East
1. Central Florida-The
Golden Knights are built around their stellar defense which ranked at the top
of the conference in every category, including a stifling scoring defense that
ranked 9th in the nation. In 2012 the Knights return the majority of
the unit, including three of the four secondary spots, including senior safety
Kemal Ishmael who led the team with 81 tackles in 2011. On offense, sophomore
Blake Bortles will be counted on to lead a depleted unit that only returns 3
starters and wasn’t that great to begin with, ranking in the middle of the
conference. Running back tandem Latavius Murray and Storm Johnson will need to
step up in a big way for the Knights to achieve any out of conference success. Final Prediction (9-3, 7-1, Liberty Bowl)
2. Southern Miss-After
a stunning upset of then-undefeated Houston in the Conference USA championship
game, the Golden Eagles defeated Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. 2012 will not be as
kind to them, however, as coach Larry Fedora took the head coaching spot at
North Carolina. The Golden Eagles will also be without six starters from a
rushing attack that led the conference last season, including Jamal Woodyard,
their leading rusher who was arrested on armed robbery charges and was
dismissed. Defensive end Jamie Collins (98 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 6.5
sacks) leads a defense that will attempt to match their top 25 rankings from a
season ago. This is a definite rebuilding year for them but don’t count out
another run. Final Prediction: (7-5, 6-2,
Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl)
3. East Carolina-For
the Pirates, improvement must start with the reduction of turnover margin, a
statistic that the Pirates ranked next to last in 2011. Another the problem for
the Pirates will be their porous offensive line which allowed 2.5 sacks per
game last season and anchored a run game that ranked 105th nationally.
The defense is in better shape, with five members of the front seven returning
including C-USA Freshman of the Year middle linebacker Jeremy Grove who tallied
122 tackles in his first year Final
Prediction: (6-6, 5-3 no bowl)
4. Marshall-In
any other year, the Thundering Herd would be a contender for a division title
and possibly the conference championship, however, 2012 is a good year for many
teams, and the Herd will be on the outside looking in for yet another season.
The offense will be led by sophomore quarterback Rakeem Cato enjoyed modest
success in his freshman campaign, throwing for 2,059 yards and 15 touchdowns.
On the receiving end of 12 of those TDs was Aaron Dobson; who pulled out of the
NFL Draft at the last minute to return to the Herd. Dobson is big (6 foot 3)
and experienced and should provide a security blanket for the offense. Six
starters return to a defensive unit that ranked in the middle of the pack last
season. In 2012, expect a small step forward, led by a strong linebacking corps
and an experienced D-line. Final
Prediction (4-8, 3-5, no bowl)
5. UAB-As
in most mid-major conferences, a poor defense spells doom for teams that
usually find themselves in run and gun battles. Unfortunately for the Blazers,
they have a poor defense, ranking in the bottom 10 in scoring, passing, and
total defense in 2011. 2012 should be an improvement however, with a
linebacking corps rich in experience and size. On offense, quarterback Jonathan
Perry will benefit from a deep receiving corps and a new offense brought in by
new coach Garrick McGee. In a tough conference however, with the inexperience
on defense and the O-line
2012 will yet again be a tough year. Final Prediction:(4-8, 2-6, no bowl)
6. Memphis-After
an abysmal 2011 season in which the Tigers managed to scrape out two wins, 2012
doesn’t so much more promise. A new coach, new quarterback, and six starters
back from an offense that was just as bad as you’d anticipate (116th
in total yardage, 115th in scoring), the offense will be bad yet
again. The defense won’t be much better, especially with the worst pass defense
in the nation returning three starters. All in all, the Tigers won’t be much
better this season and should look to 2013 for possible success. Final Prediction: (2-10, 0-8, no bowl)
West
1. Houston-Last
year’s mid-major Cinderella story is without record-setting QB Case Keenum and
head coach Kevin Sumlin who bolted for the greener pastures of Texas A&M.
