Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

Marshall at Virginia Tech- Va. Tech came up short against 'Bama, but that doesn't mean they'll struggle with the Thundering Herd. Marshall just squeeked by the Salukis despite great opening performances from WR Chuck Walker and TE Cody Slate. Marshall will score points all season, but this week will be the exception.
VA TECH 28 Marshall 6

BYU at Tulane- BYU was expected to win this game regardless of their win over Oklahoma last week. The good news for Tulane is they may get a nice attendance boost due to BYU's new noteriety. Tulane's job is not to win this game, but rather to see if Joe Kemp's solid second half last week against Tulsa was for real or just a fluke.
BYU 38 Tulane 13

East Carolina at West Virginia- West Virginia won't be caught off guard by the Pirates this year, but they still won't be able to do anything to stop ECU. We know App State gave Skip Holtz and the boys a close shave last week, but that will work in favor of the Pirates this week. QB Pat Pinkney needs to have a productive week, as West Virginia will surely open up their side of the playbook in week #2.
ECU 24 West Virginia 21

Houston at Oklahoma State- This was a game we talked about on this week's pigskinpress podcast, and while we feel it will be a shootout, Case Keenum will force OSU to beat them through the air. Talk about a statement game at the right time! If Keenum can pull the upset, it will be Houston that starts getting the BCS love. But don't count on it as Dan Dierdorf used to say, OK State has, "too many weapons."
Oklahoma State 41 Houston 37

SMU at UAB- SMU looked flat for the majority of their game, while UAB's Joe Webb lived up to his title of best player most fans have never heard of. The "x" factor in this game is experience. While SMU has a few veterans, UAB has more and since neither team has much of a defense expect lots of points. Home field puts UAB at
2-0.
UAB 45 SMU 42

Memphis at MTSU- Make no mistake, both of these teams are better than they appeared in week #1. Memphis needs to be carefull as MTSU's Dwight Dasher can kill you with his arm and legs. If Memphis can get some semblance of a defense, and get QB Arkelon Hall to stop turning the ball over, they should win in Murfreesboro...barely.
Memphis 30 MTSU 28

Rice at Texas Tech- Rice has serious isues on defense. Not the side of the ball to struggle on when facing Mike Leach's Red Raider offense.
Texas Tech 52 Rice 21

UCF at Southern Miss-An intruguing game. We here at the press are expecting great things from USM, and they'll need a big win over UCF to stay in our top 25. The USM rushing game was unstoppable against Alcorn while UCF struggled with their 1-AA. UCF does a few things well, but they don't have the athletes to compete this season.Look for DeAndre Brown to sit this one out for the Eagles.
Southern Miss 33 UCF 17

Kansas at UTEP- On paper, this game looked good to start the season, but after last week's debacle against Buffalo, it would appear as if UTEP may struggle to compete. The Kansas offense is nearly unstoppable, while UTEP's is still finding its form. Look for another big game from both Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and Aaron King in a losing effort. Hopefully, the UTEP faithfull will still show up for a Big 12 school.
Kansas 40 UTEP 24

Tulsa at New Mexico- Don't think the Lobos don't want this one bad, as it would be another feather in the cap of the Mountain West Conference. As nice as that may be, it aint gonna' happen. Tulsa actually has a defense this year, and combined with the play of G.J. Kinne, that will be more than enough. As we mentioned in our Tulsa discussion on the pigskinpress podcast this week, Tulsa needs to hide as many gadget plays as possible, as they'll need them as they get deeper into their schedule.

Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

East Carolina-Brandon Jackson/RB- It says a lot that despite injuries ECU was able to average 126 ypg last season. In 2009, Kentucky transfer Brandon Jackson will get a lot of carries,and if he performs well, could find himself putting up over 1,000 yards; we expect that to happen.

Houston-Tyrell Graham/DE- Graham will be called upon to rebuild the Houston pass rush after the graduation of Phillip Hunt. The Arkansas transfer has impressed coaches, and could easily find himself with 7-9 sacks this season.

Marshall- Ashton Hall/SS- Hall's progress was slowed a bit by injuries in 2008, but with the probable suspension of DeQuan Bembry, the Marshall secondary will need to pick up some slack in the tackling department. Hall is healthy, and should easily top 80-90 tackles as a senior.

Memphis- DajLeon Farr/TE- Farr was a highly touted prospect when he signed with the Miami Hurricanes, but rarely caught the ball. Memphis is the perfect set-up for the transfer, as the Tigers have two vertical threats in Carlos Singleton and Duke Calhoun. With the linebackers dropping back in coverage more often, look for the senior to pull in 40 balls and quietly compete for 1st team all-conference honors.

Rice- Travis Bradshaw/DT- This kid did serious damage (89 tackles) in only six starts last season. This year, he'll start and lead the Owls defense in tackles. Look for Bradshaw to be called upon to blitz more often as a sophomore.

