Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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2026 Conference USA Football Season Preview
No conference has turned over more than Conference USA. Fourteen years ago, the league featured the likes of Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, and UCF. Now, the conference’s longest tenured members are FIU and Middle Tennessee, which joined in 2013. Exactly half of the 10 members were added from the FCS since 2022, but those additions […]
Navy, Memphis, Tulane receive votes in 2026 Preseason AP Top 25
The American Conference landed three teams in the final AP Poll of 2025. Tulane was ranked No. 18, Navy landed at No. 23, and North Texas followed at No. 24. However, that doesn’t mean the conference enters 2026 with a similar level of respect. For the third-straight season, zero American teams make an appearance in […]
SMU ranked #19 in 2026 Preseason AP Top 25
For the second-straight year, SMU is ranked prior to its opening kickoff. The Mustangs garnered a ranking of No. 19 in the preseason AP Top 25. It’s the second time since 1985 they’ve started a season in the AP Poll. Last August, SMU ended a 37-year drought with an appearance at No. 16 in the […]
Houston ranked #23 in 2026 Preseason AP Top 25
For the first time as members of the Big 12 Conference, the Houston Cougars enter a season with a number beside their name. Houston checked in at No. 23 in the preseason AP Top 25. It’s the program’s first preseason ranking since starting No. 24 in 2022 and highest preseason ranking since 2016, when it […]
The Legend of Tim Polasek: From logger to leading North Dakota State into FBS
It was 5 p.m. on a Friday back in 2006, 10 degrees below zero, and Tim Polasek was just getting off work when his old yellow Nokia cell phone rang. The screen barely worked, though well enough for a few games of Snake, and Polasek had just finished another day at his logging job, operating […]
2026 SMU Mustangs Football Season Preview
Several years ago, the SMU Mustangs were the scrappy underdogs, foregoing nine years of ACC media rights revenue just for a chance to compete in the conference. Now, the Mustangs are an established power in the league. In its ACC debut in 2024, SMU seamlessly handled the competition. It finished 8-0 in league play, qualified […]
Marshall unveils alternate uniform to recognize The 75 and “We Are Marshall”
When you play for the Marshall Thundering Herd, honoring “The 75” becomes a part of your identity. On Nov. 14, 1970, following a 17-14 road loss to East Carolina, 75 individuals — primarily Marshall football players, coaches, staff, and boosters — boarded Southern Airways Flight 932. The commercial aircraft crashed into a hill, and all […]
NFL Preseason: Which Former FCS Rookies Helped Their Chances in Week 1?
Football is back. It may have just been the preseason but helmets were cracking and pads were popping around the NFL last weekend as pro football’s most intense, three-week tryouts officially got underway. Several young players are clawing for spots and we are just a few short weeks away from when the bell rings and […]
Rice fall camp notes: ‘slot’ position, linebacker update, Wisne v. NCAA
Fall camp is officially underway in South Main. The Rice Owls are three weeks away from their 2026 home opener against FCS opponent Houston Christian, gearing up for year two under head coach Scott Abell. Here are several developments from the Owls’ fall camp practices: ‘Slot’ position One position unique to Scott Abell’s gun choice […]
FCS Throwbacks: Ah Yat Leads Montana to Victory over Oregon State in Season Opener
History in sports… as it does in life… has an funny way of echoing itself. Montana Grizzlies fans are hoping that it does again in 2026. Fresh off a 13-2 season and a trip the national semifinals last fall, the Griz are entering this season as one of the top teams in the FCS and, […]
Tulane unveils 2026 Mardi Gras City Edition uniforms
The concept of “City Edition” uniforms started in the NBA, made its way to the MLB, and now have become a tradition embraced in college football by the Tulane Green Wave. For the second-straight season, Tulane unveiled City Edition uniforms, and they significantly differ from last year’s release. The 2026 City Edition uniforms are heavily […]
2026 Sun Belt Season Preview: West Division
In an era of bizarre, geographically-inconvenient superconferences and the loss of regional rivalries, the Sun Belt Conference remains true to the roots of college football. It’s the only FBS league that still consists of divisions. The geography makes sense. Historic rivalries remain, while new ones develop. And the quality of football is only improving. The […]
American Conference notebook: Tulane, North Texas lose key starters to injury
