in leadership at Liberty isn’t surprising. The Flames hired Chadwell away from Coastal Carolina where he’d posted back-to-back 11-win seasons and has been credited as a great offensive mind.

American

Tulsa – In: Kevin Wilson | Out: Phillip Montgomery

After going 43-53 in eight seasons with the Golden Hurricane, Montgomery was relieved of his duties. Although many projected former Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne to land here, he wound up at Texas State and Tulsa hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, formerly the head coach at Indiana.

USF – In: Alex Golesh |  Out: Jeff Scott

Former Clemson assistant Jeff Scott was never able to get things going in South Florida, prompting the move. In somewhat of a surprise, USF went back to the weel of unproven, but promising assistants, hiring Tennesee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh following a breakthrough season by the Vols’ offensive attack under his direction.


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Conference USA Football 2022: Bowl Notes, Championship Game

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UTSA has won the 2022 Conference USA football championship. Now six teams venture on to bowl season, with the first game fast approaching.

Here are the reported matchups as of early Sunday afternoon:

Team Opponent Bowl Time Date
MTSU SDSU Hawaii Bowl 8:00 pm ET Dec. 24
North Texas Boise St. Frisco Bowl 9:15 pm ET Dec. 17
Rice Southern Miss Lending Tree Bowl 5:45 pm ET Dec. 17
UAB Miami (OH) Bahamas Bowl 11:30 pm ET Dec. 16
UTSA* Troy Cure Bowl 3:00 pm ET Dec. 16
WKU So. Alabama New Orleans Bowl 9:00 pm ET Dec. 21
*Won Conference USA Football Championship Game

Conference USA Championship results – Standings

For the second time in as many years, UTSA is the Conference USA champ. The Roadrunners blew past North Texas, 48-27 before a raucous crowd at the Alamodome. Quarterback Frank Harris took home MVP honors after completing 32-of-37 passes for 341 yards and a mind-boggling five touchdown passes. He added 49 rushing yards on 16 carries, too.

Coaching Changes

There have been three coaching changes in Conference USA this offseason. Charlotte hired former Michigan assistant Biff Poggi to replace Will Healy. UAB hired Trent Dilfer away from the high school ranks to replace interim coach Bryant Vincent. FAU moved on from Willie Taggart and brought in former Texas head man Tom Herman.


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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 13 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 13.

Team Week 13 Result Record Bowl Eligible
Charlotte vs LA Tech  — 3-9 No
FAU vs WKU L, 32-31 (OT) 5-7 No
FIU vs MTSU L, 33-28 4-8 No
LA Tech vs UAB L, 37-27 3-9 No
MTSU at FIU W, 33-28 7-5 Yes
North Texas vs Rice W, 21-17 7-5 Yes
Rice at North Texas L, 21-17 5-7 Yes
UAB at LA Tech W, 37-27 6-6 Yes
UTEP at UTSA L, 34-31 5-7 No
UTSA vs UTEP W, 34-31 10-2 Yes
WKU at FAU W, 32-31 (OT) 8-5 Yes

Notable Week 13 results – Standings

Six go bowling

UAB clinched a bowl berth with a win on Saturday, downing Louisiana Tech in their final game of the regular season. They’ve already announced they are heading to the Bahamas Bowl. Rice was the second C-USA squad to secure bowl eligibility, although they did so in defeat, becoming the highest-rated remaining five-win team by APR. It’ll be the Owls’ first bowl invitation since 2014.

Another coaching change

In the hours following Florida Atlantic’s loss to Western Kentucky, Willie Taggart was out.

It’s the second coaching change of the season following Will Healy’s dismissal from Charlotte earlier this fall.

What’s next

North Texas clinched a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game with a home win over Rice on Saturday. The Mean Green will get a rematch with UTSA, which came from behind to beat the Mean Grene earlier this season. The Roadrunners sit at 10-2 with a chance to finish the season an unprecedented 12-2 should they beat North Texas and win a bowl game. Jeff Traylor has things rolling in San Antonio.


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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 12 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 12.