SMU- Shawnbrey McNeal/RB- We expect the NCAA to grant the junior immediate eligibility, and you should expect McNeal to force defenses to think twice before dropping back too far. The Miami transfer could easily put up 800+ or more if June Jones decides to limit carries for Chris Butler.

Southern Miss- Scottie Willams/LB- Williams was a kid a lot of teams wanted out of high school, and now he's in Hattiesburg. While the linebackers could be considered a bit green by some standards, Williams has great field vision and will go toe-to-toe with Martez Smith for most tackles by a linebacker. We'll call for 55-60.

Tulane-Logan Kelley/DE- Kelley quitely put up seven sacks and three forced fumbles in 2008, while only starting one game. Kelley will easily break double-digits in sacks, and will give ECU's CJ Wilson a run for his money in the sack department.

Tulsa- DeAundre Brown/DB- This kid looked terrific as a frosh, and is poised for a big 2009. In the pass happy C-USA, look for Brown to put up 90+ tackles and 5-7 interceptions.

UAB-Hiram Atwater/S- Big 12 schools took a good long look at Atwater coming out of last season, and with good reason. If you leave Atwater on the field long enough, he'll make plays-nothing spectacular or flashy, but certainly solid. Look for Atwater to surprise a lot of people with how often he's around the ball. We'll call for 60-70 tackles and some impactful blitzing.

UCF- Brynn Harvey/RB- With Latavious Murray out of the picture, Harvey will build upon a terrific freshman campaign. UCF's passing game will be much more effective this season, and Harvey could be a big beneficiary of that. We'll call for him to break the 1,000 yard mark.

UTEP- Logan Barrett/K- Anyone who can make a 72-yard field goal has to be on their way to something big! Granted, his predecessor, Jose Martinez was very good, Barrett's leg may actually be the difference between a C-USA title shot or not. Look for Barrett to improve on Martinez' 1-7 from beyond 50 yards last season.

Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

East Carolina-Skip Holtz
Hands down, the hottest young coach in the football ranks right now. Holtz does not recruit like a typical C-USA team; he’s not afraid to go after guys who “shouldn’t” be there and he gets results on the field. ECU made a splash last season with early BCS chatter, and should be in the mix again this year. We thought he’d jump ship this off-season, but appearantly he’s waiting for a possible opening at Notre Dame in 2010.
Stock: Sizzling

Houston-Kevin Sumlin
Losing Art Briles seemed like it could hurt the Cougars, but Sumlin was smart to come in and build around the talent that was already in place; hence the terrific season for Case Keenum and the Cougs’. The 2010 recruiting class is already shaping up with terrific talent (WR Deandre Perry) and its difficult to imagine Houston not winning at least seven games. Sumlin is off to a terrific start and could be in the BCS buster mix in the next couple of years.
Stock: Rising

Marshall-Mark Snyder
Is there a hotter seat in C-USA than Mark Snyder’s? Snyder has faced criticism ranging from his in-game strategy, to a lack of recruiting, to off-field arrests. To his credit, replacing Bob Pruitt is not easy, but he’s had time to right the ship. If Snyder allows his legally challenged players back on the field with little consequence, Marshall should find themselves in a bowl game; if not, it’s time for a change.
Stock: Plummeting

Memphis-Tommy West
Taking Memphis to a bowl game 5 of the last 6 years is impressive and shows that West is the kind of coach who can get exactly what his recruits are capable of, no more no less. The problem is that West consistently has to go the JUCO route to fill needs. That approach will keep the Tigers bowl eligible, but not much more. West is the model of consistency, but depending on what your expectations are for the future of Memphis football, that may not be enough. For now, we’ll take it.
Stock: Steady

Rice-David Bailiff
2008 was spectacular for the Rice owls and capped off with a drubbing of a pretty good Western Michigan team in the Texas Bowl. Now, the real challenge begins as Bailiff needs to get extra mileage from players not named Dillard, Clement, or Casey. Winning at Rice is not easy, and for Bailiff to get 10 wins is a great achievement. Factor in that his first couple of recruiting classes are better than the two before he got there and that’s real progress. This guys a keeper!
Stock: Sizzling

SMU-June Jones
Maybe Jones gets a free pass last year because of his success with Hawaii, but we don’t see it that way. Pushing QB Justin Willis to the sidelines and even considering the possibility of moving leading WR Emmanuel Sanders to DB in his senior year looks like arrogance to us. If SMU goes out and wins 6 games this season, then we are the idiots but Jones has forgotten the principle of do what you can with what you have where you are. The good news is that Jones is a proven winner and his first two classes of recruits have been solid. Regardless, with the salary he’s making he will be judged on wins and losses.
Stock: Dropping

