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A declining cable television market, a growing gap between the major and midmajor conferences and some losses suffered in realignment are about to add up to a significant loss in revenue for Conference USA. The league will soon announce its new television deal, likely in a week at the C-USA meetings in Dustin, Fla., and a number of reports show revenues declining by about half, to around $7 million a year total for the 14 schools from the current amount of just over $14 million. That means the University of Texas at El Paso's cut of revenue will go from about $1 million a year to half that. "We anticipate around that," UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said. "It will be down. We don't know how much." The current deal was negotiated in 2011 and C-USA is the first midmajor conference (a group including the Sun Belt, Mountain West, American Athletic and MAC) to negotiate a new deal since the 2012 realignment. Conference USA won't comment until the deal is announced, but Commissioner Judy MacLeod did make some general statements in a speech to the Norfolk Sports Club last week. "Right now, the television market is horrible," she said in comments reported by the Virginian-Pilot. "ESPN eliminated 300 jobs and Fox Sports is doing away with a lot of its regional staffs. "The way people consume content is rapidly changing. We have young people who work in our office who don’t have cable or DirecTV. The pool of money that's there is going to the big guys. The Big Ten and the SEC are must-see TV." Read more: El Paso Times

#‎CUSAFB‬ Players of the Week are here! Offense: Anthony Wales, WKU Athletics Defense: Kishawn McClain, Mean Green Football Special Teams: Chad Davis, Mean Green Football

Conference USA's decision to name Judy MacLeod as its new commissioner is an historic move, making it the first intercollegiate league at the Football Bowl Subdivision level to put a woman in its highest post. Adding to the attention that comes from such a milestone, the challenges MacLeod inherits are also monumental, and how she handles them will directly impact the University of Texas at San Antonio and the future of its athletics programs ­— especially a fledgling football program that needs to continue building momentum on and off the field. “The financial aspects of the job will be extremely important. Getting a new television contract and dealing with the bowl arrangements we have is key,” UTKFC Athletics Director Lynn Hickey told me. “When it comes to our split of the football bowl money, we want to be at the top.” C-USA also needs to improve its branding, and it’s critical that MacLeod create more stability in a conference that saw several member universities leave for other conferences on former Commissioner Britton Banowsky’s watch. There could be more shuffling across the collegiate landscape as a result of the decision by the so-called Power Five conferences — the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC — to seek autonomy from the rest of the pack. “There are other issues,” said Hickey, one of two female athletic directors in C-USA. “How do we fit in with the new autonomy piece and the Power Five? How do we position ourselves to stay at the top of the second five conferences?” read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2015/10/30/UTKFC-s-hickey-new-c-usa-commissioner-macleod-needs.html?ana=twt

Welcome to "Second Guess" Tuesday. It's just like two-for-Tuesday pasta specials, but the opinions are meatier. n There probably couldn't have been a worse time for Britton Banowsky to step down as Conference USA's commissioner. This is a crucial, cross-road year for the league. C-USA's television contract expires after this year and a new pact has to be negotiated. Banowsky's presence and acumen would be essential in those negotiations. But, now, it appears highly doubtful that Banowsky, who led Conference USA for nearly 13 years, will be around for those talks. Sure, Banowsky has said he will stay with C-USA until the league names his successor, but it's unlikely his tenure will last long enough to negotiate a new television contract. And in this day and age of television driving collegiate sports well, these contracts have become the life-blood for leagues. So, what's the outlook for C-USA's future television contract? Not too good. Just look at the league's announced television schedule for the 2015 season. The good news is more than 40 games will be televised by FS1 (Fox Sports 1), FSN (Fox Sports Network), FCS (Fox College Sports), CBS Sports Network and ESPN. The sobering news is ASN (American Sports Network) is televising 30 games. No offense to the fledgling network that was launched Aug. 30, 2014, but ASN is at the bottom of the food chain for sports networks. The fact Conference USA has 30 games on ASN speaks volumes. read more: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x45924054/Not-a-good-time-for-Banowsky-to-bolt

And speaking of UNT, the Mean Green weren’t mentioned in ESPN’s early preview. The Mean Green enter the 2015-16 season looking for their first winning campaign under Benford in his fourth season. UNT has some key players back, including Jeremy Combs and Maurice Anifiok and add Texas A&M transfer point guard J-Mychal Reese. The Mean Green have some talented players to work with, but will be a dark horse in the league race after finishing 14-17 last season. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/07/national-site-publishes-early-look-at-c-usa-hoops-league.html/

