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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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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  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 StadiumJacksonville, AL CBSSN  JVST 17–14   17,982
August 26 7:00 p.m. UMass New Mexico State Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM ESPN L 30–41   15,356
August 26 9:00 p.m. FIU Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, 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 StadiumUniversity Park, TX ESPNU L 14–38   21,490
September 2 12:00 p.m. Bowling Green Liberty Williams StadiumLynchburg, 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 StadiumBowling Green, KY CBSSN W 41–24   15,438
September 2 6:30 p.m. Maine FIU Riccardo Silva StadiumWestchester, FL ESPN+ W 14–12   16,878
September 2 7:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee No. 4 Alabama Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, 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 BowlEl Paso, TX ESPN+ W 28–14   30,738
September 2 10:15 p.m. Sam Houston BYU LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, 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 FieldEvanston, 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 StadiumConway, 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 FieldColumbia, 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 StadiumHouston, 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 StadiumAmherst, NY CBSSN W 55–27   13,020
September 16 3:30 p.m. FIU UConn Pratt & Whitney StadiumEast Hartford, CT CBSSN W 24–17   20,405
September 16 4:00 p.m. Western Kentucky No. 6 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, 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 StadiumMurfreesboro, TN ESPN+ W 35–14   16,605
September 16 8:00 p.m. New Mexico State New Mexico University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM (Rio Grande Rivalry) W 27–17   27,414
September 16 11:00 p.m. UTEP Arizona Arizona StadiumTucson, 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 StadiumTroy, AL ESPNU L 24–27   26,124
September 23 3:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, 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 StadiumHouston, 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 ComplexHonolulu, 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 StadiumHuntsville, 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 StadiumColumbia, 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 StadiumAuburn, AL SECN W 31–10   88,043
November 18 7:30 p.m. FIU Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, 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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Legend
  CUSA win
  CUSA loss
Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) CUSA team Opponent Score Attendance
New Orleans Bowl December 16 Caesars SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA ESPN 2:15 p.m. Jacksonville State Louisiana W 34–31OT 14,485
New Mexico Bowl December 16 University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM ESPN 5:45 p.m. New Mexico State Fresno State L 10–37 30,822
Famous Toastery Bowl December 18 Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, 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 StadiumGlendale, 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 StadiumTuscaloosa, AL L 7–56
September 2 Big 12 Sam Houston BYU LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT L 0–14
September 9 SEC Middle Tennessee Missouri Faurot FieldColumbia, MO L 19–23
September 9 Big Ten UTEP Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL L 7–38
September 16 Pac-12 UTEP Arizona Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ L 10–31
September 16 Big Ten Western Kentucky No. 6 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH L 10–63
September 23 Big Ten Louisiana Tech Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE L 14–28
September 23 Big 12 Sam Houston Houston TDECU StadiumHouston, TX L 7–38
November 4 SEC Jacksonville State South Carolina Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC L 28–38
November 18 SEC FIU Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR L 20–44
November 18 SEC New Mexico State Auburn Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, 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 StadiumUniversity 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 StadiumConway, SC L 16–30
September 9 Mountain West Air Force Sam Houston NRG StadiumHouston, 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 StadiumAmherst, NY W 55–27
September 16 Mountain West New Mexico State New Mexico University StadiumAlbuquerque, 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 ComplexHonolulu, 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 StadiumTroy, 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 FieldEast 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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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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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.
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