Wikipedia

2023 Conference USA football season

The 2023 Conference USA football season was the 28th season of college football play for Conference USA (CUSA). The season began on August 26, 2023 and ended with the Conference Championship Game on December 2, 2023.[1] The conference consisted of nine members and was part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2023 Conference USA football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationAugust 26 – December 2, 2023
Number of teams9
2024 NFL Draft
Top draft pickMalachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
Picked byNew York Jets (round 3, pick 65)
Regular season
Season championsLiberty
CUSA Championship Game
ChampionsLiberty
  Runners-upNew Mexico State
Finals MVPKaidon Salter, QB, Liberty
Seasons
2023 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 25 Liberty y$   8 – 0     13 – 1  
New Mexico State y   7 – 1     10 – 5  
Jacksonville State*   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Western Kentucky   5 – 3     8 – 5  
Middle Tennessee   3 – 5     4 – 8  
UTEP   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Sam Houston*   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Louisiana Tech   2 – 6     3 – 9  
FIU   1 – 7     4 – 8  
Championship: Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

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Main article: 2022 Conference USA football season

During the 2022 season, the UTSA Roadrunners posted the best record in the regular season. UTSA and North Texas advanced to the championship game, where UTSA won by a score of 48–27.

Conference realignment

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Prior to the 2023 season, Conference USA saw substantial realignment, with six schools leaving the conference to join the American Athletic Conference: UTSA, North Texas, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Rice, and UAB.[2] Conference USA then invited four schools to join: Liberty and New Mexico State, who were both previously FBS independents; Jacksonville State, who were previously in the ASUN Conference at the Division I FCS level; and Sam Houston, who were previously in the Western Athletic Conference also at the Division I FCS level.[3] The realignment left CUSA with nine football members for the 2023 season. CUSA further announced that Kennesaw State, another member of the ASUN Conference, would move up beginning in 2024.[4]

On the same day the membership changes took effect (July 1, 2023), the conference unveiled a "brand refresh". The former abbreviation of "C-USA" was retired in favor of "CUSA", and the logo was slightly updated.[5]

Both Jacksonville State and Sam Houston were initially ineligible for both the conference championship and for bowl games due to their transition from the FCS level to FBS level. However, Jacksonville State received a berth in the New Orleans Bowl after only 79 non-transitional teams were eligible to fill the 82 bowl slots this season.

Preseason

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Preseason poll

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The preseason poll was released on July 21, 2023.[6]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team 1st place votes
1 Western Kentucky 18
2 Liberty 4
3 Middle Tennessee
4 Louisiana Tech
5 New Mexico State
6 UTEP
7 Jacksonville State
8t FIU
8t Sam Houston

Preseason player awards

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Preseason player awards were announced on July 24.[7]

  • Offensive Player of the Year: Austin Reed (Redshirt Senior, Western Kentucky quarterback)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: JaQues Evans (Junior, Western Kentucky linebacker)
  • Special Teams Player of the Year: Smoke Harris (Redshirt Senior, Louisiana Tech kick returner/punt returner)

Head Coaches

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Note: All stats shown are before the start of the 2023 season.

Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school CUSA Record
FIU Mike MacIntyre 2 50–73 4–8 2–6
Jacksonville State Rich Rodriguez 2 172–121–2 9–2 0–0
Liberty Jamey Chadwell 1 99–57 0–0 0–0
Louisiana Tech Sonny Cumbie 2 5–12 3–9 2–6
Middle Tennessee Rick Stockstill 18 109–103 109–103 79–53
New Mexico State Jerry Kill 2 165–110 7–6 0–0
Sam Houston K. C. Keeler 10 259–100–1 85–27 0–0
UTEP Dana Dimel 6 47–79 17–40 8–28
Western Kentucky Tyson Helton 5 32–21 32–21 23–8

Post-season changes

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  • On November 26, UTEP announced that it had fired head coach Dana Dimel after 6 season with the school.[9] Dimel had posted a 20–49 record in his tenure. On December 4, UTEP announced Scotty Walden as the new head coach for the 2024 season.[10] Walden had previously been head coach at Austin Peay.
  • On November 27, Middle Tennessee announced that it had fired head coach Rick Stockstill after 18 seasons with the school.[11] Stockstill had a 113–111 record during his tenure at the school. On December 6, Middle Tennessee announced Derek Mason as the new head coach for the 2024 season.[12] Mason had previously been head coach at Vanderbilt.
  • On December 23, New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill announced that he was stepping down from the position. The school announced that wide receivers coach Tony Sanchez would be promoted to the head coach position for 2024.[13]

