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Five CUSA schools will help launch the 2023 season with games in "week zero", including a pair of conference contests on August 26 when FIU visits Louisiana Tech, and UTEP heads to Jacksonville State. In addition, New Mexico State will host UMass.
The nine-team alignment for the 2023 campaign will feature each team playing a round robin of eight conference games, along with four non-league contests.
Each member school has at least 4 games that will be played on non-traditional days of Tuesday through Friday.
Early odds have already been posted for some of 2023's biggest games, from Navy vs. Notre Dame in Ireland in week zero, to Labor Day weekend's LSU vs. Florida State game in Orlando, to Ohio State at Michigan on Thanksgiving weekend.
A lot of eyes will be on USC in 2023 as one of the favorites to win the national championship.
Meanwhile, realignment in CUSA reduces the membership to nine teams with no divisions. FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP and WKU comprise Conference USA for the 2023 football season.
Realignment first pillaged the American Conference, which in turn destroyed Conference USA by picking off its last six league champions - North Texas (2017), UAB (2018, 2019, 2020) and UTSA (2021, 2022). Additionally, North Texas played for the title last season, while FAU played in the Conference USA championship game in 2019 and 2017.
Finding replacements wasn't easy, but four of the six vacancies were ultimately filled by attracting two independent FBS programs, Liberty and New Mexico State, and helping to elevate FCS members Sam Houston and Jacksonville State to the next level.
Kennesaw State will move up to the FBS level next year as a CUSA member.
Neither Sam Houston or Jacksonville State were eligible for the FCS playoffs in 2022, and neither will be eligible for the CUSA championship game or the bowl season in 2023. Sam Houston won the FCS national title in the extended Covid season (Fall 2020 to Spring 2021), while Jacksonville State played for the title and lost in 2015.
Liberty became a FBS program in 2018 and found instant success, but the Flames lost head coach Hugh Freeze to Auburn and enter the 2023 campaign with former Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell at the helm.
New Mexico State has been a nomadic program since the WAC ceased operations as a FBS conference after the 2012 season. The Aggies found a temporary home in the Sun Belt from 2014-2017 after spending 2013 as an independent. NMSU once again became a program without a conference in 2018. However, the program is coming off its best season (7-6) since equaling that record in 2017.
Five CUSA schools will help launch the 2023 season with games in "week zero", including a pair of conference contests on August 26 when FIU visits Louisiana Tech, and UTEP heads to Jacksonville State. In addition, New Mexico State will host UMass.
The Panthers were 4-8 a year ago in the first year under Mike MacIntyre after Butch Davis was forced out. However, it's worth nothing that the program has been to 5 bowl games, and 3 of those came under Davis.
SCHEDULE
8/26 at LA Tech
9/2 MAINE
9/9 NORTH TEXAS
9/16 at UCONN
9/28 (Th.) LIBERTY
10/5 (Th.) at New Mexico State
10/11 (Wed.) UTEP
10/18 (Wed.) at Sam Houston
10/25 (Wed.) JACKSONVILLE STATE
11/11 at Middle Tennessee
11/18 at Arkansas
11/25 WKU
Rich Rodriguez returns to the FBS after spending a year with the Gamecocks to prepare for the transition from the FCS. JSU was 9-2 a year ago and could be an immediate factor in the CUSA race.
SCHEDULE
8/26 UTEP
9/2 EAST TENNESSEE STATE
9/9 at Coastal Carolina
9/23 EASTERN MICHIGAN
9/28 (Th.) at Sam Houston
10/4 (Wed.) at Middle Tennessee
10/10 (Tues.) LIBERTY
10/17 (Tues.) WKU
10/25 (Wed.) at FIU
11/4 at South Carolina
11/18 LA TECH
11/25 at New Mexico State
Sonny Cumbie first season matched Skip Holtz' last (3-9).