MURFREESBORO – Rick Stockstill figures once the stomach stops fluttering when early August rolls around, then it might be time to move on and do something else. But the churn of the gut the MTSU football coach is feeling this week in welcoming his 10th Blue Raiders squad for preseason drills that begin Thursday is just as strong as the pangs he felt when starting down this playing and coaching path way back when. That goes back to his high school playing days at Fernandina Beach High School in Florida for his father to being a standout quarterback at Florida State. An assistant college coach for nearly a quarter of a century, Stockstill finally got his head-coaching break at MTSU in 2006. “This will be my 34th year coaching in college,” Stockstill said Monday at the annual media kickoff luncheon for the upcoming season, “and that passion never ends. I still get butterflies and nervous like the first time I was a freshman and went out there. “We play a great game, and it is an opportunity to help young men reach all their goals on and off the field.” Those who think Stockstill hasn’t gotten the job done at MTSU are few and far between. Bowl eligible five of the last six seasons and posting an 11-5 record in the program’s first two seasons in Conference USA, not to mention going 43-26 overall in league play when counting the Sun Belt Conference, the Blue Raiders are annual contenders for the postseason still less than two decades into their conversion to the highest level of NCAA football. read more: http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/college/mtsu/2015/08/03/pogue-stockstill-hungry-usa-greatness/31089543/

In spite of the progress women have made in athletics under Title IX, the halls of power in the nation's elite college conferences remain very much a man's world. None of the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences has been led by a woman. Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade is one of only a handful of women entrusted with running an athletic league at any level. But with Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky announcing he will step down this fall, a woman could be poised to break the FBS glass ceiling. Banowsky all but endorsed Judy MacLeod, the league's associate executive commissioner and chief operating officer, during the conference's football media day Wednesday. "She's absolutely prepared," he said. "She's so well respected in the industry. We've been blessed to have her leadership. "She runs the show. She's extremely capable, so she has my full support." read more:http://hamptonroads.com/2015/07/no-fbs-conference-has-been-led-woman-cusa-could-be-first

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Western Kentucky sixth-year senior quarterback Brandon Doughty said he's "Grandpa Brandon" around the program. Senior linebacker Nick Holt joked that Doughty has been in college for 20 years. Doughty said it feels more "like 36 years." But this year is Doughty's final go-around – for real this time. "WKU is on the up and coming right now, and I'm really excited to see where our program goes after I leave this place," Doughty said Wednesday at Conference USA Football Media Day at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. "Hopefully I leave. I promise this is the last one." Opposing coaches and players are glad this is truly the last year for Doughty, too. Last season's league MVP and this season's preseason offensive player of the year is back for one more run after receiving a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA in December, stemming from two season-ending knee injuries earlier in his career. After leading the nation in passing yards and touchdowns last year, Doughty figures to be a nightmare for the competition again. "They've got a quarterback who could play for the majority of the teams in the country, if not all of them," North Texas coach Dan McCarney said. "He's that good. I've been on teams with Heisman Trophy winners. I've coached against Heisman Trophy winners. You know when really outstanding, special guys are there." read more: http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/wku/c-usa-coaches-heap-praise-on-doughty-wku-offense/article_e4bf632e-e928-51fd-b9d7-fd47abf798f2.html

After reviewing the footage from media day, the thought crossed my mind of how much I like this league, the teams in it and the direction it appears to be heading. Bowl wins last year aside, I see very competent coaches and programs which should only get better in time. I particularly was impressed with the UTEP segment and how much Kugler has changed that program for the better. I get the feeling UTEP will be a tough game for anyone in the country and can see them becoming one of the better teams in C-USA consistently. Same for Rice. Baliff is a winner and that is such a great academic institution. People harp on the Florida schools but I think you will be surprised at how much they improve from one year to the next. Even ODU impresses me. What they have done in football in such a short time is impressive and their fan support is top notch. This is a tough league. There are no easy wins. I think sometimes we lose sight of how good this league is compared to what we have seen in the past. It seems to be trending up and that is a good thing for North Texas.