Rankings

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Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
  Pre Wk
1		 Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Final
FIU AP
C
CFP Not released
Jacksonville State AP
C
CFP Not released
Liberty AP RV RV RV RV 25 25 22 20 18
C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 22 22 20
CFP Not released 25 24 23
Louisiana Tech AP
C
CFP Not released
Middle Tennessee AP
C
CFP Not released
New Mexico State AP RV RV
C RV RV
CFP Not released
Sam Houston AP
C
CFP Not released
UTEP AP
C
CFP Not released
Western Kentucky AP
C
CFP Not released
Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
  No change in ranking from previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Schedule

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Index to colors and formatting
CUSA member won
CUSA member lost
CUSA teams in bold

The 2023 schedule was released on January 10, 2023.[1]

All times Eastern time.

Week 0

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
August 26 5:30 p.m. UTEP Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL CBSSN  JVST 17–14   17,982
August 26 7:00 p.m. UMass New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM ESPN L 30–41   15,356
August 26 9:00 p.m. FIU Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA CBSSN  LT 22–17   16,299
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 1

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 2 12:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX ESPNU L 14–38   21,490
September 2 12:00 p.m. Bowling Green Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA CBSSN W 34–24   18,811
September 2 2:00 p.m. East Tennessee State Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPN+ W 49–3   21,276
September 2 3:30 p.m. South Florida Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY CBSSN W 41–24   15,438
September 2 6:30 p.m. Maine FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL ESPN+ W 14–12   16,878
September 2 7:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee No. 4 Alabama Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL SECN L 7–56   100,077
September 2 9:00 p.m. Western Illinois New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM ESPN+ W 58–21   17,943
September 2 9:00 p.m. No. 7 (FCS) Incarnate Word UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX ESPN+ W 28–14   30,738
September 2 10:15 p.m. Sam Houston BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT FS1 L 0–14   59,006
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 9 3:30 p.m. UTEP Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN L 7–38   14,851
September 9 6:00 p.m. New Mexico State Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA ESPN+  LIB 33–17   20,123
September 9 6:30 p.m. North Texas FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL ESPN+ W 46–39   15,754
September 9 7:00 p.m. Jacksonville State Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ L 16–30   16,006
September 9 7:00 p.m. Northwestern State Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA ESPN+ W 51–21   19,152
September 9 7:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee Missouri Faurot Field • Columbia, MO SECN+/ESPN+ L 19–23   57,645
September 9 7:00 p.m. Houston Christian Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY ESPN+ W 52–22   20,712
September 9 8:00 p.m. Air Force Sam Houston NRG Stadium • Houston, TX CBSSN L 3–13   25,121
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 16 12:00 p.m. Liberty Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY CBSSN W 55–27   13,020
September 16 3:30 p.m. FIU UConn Pratt & Whitney Stadium • East Hartford, CT CBSSN W 24–17   20,405
September 16 4:00 p.m. Western Kentucky No. 6 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH FOX L 10–63   100,217
September 16 7:00 p.m. North Texas Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA ESPN+ L 37–40   17,434
September 16 7:00 p.m. Murray State Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPN+ W 35–14   16,605
September 16 8:00 p.m. New Mexico State New Mexico University Stadium • Albuquerque, NM (Rio Grande Rivalry) W 27–17   27,414
September 16 11:00 p.m. UTEP Arizona Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ P12N L 10–31   44,182
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 4

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 23 12:00 p.m. Western Kentucky Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPNU L 24–27   26,124
September 23 3:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE BTN L 14–28   87,115
September 23 5:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPN+ W 21–0   20,966
September 23 6:30 p.m. Liberty FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL ESPN+  LIB 38–6   17,437
September 23 7:00 p.m. Sam Houston Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX B12N/ESPN+ L 7–38   35,044
September 23 7:00 p.m. Colorado State Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPN+ L 23–31   19,806
September 23 9:00 p.m. UNLV UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX ESPN+ L 28–45   28,042
September 23 11:59 p.m. New Mexico State Hawaii Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Honolulu, HI L 17–20   10,254
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 5

