Conference USA Football Power Rankings - Week 13

G5 Football Daily Staff | 2 Hours Ago

Jacksonville State's Ron Wiggins tries to evade the tackle of FIU's Percy Courtney Jr. during college football action at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama November 16, 2024. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC) / Dave Hyatt / Special to the Gadsden Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

1. Jacksonville State

2. Sam Houston State

3. Western Kentucky

4. Liberty

5. La Tech

6. Middle Tennessee State

7. NM State

8. Florida International

9. UTEP

10. Kennesaw State

To call it an eventful weekend in Conference USA would be an understatement. After former Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohanon emphasized that his departure from the program was not mutual, the only head coach the program has ever known showed up pregame to greet all of his former players. The move almost boosted Kennesaw State to an upset victory over Sam Houston State, but the Bearkats prevailed in overtime, 23-17.

Florida International nearly pulled off an upset of their own, pushing Jacksonville State for four quarters without star linebacker Travion Barnes. However, the Panthers dropped to 3-7 following a 34-31 loss – marking the fifth straight year that the Panthers will not reach postseason play.

Easily the most surprising result came in the form of Louisiana Tech’s 12-7 win over Western Kentucky in Bowling Green. The Bulldogs defense holding Western Kentucky to just a touchdown is easily one of the biggest upsets of the CUSA season. Lastly, Liberty needed overtime to outlast UMass 35-34. Overall, the power rankings see Western Kentucky fall and Jax State take the No. 1 spot.