Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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Ivy League Play Begins this Weekend
The FCS season is already going strong but the Ivies haven’t played a game yet. That changes this weekend as likes of Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and the rest are set to join the party. Here’s a quick look around the Ancient Eight and who they’ve got on deck to kick off their 2026 season: Dartmouth […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers @ Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
Game notes Setting the scene Before we get to the football, we need to address the name. Coastal Carolina’s mascot is a Chanticleer, essentially a proud, literary rooster. Delaware’s is a Blue Hen, a bird historically bred for cockfighting. Naturally, Saturday’s first meeting has become “The Cockfight.” Delaware is fully embracing the bit. A t-shirt featuring […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: SMU Mustangs @ Louisville Cardinals
Game notes Setting the scene Is this the most important ACC game of the year? When you have a 17-team conference, it’s all about scheduling. Every tiebreaker among the top teams in this conference is paramount. Just ask Duke, which won a five-team tiebreaker and ultimately claimed the ACC title after prevailing in the right […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: North Texas Mean Green @ Texas State Bobcats
Game notes Setting the scene North Texas and Texas State only met once as FBS opponents, and it was a memorable one. That’s when the Mean Green sent a former walk-on named Drew Mestemaker to make his first start at quarterback since ninth grade, long before he was leading the FBS in passing or engineering […]
FCS Week 3 Game of the Week – Youngstown State Penguins @ South Dakota State Jackrabbits: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions
Date: Saturday September 19, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM (ET) TV: ESPN+ The Quick Hits It’s time for some big boy football in the Missouri Valley and it may not get bigger than the showdown that’s going to happen in Brookings on Saturday evening. #2 South Dakota State (2-1) opens its doors to the high-flying Youngstown […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Houston Cougars @ Texas Tech Red Raiders
Game notes Setting the scene It’s a Texas-sized showdown under the Friday night lights in Lubbock. No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 23 Houston collide in a matchup with potential early-season Big 12 title stakes, and it’s one both teams have circled all offseason. For Texas Tech, it’s a chance to make a statement. While […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Western Michigan Broncos @ Rice Owls
Game notes Setting the scene Western Michigan (1-1*, 0-0 MAC) has been thrust under a spotlight through the first two weeks of the 2026 season. The FBS Oversight Committee confirmed Wednesday that Western Michigan indeed defeated Michigan in the opener, 12-7, had the proper instant replay protocols been followed by the officiating crew. However, the […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: UTSA Roadrunners @ Texas Longhorns
Game notes Setting the scene The tide shifted Saturday night in Austin. The Texas Longhorns didn’t just come back from a 20-point deficit against Ohio State. It felt like a program finally hurdled its No. 1 obstacle. Losses to Buckeyes’ plagued Texas’ national title hopes for two seasons, but the Longhorns unearthed a newfound resilience […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Temple Owls @ Toledo Rockets
Game notes Setting the scene 2015 was a memorable year for the Temple Owls and Toledo Rockets alike. Temple spent seven weeks in the AP Poll, while Toledo lingered in the rankings for six. The Owls finished 10-4 and qualified for the first-ever American Conference Championship Game. The Rockets missed the MAC Championship due to […]
2026 Week 3 Victory Bell Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Miami (OH) RedHawks
Game notes Setting the scene College football is built on the foundation of rivalries. Some are modern, others have decades of lore, and a select few originated in the early 1900s. And then there’s the Battle for the Victory Bell. Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH) is the fifth-most played rivalry in college football history, only trailing […]
Ranking Every 3-0 FCS Team
Three weeks into the 2026 season and the FCS is down to just 11 teams with a perfect 3-0 record. Not all 3-0s are created equally, though. Whether it be strength of schedule, statistics or simply the eye test, all the teams that hold that mark feel a bit different halfway through September. How do […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Tulane Green Wave @ Kansas State Wildcats
Game notes Setting the scene Tulane and Kansas State will meet for the third time in five years. This series has been friendly to the road team. In 2022, Tulane stormed into the Little Apple of Manhattan and knocked off the Wildcats, 17-10. Both teams eventually won their conferences, participated in New Year’s Six bowls, […]
