Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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East Carolina collects signature 31-27 victory over Memphis
It was the most anticipated conference home game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium since the East Carolina Pirates joined the American Conference in 2013. Over 37,000 flocked in to the venue to watch a red-hot Pirates team test their mettle against the league’s most consistent winner in Memphis. East Carolina fully lived up to the moment and […]
North Texas boatraces UAB 53-24, controls American destiny
The American Conference championship race is crowded. There’s South Florida. There’s Tulane. Also Memphis and Navy. And you can’t forget East Carolina. But as of the night of Nov. 15, only one program has fewer than two overall losses and controls its destiny for the title game. And that’s the North Texas Mean Green. North […]
Cincinnati loses control of Big 12 destiny 30-24 to Arizona
The Cincinnati Bearcats had time to let everything marinate. On Nov. 1 t they took a 45-14 shellacking to Utah on the road for their first slip-up in the Big 12 standings. But everything still remained in front of them as they controlled their own destiny for a December trip to AT&T Stadium for a […]
CUSA Notebook: 3 things to watch in Week 12
Conference USA is fully back to Saturdays, and the entire league is in action for Week 12. It’s an interesting late-season slate featuring five conference bouts and two non-conference clashes, all staggered throughout the day from the Southeast corner of Miami, FL to the Northeast footprint of Pullman, WA. Here is the CUSA’s full Week […]
2025 Week 12 Preview: North Texas Mean Green @ UAB Blazers
Game notes Setting the scene North Texas and UAB joined the American Conference at the same time in 2023, simultaneously transitioning from Conference USA. Both programs entered the conference with new head coaches, with North Texas bringing Eric Morris to the fold and UAB hiring Trent Dilfer. Neither team seamlessly adjusted to the new league, […]
2025 Week 12 Preview: Memphis Tigers @ East Carolina Pirates
Game notes Setting the scene It’s a chaotic November for the American Conference. There are five teams wielding exactly one conference loss and then one with two conference losses, all eyeing an elusive conference championship and potential College Football Playoff spot. East Carolina (6-3, 4-1 American) falls into the first bucket. Memphis (8-2, 4-2 American) […]
2025 Week 12 Preview: Arizona Wildcats @ Cincinnati Bearcats
Game notes Setting the scene Three years ago, this would have been an American Conference vs. Pac-12 matchup, but in 2025, these are two Big 12 teams enjoying tremendous bounce-back seasons. Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) and Arizona (6-3, 3-3 Big 12) will meet on the gridiron for the first time in their histories, with […]
2025 Week 12 Preview: Florida Atlantic Owls @ Tulane Green Wave
Game notes Setting the scene Tulane threw its hat back in the mix for American Conference contention last Friday night, staving off a Memphis comeback for a signature road win. The Green Wave are now 26-3 in their last 29 regular season conference matchups, finally returning home for their first game in New Orleans since […]
2025 Week 12 Preview: South Florida Bulls @ Navy Midshipmen
Game notes Setting the scene It’s separation Saturday in Annapolis, MD. There are three weeks remaining in the American Conference title race before two teams are pitted against one another the first week of December. South Florida (7-2, 4-1 American) and Navy (7-2, 5-1 American) are two contenders in a congested field which includes five […]
CFP committee comments on James Madison’s snub from rankings
There are three undefeated teams remaining in college football heading into Week 12 — Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M. Then there are nine one-loss teams. Seven one-loss teams — Alabama, Georgia, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, BYU, and Georgia Tech warranted rankings by the College Football Playoff committee in Tuesday night’s rankings reveal. The […]
South Dakota State Faces Possible Playoff Elimination vs. Illinois State
The 2025 season has not gone as South Dakota State planned, at least not over the last month. After surging out to a 7-0 start, the Jackrabbits looked as though they were again going to be a shoo-in for the FCS playoffs and another top seed. Big wins over ranked Sacramento State and then Montana […]
South Florida lands at No. 24 in Week 12 CFP rankings
The first College Football Playoff committee rankings were notably devoid of the American Conference. That is no longer the case with the second batch of rankings. The Week 12 top 25 featured the South Florida Bulls at No. 24. Despite holding an AP Poll ranking for the entire 2017 season, this marks the first time […]
UC Davis Needs Win at Montana State to Keep Big Sky Title Hopes Alive
When the ESPN camera crews set up for this Saturday night’s nightcap in Bozeman, they will be on hand for not only arguably the biggest game of this weekend’s slate in the FCS but the biggest game of the season for the UC Davis Aggies. Coming in at 5-1 in Big Sky play, only two […]
0-bid ACC? Why the American and James Madison were Week 11’s winners
UConn is no longer part of the American Conference, and hasn’t been since the fall of 2019, but the Huskies logged one of the more significant non-conference victories for the league Saturday evening in East Hartford. UConn outlasted Duke 37-34 in a back-and-forth thriller which featured nine lead changes, with a Joe Fagnano to Skyler […]
Mercer is in the FCS Playoffs, Now What?