SAN ANTONIO — Now working as a financial advisor for New York Life, former UTSA cornerback Darrien Starling reported Tuesday that he had a “huge month” in June, winning a few awards within his office for success in helping clients with insurance and retirement planning and tax matters. In that regard, it might be wise to heed his advice on another issue outside the world of finance. Starling, a former four-year starter for the Roadrunners, said he isn’t buying into preseason forecasts that have pegged UTSA for a last-place finish in Conference USA West division. “I’ve been around the team a little bit,” said Starling, who graduated with a degree in communication last December. “I’ve been hanging out a lot with (starting cornerback) Bennett (Okothca). Actually, Bennett was at my house yesterday. So, I’ve been keeping real close ties to the team, and everybody’s confident … I don’t know, the confidence around this team is unique.” As Year 5 of the UTSA football start-up experiment beckons, a certain energy is apparent. With 37 seniors having exhausted their eligibility last fall, the Roadrunners are turning the page in the history of the program. Players on the current roster have taken the baton from former players like Starling and are sprinting into what he calls “a new era.” “They’re really embracing the new theme this year, which is them being in the new era,” Starling said. “It’s really nice to see these guys embrace this new mystique and go forward. I’m really confident. Talking to Bennett a lot, and getting his feel on the team, he’s super confident, and I know the talent we have.” read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2015/07/former-utsa-standout-says-players-have-embraced-a-new-era/

North Texas 2014 record: 4-8 (2-6) 2015 media predicted finish: Fifth Explanation: Until North Texas has a quarterback who can complete more than a few passes a game, the Mean Green will hold a place near the bottom of the division. The schedule isn't friendly, either. North Texas got rewarded with games against Marshall and Middle Tennessee from the East. UTSA 2014 record: 4-8 (3-5) 2015 media predicted finish: Sixth Explanation: 2014 was supposed to be the year for UTSA with one of the nation's most experienced teams. Injuries and inconsistent play led to a disappointing finish, and now 32 players (16 starters) are gone. It appears the Roadrunners are in rebuilding mode. Plus, non-conference games against Arizona State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Colorado State hardly help. Good luck with that schedule. read more: http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/on-the-sidelines/2015/07/15/explaining-selections-for-c-usa-preseason-poll/30175997/

Skip Holtz sat at his designated Conference USA Media Day table last year in Dallas for what amounted to be a standard, ho-hum business trip. Holtz, entering his second season as Louisiana Tech’s head coach at the time, was hardly the focus. Sure, he did a local TV segment where he playfully interviewed running back Kenneth Dixon and linebacker Tony Johnson, but other than that, not much attention was thrown the Bulldogs’ way. Coming off a 4-8 season at the time, there wasn’t a particular reason for a spotlight. Plus, C-USA coaches predicted Tech to finish fourth in the West. They did advise Tech could be a team on the rise, but no one thought the Bulldogs’ season would play out as it did. This time around, Tech is now the team to beat in the West and is a program that will likely draw plenty of air time Wednesday at media day with Florida transfer quarterback Jeff Driskel along for the ride. “We felt like we had some pieces that we had a chance to be pretty good (last year) but … You had a lot of question marks and a lot of unknowns,” Holtz said Monday. “The difference between this year and last year? The players are much more comfortable with what we’re doing." Tech (9-5) flew under the radar last year before winning the C-USA West Division championship and nearly upending Marshall for the conference title. The success from 2014, coupled with several key returners on offense and defense, has the Bulldogs as the favorites to repeat. “Just because you have a lot of guys returning doesn’t mean you’re going to be good,” Holtz said. “I really like where the culture of those guys are and the mindset of our football team is and the guys that have played a lot are being leaders. People aren’t sitting back and resting on ‘Hey, we won a bowl game.’” read more: http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/louisiana-tech/2015/07/21/year-tech-transforms-unknown-usa-favorite/30493195/

Britton Banowsky’s impact on Conference USA has been well documented during the past 13 years. From bowl tie-ins, cost of attendance and conference realignment, including helping land Louisiana Tech in C-USA in 2013, Banowsky kept the conference afloat during chaotic times across the country. Conference USA presidents will have to find another leader this fall after Banowsky announced Thursday he is stepping down to focus on his charitable background and serve as the executive director of the College Football Playoff Foundation. A decision won’t likely happen until the fall when C-USA Board of Directors meet, but C-USA presidents and athletic directors, like Louisiana Tech athletic director Tommy McClelland, have started to chime in on the future of the league. “You gotta have someone that understands the national landscape and connected nationally at the conference level and certainly at the NCAA level,” McClelland told The News-Star on Thursday night. read more: http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/louisiana-tech/2015/07/17/mcclelland-explains-qualities-needed-new-usa-commissioner/30299199/