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 28 7:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate) CBSSN  WKU 31–10   14,712
September 28 8:00 p.m. Jacksonville State Sam Houston Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX ESPNU  JVST 35–28 OT  14,566
September 29 9:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX CBSSN  LT 24–10   9,101
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 6

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 4 8:00 p.m. Jacksonville State Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPNU  JVST 45–30   13,066
October 4 9:00 p.m. FIU New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM CBSSN  NMSU 34–17   11,540
October 5 7:00 p.m. Sam Houston Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA CBSSN  LIB 21–16   17,100
October 5 8:00 p.m. Western Kentucky Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA ESPNU  WKU 35–28   13,014
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 7

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 10 7:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN CBSSN  MTSU 31–23   9,602
October 10 7:30 p.m. Liberty Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPNU  LIB 31–13   21,745
October 11 7:30 p.m. UTEP FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL ESPN2  UTEP 27–14   14,872
October 11 9:00 p.m. Sam Houston New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM CBSSN  NMSU 27–13   12,812
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 8

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 17 7:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA CBSSN  LIB 42–35   16,354
October 17 7:30 p.m. Western Kentucky Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPNU  JVST 20–17   17,977
October 18 7:00 p.m. FIU Sam Houston Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX CBSSN  FIU 33–27 2OT  7,543
October 18 9:00 p.m. New Mexico State UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX (Battle of I-10) ESPN2  NMSU 28–7   19,727
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 9

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 24 7:00 p.m. New Mexico State Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA CBSSN  NMSU 27–24   13,798
October 24 7:30 p.m. Liberty Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY ESPNU  LIB 42–29   16,036
October 25 7:00 p.m. Jacksonville State FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL CBSSN  JVST 41–16   14,074
October 25 8:00 p.m. UTEP Sam Houston Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX ESPN2  UTEP 37–34   6,889
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 10

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 4 12:00 p.m. Jacksonville State South Carolina Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC ESPNU L 28–38   75,348
November 4 1:00 p.m. Kennesaw State Sam Houston Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX ESPN+ W 24–21   7,143
November 4 6:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA CBSSN  LIB 56–30   21,647
November 4 6:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM ESPN+  NMSU 13–7   -
November 4 9:00 p.m. Western Kentucky UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX ESPN+  WKU 21–13   11,111
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 11

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 11 1:00 p.m. Old Dominion Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA ESPN+ W 38–10   21,481
November 11 3:00 p.m. Sam Houston Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA ESPN+  SHSU 42–27   15,080
November 11 3:30 p.m. FIU Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPN+  MTSU 40–6   11,111
November 11 3:30 p.m. New Mexico State Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY ESPN+  NMSU 38–29   16,319
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 12

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 18 1:00 p.m. UMass Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA ESPN+ W 49–25   16,860
November 18 2:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPN+  JVST 56–17   20,252
November 18 2:00 p.m. UTEP Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPN+  MTSU 34–30   9,122
November 18 3:30 p.m. Sam Houston Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY ESPN+  WKU 28–23   11,041
November 18 4:00 p.m. New Mexico State Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL SECN W 31–10   88,043
November 18 7:30 p.m. FIU Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR ESPNU L 20–44   61,442
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 25 12:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee Sam Houston Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX ESPN+  SHSU 23–20   5,349
November 25 3:00 p.m. Western Kentucky FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL ESPN+  WKU 41–28   12,724
November 25 3:30 p.m. No. 25 Liberty UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX CBSSN  LIB 42–28   10,240
November 25 4:00 p.m. Jacksonville State New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM ESPN+  NMSU 20–17   15,702
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Conference USA Championship Game

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 1 7:00 p.m. New Mexico State No. 24 Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA (Conference USA Championship Game) CBSSN  LIB 49–35   20,077
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Postseason

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Bowl Games

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See also: 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games
Legend
  CUSA win
  CUSA loss
Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) CUSA team Opponent Score Attendance
New Orleans Bowl December 16 Caesars Superdome • New Orleans, LA ESPN 2:15 p.m. Jacksonville State Louisiana W 34–31OT 14,485
New Mexico Bowl December 16 University Stadium • Albuquerque, NM ESPN 5:45 p.m. New Mexico State Fresno State L 10–37 30,822
Famous Toastery Bowl December 18 Jerry Richardson Stadium • Charlotte, NC ESPN 2:30 p.m. Western Kentucky Old Dominion W 38–35OT 5,632
New Year's Six Bowl
Fiesta Bowl January 1, 2024 State Farm Stadium • Glendale, AZ ESPN 1:00 p.m. No. 23 Liberty No. 8 Oregon L 6–45 47,769

Rankings are from Final CFP rankings. All times Eastern Time Zone.