Fall camp is underway for all 138 FBS institutions. And while the start of fall camp is generally viewed as a positive among college football fans, there is one harsh reality that comes with it — injuries. Notable injuries have been already reported from the camps of both 2025 American Conference Championship Game participants: Tulane […]
The mentor and protégé: How Houston is handling two 5-star QBs at once
The anticipation had been brewing in Houston for over two years. The wait is over, and Keisean Henderson is finally a Houston Cougar. The 5-star quarterback was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect by 247Sports and the No. 4 by ESPN, earning the distinction as the nation’s top high school quarterback in the class of […]
2026 Sun Belt Season Preview: East Division
In an era of bizarre, geographically-inconvenient superconferences and the loss of regional rivalries, the Sun Belt Conference remains true to the roots of college football. It’s the only FBS league that still consists of divisions. The geography makes sense. Historic rivalries remain, while new ones develop. And the quality of football is only improving. The […]
Predicting the FCS Playoffs: August Edition
Fall camps are well underway around the country and football is a mere weeks away. FCS teams near and far are beginning their journeys that will, hopefully, end with a spot in the playoffs. With only 24 of those positions available, the race is always a tight one and this year in particular it looks […]
The CFP changed its selection format again for 2026
We enter year three of the 12-team College Football Playoff era, and the selection process has yet to remain consistent in consecutive seasons. For the third-straight year, the CFP altered its format. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee met last week to discuss revisions, and the following edits were made: Conferences now have automatic bids […]
Charles Huff has a bold blueprint for Memphis, and it starts now
Not many head coaches spend their first conference media day envisioning a future in another league. Charles Huff took that approach in St. Petersburg, FL, openly proclaiming his desire to see Memphis playing in a ‘power four conference’ (an unofficial term that often refers to the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC) within the […]
Ryder Burton looks to build on iconic upset as UAB’s QB1
Sometimes an upset doesn’t look ripe for the picking. The UAB Blazers were in the midst of a turbulent season, and everything continued to spiral. On Oct. 11, starting quarterback Jalen Kitna suffered an upper-body injury which ruled him out for the following week. One day later, head coach Trent Dilfer was fired. All of […]
2026 Conference USA Preseason Award Watchlist Tracker
It is August, and that is proof college football is on the horizon. The later portion of the month is reserved for games, while the early portion is for preseason festivities. Preseason watchlists are a staple of the final month of the offseason, as players of all positions from all over the country are recognized […]
2026 American Conference Preseason Award Watchlist Tracker
It is August, and that is proof college football is on the horizon. The later portion of the month is reserved for games, while the early portion is for preseason festivities. Preseason watchlists are a staple of the final month of the offseason, as players of all positions from all over the country are recognized […]
Owen McCown’s loyalty gives UTSA rare quarterback continuity
The UTSA Roadrunners are the only American Conference program entering the 2026 season with a third-year starting quarterback. That rare continuity can all be traced back to a basketball court in Jacksonville, TX in the late 1990s. More than 20 years before becoming head coach at UTSA, Jeff Traylor coached football and basketball at Jacksonville […]
Which All-Sun Belt players can return to college after court ruling?
On Friday evening of July 31 — exactly 29 days before the 2026 college football season kicks off — game-changing news came out of the U.S. District Court of Colorado. The court ruling by Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to provide an additional year of eligibility to all athletes […]
The Best Quotes, Football and Otherwise, from FCS Players and Coaches During 2026 Media Days
August is here and college football is right around the corner. We can practically feel it in the air. FCS coaches and players gathered to share their thoughts on the upcoming season (amongst other things) over the last few weeks at various media days across the country. Here are some of the things they had […]
After one season away, Sam Houston returns to renovated Bowers Stadium
Sam Houston did not play a single true home game during the 2025 football season. Instead, the Bearkats took a 70-mile commute down I-45 to play at Shell Energy Stadium in downtown Houston, where they competed in front of sparse crowds. That changes in 2026. The fan support, student body, and overall energy will make […]
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