Editor's note: This is the eighth part of a series looking ahead to Marshall University football opponents in the 2015 season. North Texas visits Marshall on Oct. 24. HUNTINGTON — As the old addge goes, if you have three quarterbacks, you really have none. There are exceptions to the rule in some cases, such as Marshall University two years ago when it had Rakeem Cato and Blake Frohnapfel. North Texas, however, is not Marshall circa 2013. The Mean Green had three quarterbacks get on the field in 2014 and all of them suffered the same fate of inconsistency. The result was a paltry offense that put the defense on the field for too many snaps, which resulted in a broken down team that crumbled to a 4-8 record. Coming off a nine-win season in 2013, that demise was a complete disappointment — so much so that defensive coordinator John Skladany retired following the season. So, as the 2015 season gets started, there is a major cause for uncertainty. The offense will once again likely have Andrew McNulty at quarterback, but he only came in as the third option during the 2014 season after others faltered. In a perfect world, Dajon Williams or a trio of newcomers would' have likely outperformed McNulty and taken the reins to provide a bit more optimism after McNulty was mediocre at best in 2014. McNulty finished 2014 throwing for 1,295 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games. With the lack of a bona fide quarterback, teams were able to stack the run against the North Texas offensive front, who also is thin as 2015 begins. read more: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1311256890/MU-football-opponent-North-Texas-seeking-consistency

What C-USA West Team do you want to beat the most in 2015?

Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty was named Conference USA’s preseason offensive player of the year Tuesday. Doughty led the nation with 4,830 passing yards and 49 touchdowns in 2014. The 2014 Conference USA Most Valuable Player was named to the Maxwell Award watch list July 7 and was selected as a counselor for last week’s Manning Passing Academy in Thibodeaux, La. read more: http://www.wbko.com/sports/headlines/Doughty-named-CUSA-preseason-player-of-the-year-314950461.html

Conventional powerhouse programs are casually uprooting, formats are being rearranged like kitchen tile, and dual-threat quarterbacks act as a quintessential for the modern era. It goes without saying that college football has nonchalantly flipped the switch, and the latest rendition of alchemy comes with the preview of Western Kentucky, a Conference USA bunch that catapulted its way up to 4th in the nation with 536.9 total yards per game in 2014. Can the ‘Toppers build off last season and be even better this year? 2014 Record: 7-5 Key Wins: at Navy, at Marshall, Bowling Green Players to Watch: QB Brandon Doughty, WR Taywan Taylor, WR Kylen Towner, DB Wonderful Terry read more: http://www.todaysu.com/between-the-lines/western-kentucky-football-preview-breaking-through-c-usa/

I'll go on record right now, Southern Miss is going to be a TOUGH game for us this year... looks like Monken has their ship turned around: ------------------------- But third-year Southern Miss coach Todd Monken is drawing a proverbial line in the sand. “I expect we will put ourselves in position to go back to a bowl game this year,” he said during an interview with the Hattiesburg American this week. “But it’s going to take everybody. We need ‘The Rock’ to be packed for every home game. If we sell out ‘The Rock’ (every home game in 2015) and we have a losing season, I’ll resign.” Since the start of the 2012 season, Southern Miss has had just one announced crowd of more than 30,000 (the first home game of the 2012 season). During the same span, the Golden Eagles have drawn less than 25,000 fans 13 times, which is passable relative to the program’s Conference USA ilk. Last season, Southern Miss ranked fourth in the league – out of 13 teams – in average home attendance (22,739). Golden Eagle fans are no strangers to the particulars of the football program’s recent history. In 2011, Southern Miss won the Conference USA Championship as well as the Hawaii Bowl and finished the year 12-2 – the best record in school history. The following season, under new head coach Ellis Johnson who replaced Larry Fedora, the Golden Eagles went 0-12 – easily the worst season in school history. Johnson was abruptly dismissed and Monken was hired. Southern Miss was 1-11 in year one under the former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator and 3-9 in 2014. But Monken is confident enough in the roster he’s assembled that his squad is capable of taking another step toward relevance. “I love being the head coach here,” he said. “This is a special place. I know we’re significantly better than we were last year. I believe we’ve got the team to get back to a bowl game. With the help of our fans, I don’t see us not.” read more: http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/07/12/usms-monken-aims-fill-rock-home-games/30066655/