Despite these losses, the Cougars are still the strongest team in the C-USA
West by a large margin. New quarterback David Piland has game experience he
picked up in 2010 when Keenum missed 8 games with a torn ACL. The Cougars will
also benefit from the return of 4/5 of the offensive line and their leading
rusher from last season. On the other side of the ball, seven starters return
to a unit whose strength will be the linebackers. Sophomore Derek Matthews led
the team in tackles last season with 106 and will anchor the unit. Stability is
also present in their special teams unit which returns the kicker, punter,
holder, and long snapper from a year ago. Look for the Cougars to repeat as
division champs. Final Prediction: (10-2,
8-0, Armed Forces Bowl)
2. SMU-June
Jones’ famous run and gun offense he brought from Hawaii has been a boon for
the Mustangs who have begun an upward track. 2012 will be a small step back,
however, with a brand new offensive line and Texas transfer Garrett Gilbert
under center will have to work with an essentially new offense. Senior running back Zach Line is a stellar offensive player and will be counted on to give life to the Mustang's offense. On defense, the
Mustangs will maintain their high level from a year ago, if not take a step
forward, starting with senior inside linebacker Taylor Reed who notched 101
tackles last season and will lead a linebacker corps that returns three senior
starters. Final Prediction: (7-5, 6-2,
Ticketcity Bowl)
3. Tulsa-Returning
the majority of their skill players, the Golden Hurricanes are primed to repeat
the 8 win campaign from a season ago. Running backs Ja’Terian Douglas and Trey
Watts combined for over 1,750 yards on the ground in 2011 and should lead the
Golden Hurricane’s offense in 2012. H-back Willie Carter is also an offensive
weapon as are receivers Bryan Burnham and Jordan James. The defense also has
playmakers, led by safety Dexter McColl who hauled in six interceptions last
season and is tied for the career record at Tulsa. Final
Prediction: (7-5, 6-2, New Orleans Bowl)
4. Rice-Hybrid
running back/wide receiver Sam McGuffie leads the Owls offense that is filled
with big play potential. The only problem will be getting these players the
ball, quarterback Taylor McHargue only threw for 1,072 yards last season and
must improve on his decision making if the Owls are going to make any noise in
the competitive West division. Leading tackler Cameron Nwosu (108 tackles, 58
solo) will be the foundation for the defense and LSU transfer Kyle Prater will
add speed. The Owls will need more consistency on both sides of the ball if
they want to make any real progress in the conference. Final
Prediction: (4-8, 3-5, no bowl)
5. UTEP-The Miners are in the middle of the pack
offensively and will need quarterback Nick Lamaison to take a leap forward and
cut down on his mistakes from a season ago (10 interceptions against 12
touchdowns). The real strength of UTEP however, is their experienced offensive
line; which has four starters from 2011 and will help give Lamaison more time
in the pocket and accelerate the run game. Defensively the Miners are terrible,
ranking 104th in total defense in 2011 and bringing in seven new
starters for 2012. Final Prediction: (2-10,
1-7, no bowl)
6. Tulane-Senior
quarterback Ryan Griffin is one of the lone bright spots on a Green Wave squad
that hasn't reached a bowl game since 2002. Griffin threw for 2,502 yards last
season, but must improve on his poor 13-10 touchdown to interception ratio.
Running back Orleans Darkwa is the team workhorse, averaging 924 yards in his
first two seasons, in addition to 13 touchdowns last year. On defense, the team
will count on linebacker Trent Mackey to match his 145 tackles from 2011 and
lead the experienced linebacking corps. With a brand new head coach and a
defense that has to make huge progress for the team to be competitive, it will
be a while before there is joy in Tulane. Final
Prediction: (1-11, 1-7, no bowl)
Conference Championship Game: UCF vs. Houston. The Cougars
will once again fall short against the more experienced Golden Knights who will
use their suffocating defense to capture the title. Champion: Central Florida.
Offensive Player of the Year: Zach Line, RB, SMU
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamie Collins, DE, Southern Miss
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