Selection of teams

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  • Bowl eligible (4): Liberty, Jacksonville State[a], New Mexico State, Western Kentucky
  • Bowl ineligible (5): FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston, UTEP

Conference USA records vs other conferences

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2023–2024 records against non-conference foes:


Conference USA vs Power 5 matchups

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This is a list of games CUSA teams scheduled against power conference teams (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.


Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score
September 2 SEC Middle Tennessee No. 4 Alabama Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL L 7–56
September 2 Big 12 Sam Houston BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT L 0–14
September 9 SEC Middle Tennessee Missouri Faurot Field • Columbia, MO L 19–23
September 9 Big Ten UTEP Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL L 7–38
September 16 Pac-12 UTEP Arizona Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ L 10–31
September 16 Big Ten Western Kentucky No. 6 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH L 10–63
September 23 Big Ten Louisiana Tech Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE L 14–28
September 23 Big 12 Sam Houston Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX L 7–38
November 4 SEC Jacksonville State South Carolina Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC L 28–38
November 18 SEC FIU Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR L 20–44
November 18 SEC New Mexico State Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL W 31–10

Conference USA vs Group of Five matchups

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The following games include CUSA teams competing against teams from the American, MAC, Mountain West, or Sun Belt.

Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score
September 2 American Louisiana Tech SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX L 14–38
September 2 MAC Bowling Green Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA W 34–24
September 2 American South Florida Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY W 41–24
September 9 American North Texas FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL W 46–39
September 9 Sun Belt Jacksonville State Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC L 16–30
September 9 Mountain West Air Force Sam Houston NRG Stadium • Houston, TX L 3–13
September 16 American North Texas Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA L 37–40
September 16 MAC Liberty Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY W 55–27
September 16 Mountain West New Mexico State New Mexico University Stadium • Albuquerque, NM W 27–17
September 23 MAC Eastern Michigan Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL W 21–0
September 23 Mountain West Colorado State Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN L 23–31
September 23 Mountain West New Mexico State Hawaii Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Honolulu, HI L 17–20
September 23 Mountain West UNLV UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX L 28–45
September 23 Sun Belt Western Kentucky Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL L 24–27
November 11 Sun Belt Old Dominion Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA W 38–10

Conference USA vs FBS independents matchups

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The following games include CUSA teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, UConn, or UMass.

Date Visitor Home Site Score
August 26 UMass New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM L 30–41
September 16 FIU UConn Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT W 24–17
November 18 UMass Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA W 49–25

Conference USA vs FCS matchups

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Date Visitor Home Site Score
September 2 Maine FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, FL W 14–12
September 2 East Tennessee State Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL W 49–3
September 2 Western Illinois New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM W 58–21
September 2 Incarnate Word UTEP Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX W 28–14
September 9 Northwestern State Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA W 51–21
September 9 Houston Christian Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY W 52–22
September 16 Murray State Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN W 35–14
November 4 Kennesaw State Sam Houston Bower Stadium • Huntsville, TX W 24–21

Awards and honors

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Player of the week honors

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Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 0[14] Smoke Harris Louisiana Tech WR Jeremiah Harris Jacksonville State S Jack Dawson Jacksonville State P
Week 1[15] Kris Mitchell FIU WR JaQues Evans Western Kentucky LB Lucas Carneiro Western Kentucky K
Week 2[16] Kejon Owens FIU RB Tyrice Knight UTEP LB Jacob Barnes Louisiana Tech K
Week 3[17] Kaidon Salter Liberty QB Sam Brumfield Middle Tennessee LB Ethan Albertson New Mexico State K
Week 4[18] Kaidon Salter (2) Liberty QB Chris Hardie Jacksonville State DL Jack Dawson (2) Jacksonville State P
Week 5[19] Logan Smothers Jacksonville State QB Bryson Washington Western Kentucky LB Smoke Harris Louisiana Tech PR
Week 6[20] Malachi Corley Western Kentucky WR Chris Hardie (2) Jacksonville State DL Max Morgan Liberty P
Week 7[21] Diego Pavia New Mexico State QB Maurice Westmoreland UTEP DL Joshua Sloan UTEP P
Week 8[22] Zion Webb Jacksonville State QB Reggie Peterson FIU LB Alen Karajic Jacksonville State K
Week 9[23] Kaidon Salter (3) Liberty QB Jaylen "J-Rock" Swain Jacksonville State DL Buzz Flabiano UTEP K
Week 10[24] Quinton Cooley Liberty RB Da'Marcus Crosby Sam Houston DB Colby Sessums Sam Houston K
Week 11[25] Kaidon Salter (4) Liberty QB Kavian Gaither Sam Houston LB Ethan Albertson (2) New Mexico State K
Week 12[26] Diego Pavia (2) New Mexico State QB Gabe Peterson New Mexico State LB Kekoura Tarnue Jacksonville State DB
Week 13[27] Austin Reed Western Kentucky QB Trevor Williams Sam Houston LB Ethan Albertson (3) New Mexico State K