For the third straight season, the Bears will be a playoff team. The thrilling 49-47 victory over Western Carolina in Cullowhee last Saturday gave Mercer its second consecutive SoCon championship and automatic bid into the FCS postseason. Until 2023, the program had never seen a playoff game. Now? They’ll be getting ready to host one […]
Rice collects 5th win, shutting down UAB in 24-17 finish
Since the start of the 2015 season, the Rice Owls only have attained six wins one time. 2025 represented a rebuild season for the program, as Rice made a splash hire of Scott Abell, who previously worked wonders on academic powers at the Division III and FCS levels, most recently turning Davidson College into a […]
Delaware escapes Louisiana Tech in 25-24, onside kick-assisted thriller
Nate Reed’s game-winning field goal wasn’t even his most clutch play. When Delaware needed its kicker to overcome the odds, Reed delivered in spectacular fashion. Trailing 24-16 to Louisiana Tech, the Fightin’ Blue Hens scored a touchdown with 34 seconds remaining as a hopeful Newark crowd eagerly awaited their team to tie the ballgame at […]
Sam Houston picks up first win in 21-17 rally at Oregon State
The Sam Houston Bearkats are finally in the win column. Sam Houston was the second last FBS program to pick up its first victory of 2025, leaving UMass as the only remaining winless team after Week 11. The Bearkats stormed into Corvallis, OR and scored 21 unanswered points, stunning Oregon State in a 21-17 upset. […]
FCS Football: The Sunday After – Overreactions to Week 11
There are just two weeks to play before the Playoff Committee gathers and, while there’s still a whole awful lot that needs to get ironed out before then, there was quite a bit that got determined over the weekend in the FCS. The latest crop of games made the Committee’s job… for the most part… […]
Tulane spoils Memphis’ playoff prospects on road, 38-32
Last November, Tulane’s College Football Playoff hopes terminated in New Orleans on Thanksgiving Night at the hands of a visiting Memphis. On a Friday night in Memphis, the Green Wave repaid the favor. Tulane stormed into Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and piled on the points in the first half, holding on for a 38-32 victory […]
Houston prevents successful launch, ends UCF’s Space Game streak, 30-27
Mission IX was prepared to launch. For the ninth-consecutive season, UCF hosted its annual Space Game, paying homage to the university’s origins of training scientists and engineers to assist the United States space exploration program during the heat of the 1960s Space Race. The first eight missions in Orlando were all highly-successful launches. The Knights, […]
Five questions heading into Saturday’s Week 11 American Conference games
The American Conference is one of the most intriguing leagues to watch in November, especially considering six different teams entered Week 11 tied in the loss column with one apiece. The Saturday slate features five matchups, including one non-conference clash: Here is one pressing question to ask about each of the five matchups: Can Navy […]
2025 Week 11 Preview: Tulane Green Wave @ Memphis Tigers
Game notes Setting the scene Friday night sets up a perfect showcase for perennial American Conference contenders. Memphis rattled off three-straight American Championship appearances from 2017-19, and Tulane currently rides its own three-game streak from 2022-24. As one expects when the conference releases the schedule each year, this matchup matters significantly to the league’s title […]
2025 Week 11 Space Game Preview: Houston Cougars @ UCF Knights
Game notes Setting the scene UCF is hosting its ninth-annual Space Game, and there’s no opponent more fitting for it than Houston. UCF was founded as Florida Technological University in the 1960s with a mission of supporting the United States space exploration program, developing engineers and scientists for the nearby Kennedy Space Center — the […]
South Florida steamrolls UTSA from the jump, 55-23
On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff committee unveiled its initial rankings. Their iteration of a top 25 was notably devoid of any American Conference representation, and the South Florida Bulls — which dabbled in the AP Poll throughout the year — clearly took exception to their snub. Twelve days fresh off their first conference […]
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