2020 Conference USA Football Preview - Odds, Picks, & Betting Predictions

Last Updated: 05/03/2020 at 10:19 AM ET

Conference-USA is part of the Group Five conferences which are considered a step below the Power 5 conferences. Nonetheless, teams in Conference USA are very competitive nationwide and the conference will send at least two or three teams to bowl games and likely more in December and January.

Last season's Conference USA champion the Florida Atlantic Owls (+300) will have a different look under new head coach Willie Taggart, but the core of the team will remain the same. Quarterback Chris Robison will be the top signal-caller in the conference and is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,701 yards, 28 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. The Florida Atlantic backfield will help keep opposing defenses off-balance, while on defense Akileis Leroy will contend for the conference Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (+200) will battle the Florida Atlantic Owls for the East title in C-USA. Western Kentucky will return the Defensive Player of the Year for Conference USA DeAngelo Malone and Malone along with Kyle Bailey and Devan Key give the Hilltoppers three of the best defensive players in the conference. If Davis Shanley or Stephen Duncan can continue where departed quarterback Ty Storey left off, Western Kentucky can battle for the Eastern crown of the conference and have a shot at the conference title. 

The UAB Blazers (+400) suffered big losses in their final two games of the regular season in 2019, but expect the team to be a contender again in 2020. UAB will win with its defense that has several starters returning including one of the conference’s best defensive secondaries led by Brontae Harris. Tyler Johnson III will be the starting quarterback for the UAB Blazers in 2020, after throwing for 2,250 yards and 17 TD before being injured against Tennessee. 

The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+600) are expected to contend for the Conference USA title in 2020 even though they finished on a down note in 2019 following consecutive losses to Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky and a loss to Tulane in the Armed Forces Bowl after allowing 30 unanswered points. Jack Abraham returns as the starting quarterback for the Golden Eagles and will lead an offense that is deep at wide receiver and solid at running back under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.

In all likelihood the Conference-USA championship game at the end of the regular season will feature the UAB Blazers against the Florida Atlantic owls. The Blazers will out duel Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech to win the west and Florida Atlantic will hold off Western Kentucky and Marshall to win the east. Florida Atlantic has too many returning starters on both sides of the ball and will easily take care of the UAB Blazers and win the C-USA title.

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