Conference USA Individual Awards

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The following individuals received postseason honors as chosen by the league's head coaches.[28][29]

Award Player School
Most Valuable Player Kaidon Salter, QB Liberty
Offensive Player of the Year Diego Pavia, QB New Mexico State
Defensive Player of the Year Tyren Dupree, LB Liberty
Special Teams Player of the Year Ethan Albertson, PK New Mexico State
Freshman of the Year Michael Richard, DB Louisiana Tech
Newcomer of the Year Quinton Cooley, RB Liberty
Coach of the Year Jamey Chadwell
Jerry Kill 		Liberty
New Mexico State

All-Conference Teams

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The following list contains players selected as members of the 2023 All-Conference Teams.[30]

All-Americans

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For the complete All-America selections, see 2023 College Football All-America Team.

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. College Football All-American consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
OL Clay Webb Jacksonville State AP, PFF, USAT, WCFF
S Brylan Green Liberty FWAA

NFL draft

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See also: 2024 NFL draft

The NFL draft will be held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit. The following list includes all C-USA players in the draft.

List of selections

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Player Position School Draft
Round 		Round
Pick 		Overall
Pick 		Team
Malachi Corley WR Western Kentucky 3 1 65 New York Jets
Tyrice Knight LB UTEP 4 18 118 Seattle Seahawks
Elijah Klein OG UTEP 6 44 220 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notes

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  1. ^ Due to a lack of bowl eligible teams, Jacksonville State was deemed bowl eligible despite their two-year postseason ban during their transition from FCS to FBS.

References

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  1. ^ a b "FB: C-USA Announces 2023 Schedule". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. January 10, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Jeyarajah, Shehan (July 15, 2022). "AAC to add six new member schools from Conference USA ahead of 2023 college football season". cbssports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Vannini, Chris (November 5, 2021). "Conference USA adds Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, Jacksonville State". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "C-USA Adds Kennesaw State, Owls to Join in 2024" (Press release). Conference USA. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Conference USA Officially Welcomes Four New Members" (Press release). Conference USA. July 1, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "FB: CUSA Announces Media's Predicted Order of Finish". conferenceUSA.com. Conference USA. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "C-USA Announces 2023 Preseason Awards". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Thamel, Pete (December 4, 2022). "Liberty hires Jamey Chadwell; sides agree to 7-year deal, sources say". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Deaver, Colin (November 26, 2023). "UTEP parts ways with Dana Dimel after six seasons". KTSM-TV. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "UTEP hires Scotty Walden away from Austin Peay to be coach". espn.com. ESPN. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  11. ^ "Massaro announces change in leadership for Blue Raider football" (Press release). Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  12. ^ Cobb, David (December 6, 2023). "Middle Tennessee hires Derek Mason: Ex-Vanderbilt coach returns to college football after one-year sabbatical". cbssports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Thamel, Pete (December 23, 2023). "Jerry Kill steps down, Tony Sanchez named new NMSU head coach". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Aug. 28 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Sept. 4 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sept. 11 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Sept. 18 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Sept. 25 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  19. ^ "Oct. 2 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  20. ^ "Oct. 9 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  21. ^ "Oct. 16 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  22. ^ "Oct. 23 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "October 30 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  24. ^ "November 6 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "November 13 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  26. ^ "November 20 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "November 27 CUSA Players of the Week". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  28. ^ "CUSA Announces 2023 Players of the Year". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "Liberty's Chadwell, New Mexico State's Kill Named CUSA Co-Coaches of the Year". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "CUSA Announces 2023 All-Conference Teams". conferenceusa.com. Conference USA. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
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