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30 CUSA Questions for 09
Is this the site of the 2009 CUSA Championship Game?
30 Conference USA Questions for 2009
30. What Player has the most pressure on him in 2009?
A. John Thomas Shepherd QB Rice- As the #1 backup for Chase Clement last year Shepherd saw limited playing time as he only attempted 15 passes, but he will have to fill the spot vacated by Clement(326-490 4,119 yds 44 TD 7 INT). Shepherd will have to do it without the help of Jarett Dillard(87 receptions 1310 yds 20 TDs)
29. What coach has the most pressure heading into 2009?
A. George O'Leary- A man that just won the CUSA title 2 years ago wouldn't normally be listed here, but the heat was on at the end of last season. The Orlando Sentinel provided the majority of the heat following the death of Ereck Plancher, who died on March 18, 2008 following conditioning drills. This isn't the first time O'Leary has made headlines for being to hard on players. During the 2000 season offensive lineman Dustin Vaitekunas left Georgia Tech because he claimed O'Leary sent 4 defensive linemen to charge him after missing a block during practice. A 4-8 record last season didn't help matters either.
28. Who's the Most underrated player in CUSA?
A. Trevor Vittatoe QB UTEP- As a freshman Vittatoe was 2nd in the nation in passing yards for freshmen(behind OU's Sam Bradford). Last season he was even better(246-418 3,274 yds 33 TDs and 9 INTS). Seniors David Johnson and Chase Clement got most the attention last season, but this year it he will battle out Houston's Chase Keenum for first team at the QB position.
27. Who's the most underrated coach in CUSA?
A. Tommy West Memphis- It seems as if the man is on the hotseat every year and he's often overshadowed by some of the young up and comers in the conference, but West's accomplishments at Memphis shouldn't go unnoticed. In its history Memphis has appeared in only 6 bowl games, 5 of those have been under West. In 8 years with West the Tigers have won 47 games, the 8 years prior to West they only had 34 wins.
26. What's the Biggest CUSA game for 2009?
A. Southern Miss at East Carolina- The 2008 CUSA CHamps will play host to the hottest team in CUSA at the end of the seasno last year. The Pirates ended the year with 9 wins, but faded a bit after a hot start. Southern Miss won 5 straight to end the year including a 21-3 win over ECU in Hattiesburg.
25. What assistant has the most potential to be a Head Coach?
A. Dana Holgorsen OC Houston- A former Texas Tech OC and WR Coach, Holgorsen led an offense that finished 2nd nationally in total offense(562 yds a game and 10th in scoring(40.6 ppg). Holgorsen is only 37 and should be one to keep an eye out for over the next couple years.
24. Who has the toughest schedule in 2009?
A. East Carolina- The Pirates play 2 of the ACC's toughest teams in 09, UNC and Virginia Tech. Then they travel to West Virginia. The "easy" OOC game for the Pirates is an opening week game against Appalachian State.
23. Who has the easiest schedule in 09?
A. Memphis- While there isn't really a team in CUSA that has an easy schedule, it appears as if Memphis might have the easiest as they won't travel as far as others will OOC. The Tigers get Ole Miss(a team they always play tough) at home and stay instate to play Tennessee and MTSU. East Carolina must make the long trip down I-40 to play at the Liberty Bowl.
22. What's the worst OOC opponent scheduled by a CUSA team?
A. Alcorn State scheduled by Southern Miss- This game could get ugly quick as Fedora's offense will be way too much for Alcorn.
21. What's the best OOC game on schedule for a CUSA team?
A. Texas Tech at Houston- This game could last for 4 hours and the combined point total could go over 100 as old SWC rivals meet.
20. Will Skip Holtz leave East Carolina at the end of the season?
A. Only if a great offer comes along- Skip likes it at ECU and has fallen in love with the Carolinas over the last 10 years. ECU is a very good job. You've got great fan support, a rowdy stadium on gameday, a large school, and all of Eastern NC to yourself. It would take a top tier BCS job to lure Holtz away from Greenville, NC and not a school like Syracuse. In other words, if Virginia comes calling Skip doesn't leave, but if Tennessee did he would.
19. Who's the best player in Conference USA?
A. Chase Keenum- Hard to go wrong with a guy who passed for 5,020 yards last season, tossed 44 TDs, and ran for 221 yards. He did it all while only being a sophomore.
18. Where does CUSA Rank among the rest of the D-1 Conferences?
A. 8th- CUSA has some very good programs and some that have yet to realize its potential, but last year the conference went 18-30 OOC, ranking it well below the Big East, ACC, and Mountain West. In defense of that record many CUSA teams play a very difficult OOC schedule and generally have to travel for those games. Southern Miss has been one of the better programs in CFB for 20+ years now and has won some big road games against programs like FSU and Nebraska. SMU was a national power in the early 80s and even finished in the top 5 a couple years. UCF has all the potential to become another Utah, but has yet to live up to its potential. Houston has a strong history, always a threat to score big over the years. Tulsa and Rice have been strong lately. East Carolina is another school that should always win more than it loses and reach a bowl game. Losing Louisville and TCU hurt the league.
17. What's wrong with Marshall?
A. Mark Snyder- Sorry to those who support the man, but the blame has to go to the top. This is a program that 10 years ago was where Utah is now. The Thundering Herd entered Division 1 in 1997 and in its first 6 years won 5 MAC titles and 6 division titles. From 97-02 the program went 65-13, since they've gone 30-41. Some might blame it on West Virginia becoming a top 25 team under Rodriguez, others might blame it to moving to a tougher conference. Fact is that Marshall should be winning much more than it is. Snyder needs to win fast.