2026 Week 3 Preview: Arkansas State Red Wolves @ TCU Horned Frogs
Game notes Setting the scene LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on Sept. 23, 2000, while his future San Diego Chargers teammate Cleo Lemon was the quarterback on the opposite sideline. It’s been 26 years since TCU and Arkansas State met on the gridiron. That was three conferences ago for the Horned […]
Tulsa QB Baylor Hayes out Week 3, expected “to be fully back” vs. Arkansas
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are one of college football’s most pleasant surprises through two weeks of the 2026 season. Tulsa is 2-0 for the first time since 2015 after a statement win over Oklahoma State and a road victory at Sam Houston. Largely helped by Oklahoma State’s subsequent upset over Oregon, the Golden Hurricane are […]
Scott Frost provides update on UCF QB Alonza Barnett’s injury
The UCF Knights entered this season with greater expectations after a significant transfer portal addition. They landed former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors and guided the Dukes to the first-ever Sun Belt College Football Playoff bid in 2025. However, UCF must learn to operate without […]
Stock up, stock down: Week 2 CUSA edition
All 10 Conference USA teams took the field in Week 2. The league produced a 3-7 record, with FIU capturing the CUSA’s best non-conference win of the season. The Panthers became the first team in the league to knock off FBS competition in a 33-20 home win over Buffalo. The CUSA remains a perfect 7-0 […]
Three takeaways from Week 2 of American Conference action
Week 2 was guaranteed to be an action-packed one in the American Conference. Zero teams were pitted against FCS competition and conference play commenced, providing a slate of intriguing matchups. Three teams — Temple, Rice, and Charlotte — battled top-16 opponents, but all bowed out without even reaching double-digits on the scoreboard. Two underdog Florida […]
James Madison scores 87 points, ties largest margin of victory by FBS team since 1968
One week ago, Louisiana Tech joined the rare 80-point club, becoming the 14th team in the 21st century to score fourscore. And given the infrequency of 80, who knew when the next such performance would come along? We hadn’t seen multiple 80-point showings in a single season since 2014, but that streak suddenly ended in […]
North Texas annihilates UNLV, 44-6, for Neal Brown’s first win
In September 2025, the Washington State social media team tweeted a preview graphic for its upcoming game against North Texas. The graphic depicted a desert, an oil rig, saguaro cacti, and an eagle in a cowboy hat with a holster. The depiction of Denton could not be more detached from reality, but North Texas’ fanbase […]
FAU, Veltkamp (386 yards, 5 TD) light up Navy, 38-30
Florida Atlantic produced the nation’s No. 1 passing offense during the 2025 season. By retaining head coach Zach Kittley, quarterback Caden Veltkamp, and wide receiver Easton Messer, the Owls fully believed their passing attack could produce a dangerous product in 2026. That vision finally came to fruition on Saturday night in Boca Raton. Florida Atlantic […]
Tulsa survives Sam Houston to improve to 2-0 for first time since 2015
Perhaps Tulsa’s most notable win of the weekend of the transitive variety. Hours before the Golden Hurricane’s Saturday night kickoff, Oklahoma State upset No. 6 Oregon, 39-31. Just seven days prior, Tulsa handled Oklahoma State at Chapman Stadium in 24-10 fashion, and those two results significantly raised the national profile of Tulsa football. But Tulsa […]
South Florida storms back down 10 in final minutes at Army, 28-24
Trailing Army by double-digits is difficult to overcome, given the Black Knights’ disciplined play style and ability to consume clock. Trailing Army by double-digits in the second half is an even taller task. And trailing Army by 10 points with five minutes remaining is an especially daunting challenge that many teams are incapable of achieving. […]
Memphis drops CFP statement game to Boise State, 38-20
For a Week 2 matchup, the College Football Playoff stakes were monumental. It was the American Conference favorite vs. the Pac-12 favorite. The result would dictate debates between the conferences for the remainder of the season. While Memphis enjoyed a strong start in Boise, the blue turf is rarely a rewarding place for visitors. Boise […]
FCS Week 2 Recap: Attrition Wins Out
Another week of FCS ball is wrapped up and so many important results came down across the nation. While it’s still hard to completely peg down who most of these teams will be this fall, some real statements were made accross the board. From some close ones against the G6 to a historic day in […]
Oklahoma State snaps 21-game FBS skid by stunning No. 6 Oregon
371 days ago, Oklahoma State was nothing more than a punching bag to Oregon. Perhaps the Cowboys’ 69-3 shellacking in Eugene was the nadir of their 21-game losing streak to FBS opponents, a reign of terror which extended from Week 4 of 2024 through Week 1 of 2026. Oklahoma State was coming off a stunning […]
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