UTEP’s emergence as a contender in the Western Division of Conference USA is flying under the radar. Houston and SMU have received the headlines with head coaching hires this offseason, but the Miners are on the right track after Sean Kugler took over the program in 2013. The long-time offensive line coach has brought an attitude and toughness to a program that is visible on the field. “UTEP is a physical team now. Not that they were pushovers when we played them before Kugler got there, but the whole program has a different vibe. You know it’ll be a fight now with UTEP and he should get a lot of credit for that,” one CUSA defensive coordinator told me. “They’re going to run the ball and see if you can match that physicality. You’re going to leave that game feeling like you were in a fight.” Kugler and his team recorded its first winning season in nine years last season. The offense starts and stops with running back Aaron Jones. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior had over 1,200 yards as a sophomore and returns as one of the top candidates for first-team All-Conference honors this season after earning second-team honors a year ago. read more: http://texasfootball.com/highschool-news/view/181245

North Texas Western Kentucky’s third and final Thursday night contest comes at the fancy Apogee Stadium in Denton. North isn’t expected to challenge for a West Division title or even make a bowl game in 2015. The only thing that should peak WKU’s interest in the possibility of facing former quarterback DaMarcus Smith. The main concern here for the Tops is that the trip to UNT comes on a short week after playing Middle Tennessee. read more: http://www.wbko.com/SportsInsider/headlines/BISHOP--Ranking-WKUs-football-opponents-by-matter-of-importance-311677731.html

According to fbschedules.com, four C-USA schools -- Western Kentucky, Rice, Louisiana Tech and Florida Atlantic -- will have all 12 games televised. Marshall, Texas-San Antonio, Southern Mississippi, and UNC Charlotte, which plays its first season in the league, will have 11 on TV. ODU, Middle Tennessee and Texas-El Paso have ten games each set for TV and Florida International and North Texas each have nine. read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2015/06/odu-football-has-robust-tv-profile-also-reason-some-concern

Women’s college basketball will have a different look next season and Conference USA coaches seem to think that’s a good thing. The Daily News spoke this week to six league coaches, including Western Kentucky’s Michelle Clark-Heard, about new rules for the 2015-16 year. The most noticeable change involves the format of a game, which will now consist of four 10-minute quarters rather than two 20-minute halves. For the most part the six coaches, including Heard, said they supported the new rules that were adopted. “I think it’ll be fun for the fans,” Heard said. “At the end of the day it’s about the excitement for our game and improving our game in every way possible.” The four-quarter rule was approved Monday by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. Other rules approved Monday included: •The ability to advance the ball to the frontcourt following a timeout immediately after a made basket in the last 59.9 seconds of the fourth quarter and any overtime periods. •Not resetting the 10-second backcourt clock under certain circumstances. •The ability of a defender to establish one point of contact on an offensive post player whose back is to the basket. •Teams will now reach the bonus and shoot two free throws on the fifth foul of each quarter. Read more: http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/wku/c-usa-women-s-coaches-support-changes/article_9dd2c059-04a4-5472-ac8e-1abdf64155f4.html

Heading into his sixth season at the Herd's helm, Holliday was ranked No. 1 in Conference USA, No. 15 among the Group of Five conferences and No. 68 overall. In C-USA, Holliday was followed (in order) by Rice's David Bailiff (No. 72 overall), Louisiana Tech's Skip Holtz (No. 73), UTSA's Larry Coker (No. 82), UTEP's Sean Kugler (No. 83), Western Kentucky's Jeff Brohm (No. 93), North Texas' Dan McCarney (No. 94), Middle Tennessee's Rick Stockstill (No.97), Old Dominion's Bobby Wilder (No. 102), Charlotte's Brad Lambert (No. 111), Florida Atlantic's Charlie Partridge (No. 112), Southern Miss' Todd Monken (No. 117) and FIU's Ron Turner (No. 119). Obviously, C-USA head coaches didn't get much respect. Even Holliday wasn't ranked in the top half nationally. The average ranking for C-USA's 13 coaches was a lowly 88.5 out of 128. Read more: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1641591927/Doc-No-1-but-C-USA-coaches-lag-in-rankings

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/it...-football/ Author actually contests some of the CSS assumptions, saying even they were too pessimistic.