Southern Miss-Larry Fedora
We were some of the loudest critics of the dismissal of Jeff Bower, but Fedora did exactly what he needed to do in year one to silence his critics-Win! Not only did Southern Miss win late, but they brought in guys to do it with. DeAndre Brown and Kendrick Hardy are two recruiting coups that show Fedora is not afraid to recruit with the big boys. 2009 could be a spectacular season for Southern Miss!
Stock: Rising

Tulane-Bob Toledo
Toledo’s hire at Tulane was criticized right off the bat and thus far there’s not much reason to debate it. The Tulane program was dead when Toledo arrived and is showing few signs of life. With the football-rich state of Louisiana as a recruiting ground, Toledo should be bringing in higher recruits. The former UCLA coach’s best days are behind him and if Tulane doesn’t pull it together quick, his New Orleans stint will be behind him as well.
Stock: Dropping

Tulsa-Todd Graham
21 wins in two seasons can make any Tulsa fan forget about the Kragthorpe era pretty quick. It can also help you forget the messy departure he had at Rice. Graham is an expert at finding recruits that are not necessarily highly ranked. He understands that the offense he runs keeps him in games that would otherwise be un-winnable. Adding QB Shavodrick Beaver should keep the offense sharp for the next few years. The question is whether Graham loves Tulsa enough to say no when the big boys come callin’-and they will come-a-callin’.
Stock: Sizzling

UAB-Neil Calloway
Callaway has a lot riding on this season! UAB has struggled in his first two seasons, but they have breakout potential in 2009. It’s difficult to grab in-state kids when you're competing with the powerhouse team in Tuscaloosa. That being said, UAB has some potential at the skill positions for the next couple of years. If Calloway can get a six win season out of UAB, it will be a sign of what’s to come in Birmingham over the next few years.
Stock: Steady

UCF-George O’Leary
UCF is one of the best up-and-coming programs in the country, but many fans of the program seem to think they’ve already arrived. The fact is they haven’t, but they’re getting there. O’ Leary has done a good job of being a well rounded coach with athletics, academics, fundraising and community involvement. Critics however only look at the win-loss record. We admit, UCF has been a bit inconsistent in the win column, but O’ Leary is the right man for the program. UCF does need to step up recruiting on the defensive side of the ball.
Stock: Steady

UTEP-Mike Price
The transfers have dried up, the Miners have three straight losing seasons, the fans are getting restless, and now some key players may have legal troubles. The Mike Price era started with a bang, but now the Miners are at a crossroads. If Price wants to keep his job he’s got to make a bowl game this year. Recruiting has been spotty, but with a more mature Trevor Vittatoe at QB UTEP could change their fortunes in 2009. If not, Price may be on the way out.
Stock: Dropping

Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

A- Albert McClellan- This guy was a beast at DE before his injury  in 2007, but his numbers slipped significantly in 2008 as he only garnered 2.5 sacks for the Thundering Herd Defense. Look for McClellan to regain his sophomore momentum and put up double digit sacks yet again!

B- Bo Levi Mitchell- There are many SMU fans who are still upset that June Jones benched Justin Willis for the true frosh QB in 2008, and a lot of eyes are still on this move. Mitchell was mediocre with 23 interceptions, but all things considered showed some skills. Mitchell will need to have a solid year, or head coach June Jones will make a change in 2010.

C- Case Keenum- Some will call Keenum a “system” QB in order to justify his 5,000 yards passing and 44 td’s, but if that’s all it is, why doesn’t every school run this system? Keenum is the real deal and he’s only a junior! Lots of targets return for the Houston gunslinger and his numbers will be similar to last year’s.

D- DeAndre Brown- Every C-USA fans should write Brown a thank you letter for the national exposure he has brought to the conference. The sophomore WR returns from injury at full strength (maybe not after his basketball mishap), and so does the potent Southern Miss offense. Brown will easily top 1,400 yards and 15 TD’s.

E- East Carolina- The Pirates captured the nation's attention as they played the role of giant killer before fizzling in week 4,5, and 6! The good news is that the Pirates will return all the key components (minus Zack Slate) and get national exposure on ESPN networks four times! Look for the Pirates to make some serious noise, inside and outside of the conference.

F- Fanuzzi, Nick- Talk about big shoes to fill! Replacing QB Chase Clement is one thing, but being an Alabama transfer adds even more pressure. If the Sophomore wins the job (as expected) he’ll need to be on his toes as the Owl lose three starters on the O-Line and their top 2 receivers…no pressure though!

G- Gray, Anthony- The Southern Miss defensive lineman was spectacular as a sophomeore with six sacks. His numbers will improve as a junior. Gray could give the young offensive line of the Kansas Jayhawks fits when the two meet on September 26th.

