30 | AUGUST 2024
HUSKERS PREVIEW
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
Setting the scene Things are looking bleak for the two remain- ing teams of the Conference of Champions. Oregon State and Washington State were left to the wayside in the recent round of realignment as teams went to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. A scheduling agreement with the Mountain West helped fill in the gaps, but the future for the Beavers and Cougars is uncertain. 3 A-list players to watch Melvin Jordan, LB, Oregon State: Jordan totaled 22 tackles with four for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries a year ago. In his first start, he tallied five tackles includ- ing a 13-yard sack against Notre Dame in the
3 blockbuster games WASHINGTON STATE AT WASHINGTON: Sept. 14 – It’s been a lopsided rivalry, especially in recent years. Despite nearly pulling o the upset a year ago, the Cougars have been on the wrong side of numerous drubbings and have lost nine of the last 10 meetings. A 40-13 road win in 2021 was the last bright spot in the Apple Cup for Wazzu. Can they find some magic and start the new era o right? OREGON AT OREGON STATE: Sept. 14 – Kick- ing o at the same time on the same day, the Beavers can have their revenge alongside the Cougars. It’s been a back-and-forth rivalry, especially in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but OSU has won just three times since 2008.
Sun Bowl. Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State: The Cougars’ top returning receiver caught 61 passes for 843 yards and six touchdowns. His production provides a consistent target for whoever is taking snaps. Zevi Eckhaus, QB, Washington State: The Bryant transfer is battling mainstay John Mateer to become the Cougars’ seventh starting quarterback in eight seasons. He was named last season’s Big South-OVC of- fensive player of the year and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award after matching Bryant’s single-season record with 28 touch- down passes. He completed 62.8% of his throws for 2,907 yards.
Two have been in the last four seasons and the home team has won five straight times. Could Oregon State do it again or will it be just an- other beatdown? WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON STATE: Nov. 23 – Whichever team wins this game can claim to be the Pac-12 champion, right? The late November meeting could also serve as some kind of audition in hopes that a confer- ence will send invites to Pullman and Corvallis. Or maybe the league will pull in enough teams to revive itself. And the nominees are ... (Projected order of finish) 1. Oregon State, 2. Washington State.
Setting the scene Conference USA has experienced its fair share of instability and membership changes, but 2024 presents a great op- portunity. Liberty won 13 games last year and earned a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. The Flames could be the frontrunner to grab the Group of 5 playo spot with another undefeated season. Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky will tighten up the top tier of teams, while the rest fight for No. 4. Kennesaw State makes the jump to FBS and faces an uphill climb. In 2025, Missouri State and Delaware will join to make it a 12-team conference again. 3 A-list players to watch Kaidon Salter and Quinton Cooley, QB/ RB, Liberty: Salter wowed every step of the way, throwing for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns while adding 1,089 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Cooley held his own with 1,401 rushing yards and 16 TDs. The fact both of them stayed on campus gives the Flames a huge edge. Kisean Johnson, WR, Western Ken- tucky: The Alabama State transfer caught 62 passes for 793 yards and seven touch- downs a year ago. He’ll help replace Mala- chi Corley along with Dalvin Smith. Texas State transfer QB TJ Finley will have plenty of targets to work with after his impres- sive 2023. Derek Carter, CB, Jacksonville State: An intriguing piece in the secondary after
breaking up a team-high eight passes and making 44 tackles. Carter’s role will be important for a team that picked o 16 passes last season. 3 blockbuster games LIBERTY AT APPALACHIAN STATE: Sept. 28 – The Mountaineers are ar- guably the toughest matchup on the Flames’ schedule. If Liberty can escape it unscathed, then its full focus will be on being the G5 representative in the playo . TEXAS STATE AT SAM HOUSTON: Sept. 28 – The Bearkats finished their FBS de- but with a 3-9 record, but lost six games by 10 points or less. A win over the Bob- cats could help the season trend upward. JACKSONVILLE STATE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY: Nov. 30 – Assuming Liberty takes care of business, this will deter- mine who faces the Flames in the CUSA title game. The Hilltoppers are likely to be the biggest challenger in the league, but the Gamecocks earned the win in last season’s meeting. And the nominees are ... (Projected order of finish) 1. Liberty, 2. Western Kentucky, 3. Jack- sonville State, 4. FIU, 5. Sam Houston, 6. Middle Tennessee, 7. Louisiana Tech, 8. New Mexico State, 9. UTEP, 10. Kennesaw State.
Setting the scene When one team says goodbye, another says hello. The American Athletic Conference has seen plenty of shifting in its time and now welcomes Army as its 14th member, replacing SMU. Three di er- ent teams have won the league title over the last three seasons and Memphis is looking to make it four. UTSA will aim to reload, but not take a step back. South Florida and Tulane will be right on their heels. 3 A-list players to watch Seth Henigan, QB, Memphis: The Tigers return the league’s top scoring o ense (39.4 ppg.) and Henigan is a big reason why. Memphis’ signal- caller ranked fourth in the FBS in 2023 with 3,883 yards and tossed 32 touchdowns. He also has his two top targets, Roc Taylor and Demeer Blankum- see, back. Makhi Hughes, RB, Tulane: Last season’s AAC rookie of the year is looking to follow it up as a sophomore behind an impressive line. Hughes ran for a league-best 1,378 yards and tacked on seven touchdowns. His role will be important as the Green Wave settle in with a new QB. Sean Atkins and Byrum Brown, WR/QB, South Florida: The league is full of impressive defenses, but it doesn’t quite match the o ensive firepower. Atkins recorded the first 1,000-yard season for USF and looks to do much of the same with Brown behind center. Brown broke four school records, had the first 3,000-yard passing season in pro- gram history and ran for 809 yards with 11 TDs. These two are a deadly duo.
3 blockbuster games KANSAS STATE AT TULANE: Sept. 7 – The second half of a home-and-home proves to be an op- portunity for the Green Wave to start a new era on the right foot. Tulane led Mississippi at home 17-10 in 2023, before giving up 20 points in the fourth quarter. In 2022, it stunned the Wildcats on the road with a 17-10 win. Can the Green Wave pull o another win against a P4 team and flex their muscles to the AAC? MEMPHIS AT UTSA: Nov. 2 – The two teams did not meet last year, but appear to be on a collision course to play in the AAC championship game. The Roadrunners fell one game short of playing for the title in 2023 and with new QB Owen Mc- Cown, they’ll need to avoid any missteps this time around. It’ll be up to the Tigers to shake things up on the road. ARMY VS. NAVY: Dec. 14 – While it’s no longer a standalone game due to football’s postseason changes, the rivalry still brings some juice into Landover, Maryland. Both teams are looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons. Despite being conference foes, the meeting will not be factored into the AAC standings. However, it could be possible for Army-Navy to be played in con- secutive weeks if they both reach the AAC final. And the nominees are ... (Projected order of finish) 1. Memphis, 2. UTSA, 3. South Florida, 4. Tulane, 5. Army, 6. Rice, 7. Florida Atlantic, 8. East Carolina, 9. North Texas, 10. Navy, 11. UAB, 12. Tulsa, 13. Charlotte, 14. Temple.
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