Liberty Leads 2024 Conference USA Preseason Media Poll

July 28, 2024 by Courtesy conferenceusa.com

DALLAS – Defending CUSA champion Liberty is picked to hoist the trophy once again, topping the league’s preseason predicted order of finish as voted on by a panel of media members that cover the member institutions.

The Flames are certainly one of the major players outside the major conferences. Liberty has finished at least 8-5 over each of the last five seasons. Last year, Jamey Chadwell replaced Hugh Freeze and led the team to a 13-1 mark after Freeze had gone 34-16 over the previous four campaigns with a high water mark of 10-1 during the Covid season. 

James Madison just moved up to the FBS in 2022 and has won 19 of 24 games. Coastal Carolina is 39-12 over the last four seasons, including an 8-5 record under Tim Beck who replaced Chadwell in 2023. Tulane is 23-5 with a Cotton Bowl win over USC (2022) over the last two seasons.

Entering year two under Chadwell, the 2023 CUSA Co-Coach of the Year, the Flames received 18 of the 20 first-place votes and 197 of a possible 200 points in the poll. Liberty returns 15 offensive and defensive starters from a team that finished with a 13-1 record, earned a bid to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the first NY6 bowl game for the league, and landed at No. 23 in the final CFP rankings. Led by reigning CUSA MVP Kaidon Salter and last year’s CUSA Newcomer of the Year Quinton Cooley in the backfield, the Flames are poised to dominate the ground once again after leading the nation in rushing (293.3) in 2023. Defensively, Liberty led the nation in interceptions (21) and is headlined by Second-Team All-American Brylan Green at safety.

WKU received the two remaining first-place votes and is projected to meet Liberty in the CUSA Championship Game. The Hilltoppers are coming off an 8-5 season that culminated with their third-straight bowl victory – a 38-35 overtime triumph in the Famous Toastery Bowl. Caden Veltkamp, the Famous Toastery Bowl MVP, will compete with Texas State transfer TJ Finley for the starting quarterback position, but they return four starters on the offensive line, running back Elijah Young and several wide receivers vying to replace the production of Malachi Corley. WKU also features seven returning starters from a defense that finished top-15 nationally in fumbles recovered, turnovers gained and interceptions.

In its debut season in CUSA, Jax State capped off a 9-4 campaign with an overtime victory over Louisiana in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, becoming the first team in NCAA history to win a bowl game in its first year of FBS competition. The Gamecocks enter the 2024 season fully postseason eligible after completing the transition to FBS and were voted to be the closest competitor to WKU for the other spot in the CUSA Championship Game. Second Team All-America offensive lineman Clay Webb returns to help pave the way for a Jax State rushing attack that ranked third nationally in rushing offense (236.7) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (35) last season. On defense, bandit J-Rock Swain is one of four returners that finished with at least 4.5 TFL in 2023.

The next four teams in the predicted order of finish were separated by just 10 points from MTSU (98) to LA Tech (88) with NM State and Sam Houston (97 each) tied for the fifth spot in the list.

The Conference USA slate opens on Thursday, Aug. 29, with Jax State hosting Coastal Carolina on CBS Sports Network. The remaining nine schools begin their campaign on Saturday, Aug. 31. The league’s 20th Conference USA Football Championship Game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6.

2024 CUSA Media Poll