2023 Conference USA College Football Best Bets and Season Preview

by Bosun Akinpelu

College Football Season kicks off Saturday August 26, and three Conference USA games are on the slate.

 

With FanDuel you can bet on all the Saturday College Football action, even the Conference USA schools!

Check out the Conference USA action for Week 1 on Saturday August 26:

UTEP at Jacksonville State at 5:30pm EST on CBSSN (preview here)

UMass at New Mexico State at 7pm EST on ESPN (preview here)

Florida International at Louisiana Tech at 9pm EST on CBSSN (preview here)

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Conference Conference USA will look a little different this season after nine of their members over the past two seasons due to realignment. This season, the conference welcomes two former FCS teams in Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State University. They also added two FBS independents in Liberty and New Mexico State, leaving only five holdovers from last season.

 

Despite the addition of the new schools, only a few teams in the conference have a legitimate chance to compete for the Conference USA title this season. So, we will look at those teams and predict how many wins they will have this upcoming season with the odds according to FanDuel. 

 

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Liberty +125  to win Conference 

The Flames finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record, which was the second-best record for Independents. During the offseason, former head coach Hugh Freeze left to coach at Auburn and the team has only eight returning starters from last season.

Despite the departures from last season, there is a lot of optimism about the upcoming season. They hired 2020 AL Coach of the Year, Jamey Chadwell, who had a 35-14 record at Coastal Carolina before taking the Liberty job.

Liberty wasn’t very good offensively last season, averaging 27.7 points per game. Their passing game was 88th in the country and their ground game was 51st.

Their offensive line should be better than it was last season after adding a few experienced transfers, led by former West Virginia offensive lineman Jordan White. They are also bringing back their top two quarterbacks from last season.

They lost their leading rusher Dae Dae Hunter, who entered the transfer portal, but they added Wake Forest transfer Quinton Cooley and top recruit Vaughn Blue, so don’t expect to see a drop-off in their running game.

The Flames were very good defensively last season, giving up points per game, which was 56th in the country. They led the country in tackles for loss and finished third in sacks. But, they only have four of their players coming back and they tried to fix the holes left through the transfer portal, so expect to see a drop-off on that end.

2023 Win Projection UNDER 8.5 (+134)

Liberty’s win total for the season has been set at 8.5 at -164. The Flames won eight games in each of the past two seasons. Even though Chadwell had a lot of success at his last job, the Flames lost a lot of players in the offseason, so go with them to win less than 8.5 games this season.

 

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Western Kentucky +125 to win Conference

 

The Hilltoppers finished the 2022 season with a 9-5 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference play, which was good enough for third place.

Western Kentucky had the second-best offense in the conference last season, averaging 36.4 points per game, which was 16th in the nation. They had a potent passing attack that averaged more than 350 yards per game, which was the second-best in the country.

Even though they lost offensive coordinator Jake Dickert, who took the head coaching job at Washington State, don’t expect to see a drop in their offensive efficiency because new offensive coordinator Drew Hollingshead, his Mississippi State team had the 10th-best passing offense in the country last season and the fourth in 2021.

The Hilltoppers also have quarterback Austin Reed, who completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,744 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last season, and leading receiver Malachi Corley, who had 101 catches for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Western Kentucky’s biggest weakness going into the season is on the defensive end, with only four starters from a unit that gave up 23.5 points per game last season coming back.

Defensive end JaQues Evans, who had 106 tackles, nine sacks, and 14 tackles for loss, will lead their young defense. The linebacker corps have a year under their belts and are expected to be better than last season, and the team added six transfers that they hope will have an immediate impact.

 

2023 Win Projection OVER 8.5 (+110)

Western Kentucky’s win total for the season has been set at 8.5 at +110. The Hilltoppers won nine games in each of the past two seasons. Their offense will be just as potent as it was last season and they shouldn’t suffer much of a drop on the defensive end. With two of the top three C-USA teams from last season playing in another conference, the Hilltoppers will win more than 8.5 games this season.

 

Middle Tennessee State +650 to win Conference 

The Blue Raiders finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record and a 4-4 record in conference play, which was good for fourth place in the conference, and picked up a win in the Hawaii Bowl.

The Blue Raiders averaged 29.5 points per game last season, which was 59th in the country. Their passing game was 36th, but their ground game was 114th in the country.

Even though they lost their starting quarterback, Nicholas Vattiato played well in limited action, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 293 yards and one interception. However, they lost their top three receivers, so don’t expect their passing game to be as potent as it was last season.

Frank Peasant led the team in rushing last season with 774 yards and nine touchdowns. But, he will be sharing the backfield with untested backs, so expect more of the same from their ground game this season.

Defensively, the Blue Raiders gave up 28.1 points per game, which was 82nd in the country. They have a good linebacker corps, but their defensive line didn’t get a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and they gave up 304.7 passing yards per game last season, which was the most by a defense. But, with nine starters coming back, the unit should be better than it was last season.

2023 Win Projection OVER 6.5 (-105)

Middle Tennessee State’s win total for this season has been set at 6.5 at -105 odds. The Blue Raiders won at least seven games in six of their last eight seasons. Their offense likely won’t be as good as it was last season, but their defense should be improved. They have three tough road games against Alabama, Missouri, and Western Kentucky on their schedule, but the rest of the schedule isn’t very tough, so expect them to win at least seven games this season.

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The Dark Horse: New Mexico State +2,200 to win Conference 

Conference USA is a top-heavy conference, with Western Kentucky, Liberty, and Middle Tennessee State considered the best teams in the conference. But, the Aggies finished the 2022 season with a 7-6 record in Jerry Kill’s first year as head coach, after going 2-10 the previous season.

The Aggies averaged 25.6 points per game last season, which was 83rd in the country. Their passing game was 120th, while their ground game was 57th.

They have eight starters returning on offense, including dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia, who completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 1,450 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also ran for 508 yards and six touchdowns. They also have their top two running backs and four of their top five receivers coming back, so expect their offense to be better than last year.

Defensively, the Aggies gave up 24.3 points per game, which was 52nd in the country, which was a drastic improvement from the previous season, when they had one of the worst defenses in the country.

Even though they lost two of their top tacklers from last season and their best defensive back, they have experienced players like Tyriece Thomas and Izaiah Reed returning, so they will be okay against the run. Their secondary will be the weak link this season, but don’t expect much of a drop-off from them defensively.

 

2023 Win Projection OVER 6.5 (+134)

New Mexico State’s win total for this season has been set at 6.5 at +134 odds. The Aggies lost their first four games last season and went 7-2 in their nine games. They will be better than they were offensively last season, but there will be a drop-off on defense. They have the second-easiest schedule, with a road trip to Auburn being their toughest test, so expect them to win more than 6.5 games this season.

 

If you are looking to bet on College Football this season, follow the Hottest Cappers on WinnersandWhiners.com and head over to our Sportsbook page for bonus codes and more offers. Also check out our Notre Dame season preview for free!

 

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