Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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Culture outlasts coach: Why Tulane believes winning sustains in Will Hall era
Four-straight conference championship appearances, two American Conference titles, two AP Top 20 finishes, one Cotton Bowl victory, and one College Football Playoff appearance — all in a four-year span. Tulane completed college football’s most statistically remarkable turnaround in 2022, going from 2-10 to 12-2, and the program has refused to look back. The coaches change, […]
Hartline embraces USF leaving NFL venue for on-campus stadium
The 2026 season represents a crossroads of eras for South Florida Bulls football. It’s a beginning for head coach Brian Hartline, who replaces Alex Golesh as the frontman of the Bulls. Hartline spent the past nine seasons climbing the coaching ladder at Ohio State from an offensive quality control assistant to the offensive coordinator. South […]
“Is this really how I’m going out?”: Daveon Hook’s road back to Rice football
Perhaps the quietest place in Fort Worth, TX on Jan. 2, 2026 was Amon G. Carter Stadium. For over 10 minutes that afternoon, all noise inside the venue was suppressed to silence. The Armed Forces Bowl between the Rice Owls and Texas State Bobcats that drew over 28,000 spectators suddenly seemed trivial when medical personnel […]
2026 American Conference Media Days: Team-by-Team Recaps and Storylines
All 14 American Conference programs gathered at the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, FL for the league’s 2026 media days. Attendees included Commissioner Tim Pernetti, all 14 head coaches, 29 player representatives, the teams’ mascots and cheerleaders, and even former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden. For the third-straight season, membership remained unchanged, but the league […]
Tim Pernetti talks saving college sports, CFP expansion at American media days
The American Conference went beachside for its 2026 media days, shifting the event to the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, FL. The 14-team league, unaffected by conference realignment since 2024, is fresh off one of its most successful seasons in history. In 2025, the American champion produced its second-ever College Football Playoff participant, saw three […]
The Biggest Trap Game for Every FCS Contender this Year
Over the last few seasons it feels like the upper tier of the FCS has been a pre-written book that everyone already knows how it ends. Sure, there are a few upsets here and there, but for the most part the top teams go chalk. It’s why we see the same usual suspects standing at […]
2026 American Preseason Previews: UAB Blazers
2025 record: 4-8 (2-6 American) 2025 postseason: did not qualify UAB football returned from the ashes in 2017 and almost instantly became the standard of Conference USA. The Blazers appeared in three-straight CUSA title games from 2018-20 and captured two. From 2018-22, they claimed their first three bowl victories in program history, and it was […]
2026 Conference USA Media Day Notes and Storylines
Conference USA held its annual media days in Arlington, TX on July 20-21. Commissioner Judy MacLeod and all 10 Conference USA head coaches took the podium in Arlington, discussing the biggest storylines entering the 2026 season. Here are highlights from each speaker at the media days: CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod […]
Rice unveils new Nike uniforms for 2026
On July 1, 2026, six FBS programs switched outfitters. The Rice Owls were included in that list, as they officially swapped out their Adidas gear in favor of Nike. Adidas was the official outfitter of Rice from 2012-25, but the Swoosh is back on the Owls’ uniforms for the first time since 2011. To usher […]
Sun Belt Media Days: Ryan Beard takes over Coastal Carolina
In 2020, the world undoubtedly changed. There were positive aspects of the tumultuous year for some, and perhaps no college football program benefited more from that year than the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina joined the FBS in 2017 and spent three years struggling to adjust to the highest level. However, everything flipped in 2020. […]
2026 ACC Media Day Storylines: SMU Mustangs
All 17 ACC teams took the stage in Charlotte, NC for 2026 ACC Media Days. This coming season marks the SMU Mustangs’ third in the ACC, and the Mustangs needed no time to adjust. In 2024, they qualified for the conference championship game and College Football Playoff. In 2025, they were alive for a second-straight […]
Napier returns to Sun Belt, tasked with upholding JMU’s winning tradition
Billy Napier was king of the Sun Belt. Prior to the 2018 season, he accepted a head coaching position at Louisiana. The first-time head coach didn’t need any time to acclimate to his new role — he built a dynasty from the get-go. In four years at Louisiana, he produced a 40-12 record and qualified […]
CUSA announces 2026 preseason players of the year and ‘Bowl Confidence Index’
