2007 Conference USA Preview by Marc Lawrence The prospectus says Conference USA features 12 nationally prominent, tradition-rich members, a combination that enhances programs that are steeped in athletic success and academic prowess. In other words, they are academically refined but pigskin poor. We call them the not-yet-ready-for prime-time-bunch: the C-USA. Here is one handicapper’s take on Conference USA for 2007. Returning quarterbacks and starters are listed alongside each team’s name. Be sure to check out the rest of my 2007 Conference Previews updated throughout the summer. Enjoy... Alabama Birmingham: 4 off, 4 Def Here’s a quirky stat to take into the 2007 season with you: six different teams have captured a C-USA football title since 2002; and UAB is not one of them. Don’t expect them to break their cherry this year either, since the Blazers will take the field minus the services of 30 graduated seniors from last year’s squad. Given the fact they won only three games in 2006,that might actually be good news for new head coach Neil Calloway, a defensive coordinator at Georgia the past six seasons. He inherits a paper-thin unit that opens the new era on the road in four of its first five games. Patience is the operative word in Birmingham these days. Pass. Central Florida: 8 Off, 9 Def The big thud heard in Orlando last winter wasn’t a Shamu cannonball at Sea World. It was Central Florida’s fall from grace in the C-USA. As quickly as they arrived at the top perch in the conference standings, the Golden Knights fell back to also-ran status in one season. Surprising? Not hardly, considering the most-improved-team-in-the land label UCF carried last year. While 17 starters return this season, they lose star WR Mike Walker (90 receptions and 1178 yards) to graduation. That’s too bad as senior QB Kyle Israel was super consistent in his nine starts last season. A new field, Bright House Networks Stadium, will help. A schedule laced with seven bowl-eligible foes will not. Play against Central Florida vs. South Florida. East Carolina: 5 Off, 7 Def After inheriting a team that went 3-20 the previous two years before his arrival, Skip Holtz is nearing “Lou” status in Greenville after steering the Pirates to 12-12 in his first two seasons. Five wins in their last seven games propelled ECU to their first winning season since 2000. That momentum might be short-lived, however, when they open against four bowlers in their first five contests without the services of QB James Pinkney who tossed for more than 2,700 yards in each of Holtz’s two years on the sidelines. The upside is seven starters back from a defense that improved 74 YPG last season. And note, like his dad, Skip has learned to pummel the poor, again. Play on East Carolina vs. Memphis. Houston: 8 Off, 8 Def From 0-11 in 2001 to C-USA champs in 2006. It’s been quite a run for the Cougars, who became one of only five teams to do so since 1976. The credit in this case is two-fold. One, head coach Art Briles, whose dynamic offensive schemes have vaulted Houston back to prominence since taking over the program four years ago. The other would be QB Kevin Kolb, who started 50 consecutive games en route to shattering every school passing record. Kolb will be playing Sunday afternoons this season (a first round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles). Thus, the compelling question: was it really Briles’ playbook or was it Kolb’s uncanny ability to strike pay-dirt? Stay tuned. Play against Houston vs. Oregon. Memphis: QB, 7 Off, 7 Def Head coach Tommy West is an impatient individual. Despite leading his team to three straight bowl games for the first time ever in school history from 2003-2005, he is quick with the ax when it comes to assistant coaches. After a 1-2 start in 2006 he let DC Joe Lee Dunn go and reverted back to a 4-3 defense with horrid results. A 1-8 finish meant more changes. Five new coaches join the staff in 2007 as West yearns to return to the bowl scene as quickly as possible. A lightweight schedule featuring seven home games and only one back-to-back road trip is promising. It’s all on West, and if he doesn’t get it done this year, it’s history. Play on Memphis vs. Marshall (key off a loss). Rice: QB, 8 Off, 5 Def After a drowsy start, former Tulsa assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Graham awakened the Owls in dramatic fashion in his rookie campaign last season, leading Rice to