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Will Liberty keep Conference USA’s streak of consecutive champions alive? The Flames won the conference title last season in their first as a member of Conference USA. Head coach Jamey Chadwell, in his first season with the Flames, led the program to an 8-0 mark in the regular season. Liberty would defeat New Mexico State 49-35 in the C-USA championship game.
UTSA won consecutive conference titles in 2021 and 2022. UAB won three in a row before that. Both teams are gone, leaving for the American Athletic Conference prior to last season. Chadwell and the Flames are favored once again to win the conference, returning some key pieces of an offense that averaged 38.3 points per game (9th-best in the nation).
Like many FBS conferences around the nation, Conference USA abandoned the division format after the 2021 season. The top two teams in the standings at the end of the season will play for the conference championship. Scores & Stats will bring you all the NCAA football odds for all conferences, including Conference USA.
Keep it tuned to Scores & Stats all season long. We will provide bettors with the best in college football previews, predictions, and picks all season long from Week 0 through the NCAA football championship in January. Our experts have been working hard all summer preparing to bring you the best college football picks each week of the 2024 season.
Conference USA Realignment
Conference USA underwent big changes a year ago, adding four new teams after a mass exodus. This season, it’s just one new entrant into C-USA and that is Kennesaw State. The Owls have only been playing college football for nine seasons, but it’s been a strong nine seasons for the program.
Head coach Brian Bohannon led KSU to three Big South Conference championships and four FCS playoff berths. The Owls made the jump to FBS last season as an independent and went 3-6. This will be Kennesaw State’s first season as a full-fledged member of Conference USA.
2024 Conference USA Odds
Check out the latest Conference USA odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites:
| Conference USA Teams | Conference Odds | Total Wins | Make Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Flames | -210 | O/U 10.5 Wins | Y(+500)/N(-800) |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | +450 | O/U 7.5 Wins | Y(+4500)/N(NA) |
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks | +550 | O/U 7.5 Wins | Y(+5000)/N(NA) |
| Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders | +2200 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| Sam Houston State Bearkats | +2200 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | +5000 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| UTEP Miners | +5000 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| New Mexico State Aggies | +10000 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| FIU Panthers | +12500 | O/U 4.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
| Kennesaw State Owls | NA | O/U 2.5 Wins | Y(+30000)/N(NA) |
Who Wins the 2024 Conference USA Football Championship?
Conference USA has been a revolving door sort of conference. In 2018, UAB, now of the AAC, won the first of three straight C-USA titles. Three years later, UTSA, also of the AAC, won the first of two straight championships. Nine different teams have left the conference since and five new programs have joined.
One thing is certain though. Liberty is the best program in the conference. The Flames, who entered the FBS in 2018, have averaged 8.8 wins per season. They are coming off the best season in program history, 13-1, and return 12 total starters, including the best player in the conference, QB Kaidon Salter. Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State are the next two best programs in the conference, but both must replace their quarterback.
Liberty -210
- Head coach: Jamey Chadwell
- 2023 Record: 13-1 (8-0)
Salter returns as the Conference USA Most Valuable Player. He is the preseason favorite to repeat after accumulating 4,565 total yards and 44 touchdowns. Senior RB Quinton Cooley (1,401 yds., 16 TDs) is also back on an offense that led the nation in rushing (293.3 ypg). The Flames were fourth in the country in total offense averaging 499.1 yards per game.
If Chadwell and company plan on entertaining the idea of a CFP berth, the defense needs to improve. Liberty got stomped in Fiesta Bowl by Oregon, 45-6. That was largely due to a pass defense that allowed 255.9 yards per game (116th nationally). There’s no doubt the Flames are the best team in C-USA. If they aspire higher, the defense has to be better.
Western Kentucky +450
- Head coach: Tyson Helton
- 2023 Record: 8-5 (5-3)
The Hilltoppers blew a shot at a Conference USA title last year with back-to-back road losses to Jacksonville State and Liberty. The passing game has always been the main weapon at WKU and this year should be no exception. The problem will be breaking in a new quarterback. Gone is veteran Austin Reed. Head coach Tyson Helton did bring in 6-foot-7 TJ Finley via the transfer portal. Only senior Dalvin Smith (6-3, 190) returns to the receiving corps.
The defense gave up four touchdowns a game last season. If Western Kentucky wants to unseat Liberty as conference champion, that defense will have to be much better. The Hilltoppers ranked 120th (190.0 ypg) against the run and allowed 419.7 yards of total offense (108th) per game. Only four starters return to that defense, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Jacksonville State +550
- Head coach: Rich Rodriguez
- 2023 Record: 9-4 (6-2)
Rich Rodriguez’s Gamecocks were the preseason pick to finish seventh in C-USA last year. JSU exceeded all expectations, going 6-2 in conference play and finishing 9-4 in the school’s first season as a FBS program. The defense was very good, holding six opponents to 17 points or less. The offense, especially the running game, was outstanding as well.