It’s a new-look Conference USA for 2026. For the first time since 2022, the league will not introduce new members. However, the conference reduces from 12 to 10 member programs after the departures of Louisiana Tech (to the Sun Belt) and UTEP (to the Mountain West). The 10-member conference converges in Arlington, TX on July […]
Tulane and LSU to meet in 2030; first Battle for the Rag since 2009
An old non-conference rivalry in The Boot is finally restored. On Saturday, Aug. 31, 2030, the Tulane Green Wave will travel to Death Valley to face the LSU Tigers in a Week 1 matchup. It marks the first installment of the “Battle for the Rag” since 2009. Tulane and LSU were longtime conference affiliates from […]
UDD’s Top 20 FCS Offensive Players for 2026
All of our preseason Top 20 lists for the FCS have been difficult to compose this year but none have been harder than the offensive players. The subdivision truly has offensive talent coming out of its gills in 2026 giving shape to what could be a historically productive year. The quarterback crop is as deep […]
The full-circle moment that made UCF home for Alonza Barnett III
Alonza Barnett III recalls his whereabouts on Jan. 1, 2018. The 14-year old was one year away from starting his high school career, captivated by the crafty play of a 5’11” quarterback donning a metallic gold helmet and crisp white jersey. That quarterback was McKenzie Milton, who on that New Year’s Day afternoon guided the […]
2026 American Preseason Previews: Tulsa Golden Hurricane
2025 record: 4-8 (1-7 American) 2025 postseason: did not qualify “Tulsa football is back. We’re not gonna be on the third page of the paper anymore.” These were the celebratory words uttered by Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb in his ESPN postgame interview on the night of Sept. 19, 2025. In his fourth game as […]
FCS Throwbacks: Jacksonville State and SEMO Run to FCS Record
Sometimes the extraordinary ends up happening on a very ordinary day and such is certainly the case with college football. In fact, most of the time, it’s the seemingly run-of-the-mill afternoons where fans, players and coaches in the building aren’t expecting something record breaking to happen when it actually does. Illinois fullback Howard Griffith ran […]
Highlights from Commissioner Keith Gill at Sun Belt Media Days
Sun Belt Media Days kicked off from New Orleans, LA on Wednesday, July 15. Commissioner Keith Gill took to the podium Wednesday to discuss hot topics in the Sun Belt, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a conference. Topics included the addition of Louisiana Tech, the Protect College Sports Act, and College Football Playoff […]
Why SMU named its recovery center after current QB Kevin Jennings
Walk through any college campus, and you’ll find a name attached to most buildings. Most are named in the honor of distinguished alumni, generous donors, or legendary athletes and coaches that shaped the school’s athletics. And then there’s one facility at SMU named after the team’s current starting quarterback — the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center. […]
2026 American Preseason Previews: Tulane Green Wave
2025 record: 11-3 (7-1 American) 2025 postseason: defeated North Texas in American Championship Game, 34-21; lost to Ole Miss in College Football Playoff First Round, 41-10 It was the dynasty nobody saw coming at the turn of the 2020s decade. Tulane is now the face of the American Conference, having qualified for the league’s title […]
“Pancake With Us”: Cincinnati wants to prove it has the best o-line in college football
College football season is around the corner, and schools across the country are launching Heisman Trophy campaigns to garner attention for their star quarterbacks and running backs. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bearcats have a different strategy in mind. They’re stocking up on pancake batter. With three returning starters from one of the country’s top offensive lines […]
2026 Sun Belt coaches poll, Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams revealed
Sun Belt Media Days will be held in New Orleans on July 15-16. Two days before the gathering of the 14 programs in the Big Easy, the Sun Belt revealed its preseason coaches poll, preseason award winners, and preseason all-conference teams: Preseason Coaches Poll East Division West Division James Madison was selected to repeat as […]
2026 American Preseason Previews: Temple Owls
2025 record: 5-7 (3-5 American) 2025 postseason: did not qualify Temple was a fixture in Bowl Season throughout the 2010s, and as a result, they became a hotbed for coaching hires. Al Golden departed Temple for Miami (FL), Steve Addazio for Boston College, Matt Rhule for Baylor, and Geoff Collins for Georgia Tech. But times […]
2026 Big 12 Media Day Storylines: Cincinnati Bearcats
In the early 2020s, the Cincinnati Bearcats were a premier power in college football. They concocted an undefeated regular season in 2020 and fell one field goal short of perfection. In 2021, they took a step further and became the only American Conference team to qualify for the College Football Playoff in the 4-team era. […]
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