H- Hallman, Derrick- The UCF safety will not only be switching from linebacker, but will be without the talented DB quartet (Rashad, Burnett, Neal, and Veson) from a season ago. Hallman is being called on to step up his game more than anybody in the conference. Unfortunately, he’ll get one warm up game (Samford) before he has to face DeAndre Brown, Gerald Baptiste and the Southern Miss offense.

I- Interceptions- C-USA’s primary starting QB’s had a combined 137 interceptions last season; that;s more than any other non-bcs conference starter list. The upside is that many of the QB’s in question were underclassmen. Look for an improvement this season across the board.

J- Joe Webb- The UAB senior is fun to watch, and has a higher upside than many give him credit for. With 11 starters returning for the Blazers, look for Webb to not have 1,000 yards rushing this season, but come closer to 3,000 yards through the air. We feel this guy could be a late round NFL draft choice with his size, speed and numbers, despite being on a losing team. UAB is our surprise team of the conference.

K- Kansas at UTEP- An intriguing game for a number of reasons, namely to see two great passers in UTEP’s Trevor Vittatoe and Kansas’s Todd Reesing go toe-to-toe. Secondly, it’s the second time a BCS opponent has rolled into El Paso in two years, but the first meeting between the two. We’re also intrigued to see if the athletic department could pull off a sellout at the Sun Bowl. That would be electric!

L- LJ Castille- The Houston wide-out put up a staggering 17.1 yards per catch and 8 td’s last season as a sophomore. Tyrone Carrier gets enough press as Case Keenum’s go-to-guy that Castille could haul in 60 passes this season.

M- Marshall Mess- What a difficult position for Mark Snyder to deal with. Two young, star-players arrested with drugs (Darius Marshall/DeQuan Bembry)….what to do? If he lets them back, the university’s poor-reputation for character issues gets justified and worse, but if he doesn’t there is a strong chance it costs the Herd a game or two, and with Snyder being on the hot seat already, probably his job! Good luck with all that!

N- Nick Johnson- The East Carolina Linebacker is wherever the ball is. 102 tackles last season to go along with nine tackles for a loss is pretty darn good for a guy who had virtually no hype coming out of high school. There is no reason to think he won’t repeat last season’s numbers.

O- Ozougwa, Cheta- When we mention a Rice player, it’s usually on the offensive side of the ball, but this sophomore DE is something special. Ozougwa is very strong and plays with his eyes up, which is something a lot of younger players struggle with. 2009 will be another strong showing for #95.

P- P.F. Bangs! - SMU LB Pete Fleps hits hard for 228 pounds. Last season, the sophomore put up 106 tackles and the Mustangs will find themselves on defense a lot this season which should keep those tackles up over 100.

Q- Q*bert- Orange guy with a gaping tube for a mouth. This crudely animated,boring, 1980’s video game is another reason to watch C-USA in 2009.

R- Ross Thevenot- Yeah, that’s right! We put a punter down on this list! Thevenot was terrific last season; he landed 33% of his punts inside the twenty and had a 45.8 ypp average. As for his kicking…..not so much!

S- Steele, Curtis- Probably the 1,000 yard rusher that most people have never heard of. The JUCO transfer made a splash with 1,200 yards and seven TD’s. Unfortunately, the Tigers lose four starters on the line and Steele could struggle to break 1,200 in 2009.

T- Title Game- The C-USA title game will be a good one in 2009. The West has three legitimate contenders (Houston, Tulsa, UTEP) and ECU will more than likely represent the East. No matter how it turns out, it will be worth the price of admission.

U- Un’Tavious Scott- Performed admirably in only 4 starts last season, but will need to add to his four sacks as the Golden Hurricane loses a big portion of its pass rush from graduation. If Scott and Odrick Ray can combine for 12 sacks, Tulsa could have a little more defensive clout than many expect.

V- Vittatoe, Trevor- UTEP is looking to return to the Jordan Palmer days, and Vittatoe is the guy to deliver it!  If the UTEP Offensive Line can protect him, UTEP could not only go bowling, but win the west.

W- Williams, Jeremy- Back again. New and improved! Williams is one of the most underrated wide receivers in the league when healthy and it appears that he will be for 2009. The QB situation at Tulane is the only thing keeping us from predicting a 1,000 yard season for the senior.

X- braXton Amy- The Miners are thrilled to have the talented defensive back return after last season’s ACL tear. Amy needs to return to top form quickly, as the UTEP secondary needs experience and the ability to play the run better.

Y- Youri Yenga- 6.5 sacks is enough reason to keep an eye on the SMU junior linebacker. Another in the line of burgeoning young linebackers in C-USA.

Z- Zearrick Matthews- May be called upon to fill the shoes of the suspended DeQuan Bembry in the Marshall secondary should Bembry be suspended. Could be tricky since the senior DB is returning from an injury himself.