their first bowl appearance since 1961. A six-game win streak to conclude the 2006 season was amazing considering the Owls were underdogs in all six games! Texas head coach Mack Brown contends Rice “hit a home run in hiring Graham”. Unfortunately he was hired away by his alma mater. Thus, a call was made to David Bailiff (we can already hear the puns). Bailiff steered Texas State to a Southland Conference title and into the semi-finals of the Division 1-AA playoffs. Alas, it’s back to the drawing board for the Krispies. Play against Rice vs. Tulsa. SMU: QB, 9 Off, 7 Def Slowly, but surely, the Mustangs have crawled their way back to respectability under head coach Phil Bennett. After inheriting a program starving for attention in 2002, the Ponies just missed a winning season last year when they dropped a four-point decision at Rice in the season finale. “It was great to be playing for a conference championship last November,” said Bennett. “This has been one of our goals since we got here; to be playing meaningful games late in the season.” After posting their highest win total in a decade last year, the Ponies are very excited about their chances in 2007. With SMU owning a star QB (Justin Willis) for the first time in years, so are we. Play on SMU vs. Rice. Southern Mississippi: QB, 6 Off, 8 Def It’s been four years since the Golden Eagles last captured a conference title, a stat that keeps head coach Jeff Bower awake at night. That’s a common side effect suffered by coaches that have produced 13 winning seasons in a row (only Florida, Michigan and Virginia Tech can boast the same success). As a result of that success, Bower has taken his team to a bowl game nine of the last ten years. Not bad for a school that had been bowlers only four times in school history prior to his arrival. Damion Fletcher led all true freshman running backs last season with 1,388 yards. Can he match that feat this year? Relax. Take an Ambien and we’ll see you in the post-season. Play on Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina. Texas El Paso: 8 Off, 4 Def There appears to be more good news – bad news state of affairs in Mike Price’s life. Good News: QB Jordan Palmer set four school records last season. Bad News: Palmer is gone. Good News: 26 seniors on last year’s squad won 21 games the previous three years. Bad News: they were seniors and they’re gone, too. Good News: the Miners led the -USA in attendance last year. Bad News: nobody cares. Unfortunately the bulk of the good news for El Paso is history. They will have LB Jeremy Jones back this year. He was a Second Team All C-USA performer in 2005 before he broke his leg last year. There’s that last year’s news again, and it’s not good. Play against Texas El Paso vs. Tulane. Tulane: 5 Off, 8 Def Of the 23 new head coaching changes in Division 1-A college football this season, it appears that Tulane scored a game winner when they inked Bob Toledo, former UCLA mentor. He brings 30 years of experience to the sidelines, having been a member of 13 bowl teams. Tulane will look to RB Matt Forte, a 6’ 2” 225 lb. senior who has rushed for 2,138 yards and 16 TD’s while gaining 638 receiving yards. Seven home games, including four in a row to open the season, will help. While Toledo brings a ton of knowledge, it will take a while to assimilate. Experience has taught us many a good lesson. It’s also taught us to pass on teams like these. Pass. Tulsa: QB, 5 Off, 6 Def It was both good and bad times for the Golden Hurricane last season. Good because Tulsa made back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1964-65, and it won eight or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1982-83. Bad reared its head when head coach Steve Kragthorpe was hired away by Louisville, thus ending the best four-year run by a Tulsa football squad since the early Eighties. To fill the hole, the Hurricane quickly brought back Todd Graham, a former assistant head coach with Tulsa in 2005, after a sterling one-year stay at Rice. Behind senior QB Paul Smith, a second team all C-USA performer last year, they hope the good times outweigh the bad in 2007. Play against Tulsa vs. Louisiana Monroe. Remember to get Marc Lawrence’s Guaranteed College Football Winners this year right here at Vegas Experts, where you only pay after you win! And don’t forget to check out the rest of Marc’s 2007 Conference Previews, with free College Football Picks on nearly every team!