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Underdog Dynasty

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/ | 302 entries published

An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog

Latest Entries

Yale Seeks Historic Unseating of Harvard in “The Game”

When Yale meets Harvard in late November every year the Bulldogs, of course, always want to beat their Ivy League rivals. The two have butted heads for 140 years in one of the oldest and most historic rivalries the sport has to offer. “The Game” as it’s come to be known is one of the […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

What SMU needs to clinch a second-straight ACC title game

The SMU Mustangs joined the ACC in 2024 as the conference’s ultimate underdog, foregoing nearly a decade of media revenue just for a shot to compete in the league. Yet, they’ve served as the conference’s most consistent winner since. In year one, SMU posted the only spotless 8-0 regular season ACC record, qualifying for the […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

UC Davis, Sac State to Meet in High-Stakes (and Maybe Last) Causeway Classic

When the UC Davis Aggies (7-3) and Sacramento State Hornets (7-4) come together on Saturday in California in what will be a monumental game in their longstanding rivalry series. The Aggies and the Hornets always end their seasons together with a dance known as the “Causeway Classic” but this year’s rendition of the game will […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

By the numbers: Five CUSA stats from Week 12

Week 12 was an eventful one for Conference USA, with all 12 teams suiting up for action. There were five conference matchups, two non-conference clashes, and the bowl eligibility and conference championship pictures became much more clear for the entire league. Here is the Week 12 scoreboard: Now let’s look at some statistical notes from […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Tulsa scores 31-straight, snaps skid in 31-14 triumph over Oregon State

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane hadn’t emerged victorious in a football game since the fateful Friday night of Sept. 19, when they stormed into Stillwater and upended Oklahoma State. Riding a 5-game losing streak, all the Golden Hurricane needed to see was another orange and black OSU in order to regain their mojo. Oregon State visited […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

ECU WR Payton Mangrum becomes unlikely hero on senior day

Prior to hosting Memphis on Saturday evening, the East Carolina Pirates recognized 30 seniors for their contributions to the football program. One of those seniors may have been a lesser-known name to the fanbase at the time of the pregame ceremony, but when a field storm brewed in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that night, he was the […]

3 months ago | 1 read

Jax State wins CUSA first place battle thanks to Hail Mary, Creel, and Cook

You can change nearly the entire roster. You can change the head coach and the bulk of the staff. But you cannot change the winning DNA that constitutes the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Jacksonville State was an anomaly of a first-year FBS program in 2023, posting a 9-4 overall record and a 6-2 conference standing. The […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Tulane helps its American title odds in 35-24 win over FAU

Tulane aesthetically looked different, repping brand new “City Edition” uniforms for the first time, paying homage to its New Orleans heritage. But on the field, Tulane looked exactly like the team that won 26 of its previous 29 conference matchups, disposing of Florida Atlantic 35-24 in front of the eighth full capacity crowd in Yulman […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

North Texas ranked in AP Poll for first time since 1959

The “Super Bowl”, the “moon landing”, and the “internet” were all unfamiliar concepts the last time North Texas’ football program earned a ranking in the AP Poll. The North Texas State Eagles checked in at No. 16 in 1959, before losing to Tulsa on Nov. 14. And unbeknownst at the time, they’d be absent from […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

ESPN College GameDay Chooses Oregon Leaving FCS Snubbed for Third Straight Year

Early Sunday morning, ESPN’s flagship college football pregame show College GameDay announced that it will be heading to Eugene in Week 13 to showcase Oregon’s matchup with USC. The announcement ensures that the show will once again not go to an FCS school this season, marking the third straight year that it hasn’t done so. […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Navy knocks South Florida off CFP path in 41-38 upset

For the first time ever in November, the South Florida Bulls controlled their destiny for the College Football Playoff. South Florida, checking in at No. 24 in the latest CFP committee rankings, was slotted at No. 12 in the latest mock bracket as the projected fifth-highest ranked conference champion. The Bulls journeyed north to Annapolis […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

FCS Football: The Sunday After – Overreactions to Week 12

The penultimate weekend of regular season action has come to a close and now, with just one game left on most everyone’s slate, it’s do-or-die for several teams across the country. Week 12’s results knocked some out of playoff contention, kept some others alive and made next Sunday another absolute stress-fest for a few more. […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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 […]

3 months ago | 1 read

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 […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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 […]

3 months ago | 1 read

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 […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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, […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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) […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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 […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

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 […]

3 months ago | 1 read

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 […]

3 months ago | 5 reads

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 […]

3 months ago | 0 reads