Yesterday, we provided a list of players to watch out for in Conference USA this season. Today, we’ll shift gears a little bit and talk about surprise teams.
Question: Which team will be the most pleasant surprise in Conference USA this season?
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
I’ll go with Charlotte.
That’s not to say that I think the 49ers will win Conference USA this year. The team still has a lot of work to do before it reaches that point.
However, I do think Charlotte will triple last season’s win total, which is why it is on this list.
Let’s be honest: the 49ers were a lot better than last year’s 2-10 record would indicate. Sure, the team lost 10 games, but three of those defeats were by 10 points or less. With one more play here or there, the team could have finished with as many as five victories.
So, why will things be different in 2016? Two words: game experience. Charlotte has the most seasoned team in Conference USA returning 17 starters from last year’s squad, including leading rusher Kalif Phillips (961 yards) , top receiver Austin Duke (53 catches, 534 yards), nose tackle Larry Ogunjobi (14.5 TFL), outside linebacker Daquan Lucas (10.0 TFL, 2 sacks), and cornerback Terrance Winchester (4 INT, 5 PBU, and 3.5 TFL).
In addition, the Niners will have one of the most experienced offensive lines in the league, welcoming back eight players who have combined to start 116 games.
The extra seasoning will be the difference between winning and losing this year. Expect the 49ers to eek out a few close victories and finish with a .500 record in 2016.
Kevin Causey
On Twitter @CFBZ
Based on the standings from last year there are a ton of teams to pick from. Let’s face it, Conference USA wasn’t very good last season. Only five of thirteen teams finished with a winning record. With so many possibilities for improvement, I’m going with Florida Atlantic.
Charlie Partridge has gone 3-9 in two years at FAU. What makes this season different?
They return 14 starters and what I like is that they played a lot of close games last season. They lost to Tulsa by 3, they lost to Rice by 1, they lost to UTEP by 10, they lost to Middle Tennessee by 7 and they lost to Florida by 6 in OT. That’s five games lost by ten or less points. You have to think some of those will swing FAU’s way this season.
According to 247 Sports, FAU finished 2nd in recruiting in 2015 in the conference and those players will start having more of an impact this year. More quality depth means more rest for players and when injuries happen, FAU will have more players able to step into different roles as they come open.
A final reason is the defensive improvement that FAU saw year over year in Partridge’s second season at the helm. 2014 was a rough season but FAU bounced back last year by allowing six less points per game and improved to fourth in the conference in yards allowed. Expect more improvement this season as Partridge continues to get his system in place and his players in place.
FAU will need to get better on offense and that will fall on the shoulders of either Jason Driskel (Jeff’s brother) or Daniel Parr. FAU has their work cut out for them but I think they have a chance to turn some heads in C-USA this season.