SCHEDULE
8/26 FIU
9/2 at SMU
9/9 NORTHWESTERN STATE
9/16 NORTH TEXAS
9/23 at Nebraska
9/29 (Fri.) at UTEP
10/5 (Th.) WKU
10/10 (Tues.) at Middle Tennessee
10/24 (Tues.) NEW MEXICO STATE
11/4 at Liberty
11/11 SAM HOUSTON
11/18 at Jacksonville State
A lot of change in Lynchburg, starting with the head coach as Hugh Freeze bolted back to the SEC (Auburn) and Jamey Chadwell defected from Coastal Carolina to take his place.
SCHEDULE
9/2 BOWLING GREEN
9/9 NEW MEXICO STATE
9/16 at Buffalo
9/28 (Th.) at FIU
10/5 (Th.) SAM HOUSTON
10/10 (Tues.) at Jacksonville State
10/17 (Tues.) MIDDLE TENNESSEE
10/24 (Tues.) at WKU
11/4 LA TECH
11/11 OLD DOMINION
11/18 UMASS
11/25 at UTEP
Rick Stockstill is tied as the 4th-longest tenured head coach in the FBS (2006). The 2023 slate opens aggressively with trips to Alabama and Missouri that will net the program well over $2,000,000. MTSU went to Miami last season and embarrassed the 'Canes 45-31 while making $1.5 million.
SCHEDULE
9/2 at Alabama
9/9 at Missouri
9/16 MURRAY STATE
9/23 COLORADO STATE
9/28 (Th.) at WKU
10/4 (Wed.) JACKSONVILLE STATE
10/10 (Tues.) LA TECH
10/17 (Tues.) at Liberty
11/4 at New Mexico State
11/11 FIU
11/18 UTEP
11/25 at Sam Houston
Jerry Kill, in his first season as head coach, led the Aggies to a 7-6 season that concluded with a 24-19 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. Last year's schedule strength ranked last out of all 131 teams and this slate should be in the same ballpark.
SCHEDULE
8/26 UMASS
9/2 WESTERN ILLINOIS
9/9 at Liberty
9/16 at New Mexico
9/23 at Hawai’i
10/5 (Th.) FIU
10/11 (Wed.) SAM HOUSTON
10/18 (Wed.) at UTEP
10/24 (Tues.) at LA Tech
11/4 MIDDLE TENNESSEE
11/11 at WKU
11/18 at Auburn
11/25 JACKSONVILLE STATE
The Bearkats' FBS welcoming features a tough non-conference slate that initiates the program with trips to BYU and Houston sandwiched around a home date with Air Force for its first three contests.
SCHEDULE
9/2 at BYU
9/9 AIR FORCE
9/23 at Houston
9/28 (Th.) JACKSONVILLE STATE
10/5 (Th.) at Liberty
10/11 (Wed.) at New Mexico State
10/18 (Wed.) FIU
10/25 (Wed.) UTEP
11/4 KENNESAW STATE
11/11 at LA Tech
11/18 at WKU
11/25 MIDDLE TENNESSEE
The program slipped from 7-6 in 2021 to 5-7 a year ago. Like other schools in the conference looking to fund the program, the Miners will head to Northwestern and Arizona for a couple of decent paydays.
SCHEDULE
8/26 at Jacksonville State
9/2 INCARNATE WORD
9/9 at Northwestern
9/16 at Arizona
9/23 UNLV
9/29 (Fri.) LA TECH
10/11 (Wed.) at FIU
10/18 (Wed.) NEW MEXICO STATE
10/25 (Wed.) at Sam Houston
11/4 WKU
11/18 at Middle Tennessee
11/25 LIBERTY
In four seasons, Tyson Helton is 32-21 overall and 23-8 in the conference with a 3-1 bowl record.
SCHEDULE
9/2 SOUTH FLORIDA
9/9 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN
9/16 at Ohio State
9/23 at Troy
9/28 (Th.) MIDDLE TENNESSEE
10/5 (Th.) at LA Tech
10/17 (Tues.) at Jacksonville State
10/24 (Tues.) LIBERTY
11/4 at UTEP
11/11 NEW MEXICO STATE
11/18 SAM HOUSTON
11/25 at FIU