The Gamecocks finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 236.6 yards per game. That gave Conference USA two of the top three rushing offenses in the nation. Three members of the offensive line are back, but the Gamecocks will break in all new skill personnel – quarterback, running backs, and wide receivers. Rodriguez will likely choose from a number of transfers to take over at quarterback. Zion Turner, formerly of UConn, is slated to be the season starter.
2024 Conference USA Football Championship Prediction
Until a program steps up to the plate, the 2024 Conference USA championship will stay in Lynchburg, Va., the home of the Liberty Flames. Liberty returns QB Kaidon Salter who passed for 2,876 yards and ran for 1,089 more. Chadwell’s high-octane offense will once again be tough to stop.
The only real challenges to Liberty’s dominance will be from Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State. Both teams must replace veteran quarterbacks. The Flames beat both teams last season on the road by double digits. Three teams – New Mexico State, Middle Tennessee, and UTEP – will have new coaches in 2024 and Kennesaw State gets its first taste of Conference USA play this fall. If you don’t like the juice, pass, but this is the best team in the conference by a mile.
Bet: Liberty -210
Will Any Conference USA Football Teams Make the Playoffs?
With the new 12-team playoff, the five highest-ranked conference champions make the playoffs. That means it is possible for the Conference USA champion to make the CFP. If the 12-team playoff would have been held in 2023, Liberty would have qualified as the fifth highest-ranked conference champ. The Flames were ranked No. 23 in Week 15 last year. The Flames will have the opportunity to run the table again in 2024. That’s why Liberty is a great bet at a great price.
Bet: Liberty +500
The Best Conference USA Football Teams Overs
Liberty has been playing FBS football for just six seasons. The Flames have averaged almost nine wins per season and just last year set a school record with 13 victories. Getting to 11 wins this season should not be a problem. Liberty should run the table in Conference USA and the non-conference games are FCS Campbell, at Appalachian State, and at Massachusetts. With the best player in the conference back and an improved defense, the Flames go Over 10.5.
Bet: Liberty Over 10.5 Wins
It was a great start in C-USA last year for Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks went old school and went 9-4 by running the football and playing solid defense. That’s the signature of Rich Rodriguez-coached teams. Remember, he’s the guy that pretty much developed the zone read and turned it into today’s modern option football. The Gamecocks play Coastal Carolina in the season opener at home. The beat Eastern Michigan last season, but play the Eagles on the road this year. Still, the only teams in the conference that will give JSU trouble are Western Kentucky and Liberty.
Bet Jacksonville State Over 7.5 Wins
The Best Conference USA Football Teams Unders
Scotty Walden takes over at UTEP, where he will have exactly one offensive starter back. The starter is QB Cade McConnell, but he ran an offense that averaged 19.9 points a game last season. That ranked 116th in the country. The defense only returns three starters. The Miners play at Nebraska, at Tennessee and at Colorado State in non-conference games and play the top two teams in Conference USA – Liberty and Western Kentucky – on the road too. Getting five wins isn’t happening this year.
Bet: UTEP Under 4.5 Wins
It’s time to step up and play the big boys. Last season was a transition year for Kennesaw State, the newest FBS program. The Owls went 3-6 last season with wins over an FCS program, a Division II school, and one that has no affiliation to the NCAA or NAIA. Plus, the Owls scrapped their traditional spread triple option offense in favor of a more modern spread. There may only be one win (FCS UT-Martin) on the schedule.
Bet: Kennesaw State Under 2.5 Wins
The Conference USA Football Team Sleeper
K.C. Keeler has done this before. He turned Rowan University into a Division III power, making it to five DIII national championship games. He then spent 11 years at his alma mater, Delaware, where he led the Blue Hens to three FCS national championship games, winning a title in 2003. He helped Sam Houston State transition to the FBS after winning an FCS national championship in 2021.
THe Bearkats won three of their last four games last season. Keeler returns six starters on offense, including three on the offensive line. Central Michigan transfer Jase Bauer will take over at quarterback and he’ll have a ton of weapons. The defense returns four starters and used the transfer portal to get better. In Keeler’s second season at Delaware, he went 15-1 and won a national championship. Don’t expect that, but expect the Bearkats to be much better in Year 2 in the FBS.
Conference USA Heisman Watch
Heisman Trophy winners typically don’t come from Group of 5 conferences. Check out our latest Heisman Trophy odds and you’ll see our big board doesn’t have a single Group of 5 contender. If you want to get technical, you would go back to 1990 and Heisman winner Ty Detmer of BYU. Detmer, a quarterback that set a ton of school and NCAA records, was the last Heisman winner from a “non-power” conference school. At the time, BYU was a member of the WAC. Most of those 1990 WAC teams now make up what is the Mountain West.
That said, there is one small possibility for Conference USA. The best player in the league, Liberty’s Salter, is given +20000 odds at most sportsbooks to win the Heisman Trophy. He is a dynamic player who threw for over 2,000 yard and ran for more than 1,000 last season. Liberty finished 13-1 and if they have that kind of success again and Salter puts up some ridiculous stats, anything is possible.