Team Week 12 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs LA Tech W, 26-21  —
FAU at MTSU L, 49-21 vs WKU
FIU at UTEP L, 40-6 vs MTSU
LA Tech at Charlotte L, 26-21 vs UAB
MTSU vs FAU W, 49-21 at FIU
North Texas — OFF —  — vs Rice
Rice vs UTSA L, 41-7 at North Texas
UAB at LSU at LA Tech
UTEP vs FIU W, 40-6 at UTSA
UTSA at Rice W, 41-7 vs UTEP
WKU at Auburn L, 41-17 at FAU

Notable Week 12 results – Standings

Home field secured

On a dreary day in Houston, the sun was shining on UTSA and quarterback Frank Harris. The Roadrunners dispatched of the Owls in quick order, securing the host duties for the upcoming Conference USA Football Championship Game where they’ll play either North Texas or Western Kentucky in two weeks time.

Let’s go bowling

While UTSA was working to clinch home field, other Conference USA squads were trying to make sure they had another game to play, too. Middle Tennesse became the fourth C-USA squad to clinch bowl eligibility so far this season, crushing Florida Atlantic to pick up win number six.

Uh Oh, Owls

It wasn’t just the Rice Owls who fell flat, the Florida Atlantic Owls were equally embarrassed. FAU was thoroughly outplayed by Middle Tennessee, pushing them into a do-or-die situation next weekend. Both Owls would like a mulligan for this week’s fiascoes, but that’s not going to happen.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Who’s joining UTSA?

Both Western Kentucky and North Texas sit tied in second place in the Conference USA standings with identical 5-2 records, but only one of them will get to make the trip. North Texas plays Rice, still searching for their elusive sixth win, while Western Kentucky faces an FAU squad in the same boat. North Texas holds the tiebreaker, so the Mean Green need a win and a WKU loss to get in.

Who else is still playing?

Florida Atlantic, Rice, UAB and UTEP all enter the final week of the regular season one-win shy of the six wins needed to secure bowl eligibility. The Blazers will be home favorites against the visiting Louisiana Tech Bulldogs but the other three teams will be underdogs, with Rice and UTEP both playing away from home. How many make it through?


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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 11 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 11.

Team Week 11 Result Up Next
Charlotte at MTSU L, 24-14 vs LA Tech
FAU at FIU W, 52-7 at MTSU
FIU vs FAU L, 52-7 at UTEP
LA Tech at UTSA L, 51-7 at Charlotte
MTSU vs Charlotte W, 24-14 vs FAU
North Texas at UAB L, 41-21 — OFF —
Rice at WKU L, 45-10 vs UTSA
UAB vs North Texas W, 41-21 at LSU
UTEP — OFF —  — vs FIU
UTSA vs LA Tech W, 51-7 at Rice
WKU vs Rice W, 45-10 at Auburn

Notable Week 11 results – Standings

Owls implode

Rice turned the ball over a staggering six times in their road loss to Western Kentucky. The Owls controlled the ball and reached the redzone on their first two possession, but costly interceptions sent them into a spiral from which they were never able to recover.

Shula bowl statement

FAU has now won six consecutive Shula Bowl rivalry games against FIU, this one coming at a key juncture for head coach Willie Taggart, who had been facing questions regarding his job security in recent weeks. The Owls aren’t out of the woods just yet, but this win puts them within reach of a bowl berth, a must for Taggart this season.

No quarterback, no problem

Middle Tennessee was without quarterback Chase Cunningham against Charlotte on Saturday. At times, that seemed to matter, but in the end, the Blue Raiders managed to take care of business. The 49ers led 14-7 at halftime but were shut out after halftime as Nick Vattiato led three scoring drives to secure the win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

One more shot

The preseason rumors circulating around Auburn’s expected coaching change have come to fruition. Despite a win over a historically bad Texas A&M team, the Tigers aren’t infallible and Western Kentucky has plenty of firepower to work with. If Conference USA is going to pull a P5 upset, this might be the one.

“Elimination” game

UTEP and FIU are running out of time. Both programs enter this coming weekend’s matchup with 4-6 records. The Panthers might be slightly ahead of schedule, making good progress in Year 1 under head coach Mike McIntyre. UTEP had high expectations in Year 5 of Dana Dimel. Neither program can clinch a bowl berth with a win, but a loss would drop them to seven losses and no postseason opportunity.

Who’s number two?

UTSA has a two-game lead plus some tiebreakers over the rest of the conference. They’ve had a few close calls but so far, nobody has been able to unseat the defending champs. The Roadrunners will be playing in the conference championship game. For now, they need to stay healthy and figure out who they’ll be matching up with in a few weeks.


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