16. How do the CUSA Coaches Rank?
A. 1. Skip Holtz 2. June Jones 3. Mike Price 4. Larry Fedora 5. Todd Graham 6. George O'Leary 7. Tommy West 8. David Bailiff 9. Kevin Sumlin 10. Neil Callaway 11. Bob Toledo 12. Mark Snyder
15. What CUSA School will be the most improved in 2009?
A. SMU- The Mustangs are certainly headed in the right direction under June Jones. Bo Levi Mitchell showed potential last year as possibly becoming the next great QB in the state of Texas. If he can get his INT total down(23 last year), the Mustangs could become a threat to go bowling in 2009. As long as the program continues to get support from its fans and boosters, there is no reason to believe this won't be a top 25 team in a few years.
14. What team will have the biggest dropoff in 2009?
A. Rice- You don't lose players as talented as Jarrett Dillard and Chase Clement and not get a dropoff. 10 win seasons aren't common at strong academic institutions like Rice and the 09 season could be a tough one for the Owls.
13. Which CUSA division is better East or West?
A. East- Last season the West made a much strong arguement, but this year possibly the 2 best teams are in the East with Southern Miss and East Carolina. Central Florida should be much improved. In the West, Rice won't win 10 games next year and Tulsa isn't likely to match last year's results.
12. What Defensive Newcomer will have the biggest impact in 2009?
A. Ryan Clark DB SMU- Last year the Ponies allowed 38 PPG so they can use all the help they can get in the defensive secondary. With Ryan Clark they get a 4 star DB from the JUCOs that will be able to contribute right away. At safety Clark should help against some of the pass-happy teams in the CUSA West.
11. What Offensive newcomer will have the biggest impact in 2009?
A. Justin Jordan WR Southern Miss- In Fedora's attack Jordan should be able to shine. For the 2nd straight year the Golden Eagles land a big time WR in its recruiting class. The JUCO All American had offers from Kentucky, Utah, Arizona, Cal, Kansas State, and many more.
10. What CUSA team has the best shot at going to the BCS?
A. Southern Miss- In order to get to the BCS a team will have to be undefeated overall. Houston and East Carolina both have just as good of teams as USM, but their OOC schedule is just too tough. Southern Miss' toughest OOC game is a road trip to Kansas. While this isn't an easy game, it is one that the Golden Eagles are capable of winning.
9. What player will be the most improved in 2009?
A. UAB QB Joe Webb- An amazing athlete Webb(6'4 225) has potential to become a great CFB QB. Last season he ran for 1,021 yards and scored 11 TDs. As a passer Webb completed 59% of his passes and had over 2,300 yards passing. What kept him away from more national attention was his 16 INTs. This year Webb will cut that stat down and become a smarter QB, drawing the attention of some NFL scouts.
8. Can UCF beat Miami at Brighthouse Networks Stadium?
A. Yes- I mention this game because its very interesting to see the 5 time national champ traveling to Orlando to play the Knights. This is the kind of game that could elevate UCF to another level. Miami is a poorly coached football team and has faded out of the public eye nationally and in The Sunshine State. UCF has nearly 40,000 more students and is seeing larger crowds than Miami at its home football games. 2 seasons ago the Knights nearly knocked off Texas, that game the nation found out how tough Brighthoue Networks is to play at for an opposing team. In September The U. will find out as well.
7. Who's the Top NFL Prospect in CUSA?
A. C.J. Wilson DE East Carolina- This 6'4 271 defensive end was voted first team All CUSA last year after having 18.5 TFL and 10.5 sacks. As a sophomore he had 7 sacks. A big 2009 could lift him anywhere from a late first rounder to a 3rd round pick.
6. What should be done away with in CUSA?
A. Legion Field- Yes, it has tons of history behind it, but none of it involves UAB. The upper deck of the stadium no longer exists and its located in a rough part of Birmingham. UCF was able to build an on campus stadium and it did great things for its attendance. UAB needs to do the same and try to get out of the shadow of the Crimson Tide.
5. What does CUSA do better than other leagues?
A. It has its Championship game on campus- While the SEC does very well attending its championship games, the rest of the nation could learn from CUSA. The ACC can barely sale 30,000 tickets to its championship game in Florida and the MAC chooses to use Detroit, MI as the choice for its championship games. CUSA does it right and it looks great on TV. Packed houses at on campus stadiums gives the league a good image.
4. What hurts CUSA more than other leagues?
A. Its too spread out- From Huntington, WV to El Paso, TX you have CUSA schools. This distance keeps strong rivalries from forming. Rice, Houston, and Rice all have established rivalries from the SWC days, but there aren't many great rivalries outside of that. Southern Miss and Memphis have always had a good rivalry, but none of the other East schools have one.
3. What else does CUSA need to do better?
A. Get a better TV deal- With all the crap ESPN and Fox Sports' Regional stations put on, you would think CUSA could get a better deal than playing on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The CBS College Sports Deal is good, but 1 game a week isn't going to help the conference's image nationally. New Orleans, Houston, Orlando, Memphis, and Dallas are all big markets that love college football. CSS is a great package for Southern Sports, but if you don't have Comcast you can't get the station.
2. Who Wins the CUSA West?
A. Houston- The Coogs will come out on top in the wide open CUSA West. Led by Chase Keenum, Houston will be one of the nation's highest scoring teams and for the 2nd time they will meet USM in the CUSA title game.
1. Who Wins the CUSA East?
A. Southern Miss- East Carolina has a great defensive front, but the Golden Eagles ended things too hot last year. Fedora has the fan base excited and is recruiting very well. The Golden Eagles go into rowdy Dowdy Fiklen Stadium and wins a tight one against the ECU Pirates. A couple weeks later the Golden Eagles will host the CUSA Championship game and edge out the Houston Cougars, earning the right to take the short trip to Memphis for a sold out Liberty Bowl.
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