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The big 2015 Conference USA football guide, from Charlotte to Marshall
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April 1, 2015
Surprise atop C-USA rankings?
Marshall and Western Kentucky should be the class of Conference USA in 2015, though Louisiana Tech, Rice, and Middle Tennessee aren't far from making a run.
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April 1, 2015
Marshall: Still just as dangerous
Marshall's strengths should be as strong in 2015, but its weaknesses might be weaker. That should make for a volatile, vulnerable 10- or 11-win squad and a Conference USA contender.
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March 31, 2015
Can Louisiana Tech repeat in the West?
Louisiana Tech was aggressive and exciting and should be that way again in 2015; the problem is that with defensive losses, there might be a little less good excitement and a little more bad excitement.
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March 30, 2015
WKU could have historic season
WKU played like a top 30 team after November 1, and if the Hilltoppers can figure out how to sustain their gains and actually play fourth quarters, they could be one of the nation's finest (and most entertaining) mid-majors this fall.
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March 27, 2015
Rice is proven and explosive
Rice has to replace a ton from an aggressive, glitchy defense, but with Driphus Jackson and an experienced skill position corps, the Owls could make themselves Conference USA West favorites if they beat Louisiana Tech at home on Halloween.
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March 26, 2015
MTSU is steady and experienced
MTSU is 11-5 in conference play since joining Conference USA, and if Marshall stumbles, Rick Stockstill's experienced Blue Raiders could end up an East division favorite.
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March 25, 2015
UTEP and the power of identity
In Sean Kugler's second year in charge, UTEP rode sound, conservative play to just its second bowl in nine seasons. The Miners could put together a nearly identical identity and run this fall.
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March 24, 2015
Ron Turner might actually be good at this!
FIU was better than you thought in 2014, with an opportunistic defense supplementing a feckless, young offense; can Ron Turner actually build toward a bowl bid in 2015?
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March 23, 2015
Recruiting vs. results for FAU
FAU head coach Charlie Partridge was hired with his recruiting prowess in mind, and he produced the second-best Conference USA recruiting class right out of the gates; can he produce actual on-field results in 2015, though?
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March 20, 2015
ODU is speedy, fun, and porous
Old Dominion has crafted an all-offense, no-defense reputation since joining the FBS ranks, and despite the loss of record-setting quarterback Taylor Heinicke, that should once again be the case in 2015.
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March 19, 2015
UTSA rebuilds for the first time
Injuries wrecked a potential 2014 breakthrough, and now Larry Coker must replace 36 seniors in his fifth year at UTSA.
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March 18, 2015
Southern Miss crawls back toward respectability
After a devastating, two-year collapse, Southern Miss took a step forward in 2014, and an athletic, young squad should take another one this fall.
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March 17, 2015
North Texas picks up the pieces
North Texas battled injuries and extreme turnover in 2014 and barely lived to tell the tale. How much can Dan McCarney's experienced Mean Green squad rebound?
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March 16, 2015
Charlotte joins the FBS party
Brad Lambert's Charlotte 49ers join the FBS ranks with an exciting offense and a defense that might be exciting in all the wrong ways in 2015.