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Underdog Dynasty

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/ | 308 entries published

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

Latest Entries

2026 North Texas to Oklahoma State pipeline tracker

The North Texas Mean Green enjoyed their best season in program history in 2025. They set the program wins record at 12, qualified for the American Conference Championship Game, nearly crashed the College Football Playoff, won the New Mexico Bowl, and will likely warrant a season-ending AP Poll ranking for the first time ever. Prior […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Memphis adds 2026 Week 0 game at UNLV; 2029 game in Memphis

A fifth game was just added to the 2026 Week 0 slate. The Memphis Tigers and UNLV Rebels agreed to a home-and-home series, where UNLV hosts a matchup on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, with a return trip to Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2029. The two teams, which both posted their winningest 3-year stretches in […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Top 10 Underachieving FCS Teams of 2025

The 2025 FCS season was full of surprises, both for better or for worse, when it pertained to several teams around the country. While some exceeded their preseason expectations, several more fell short of what they were “supposed to do” last year. From expected national title contenders that got nowhere close to playoff hopefuls that […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Former Houston QB Austin Carlisle transfers to ULM

One of the fastest quarterbacks in the country is headed to ULM, looking to inject a much-needed offensive spark in the program. On Monday, Jan. 12, ULM received a commitment from former Houston quarterback Austin Carlisle. Carlisle recently finished his true freshman season where he maintained his redshirt by participating in four games, in addition […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

Kennesaw State and Syracuse swap QBs in transfer portal

Trades aren’t a thing in college football, at least not in January of 2026, but Kennesaw State and Syracuse completed an unofficial quarterback swap in the transfer portal. Syracuse landed Kennesaw State starter Amari Odom, while the Owls received the Orange’s backup quarterback Rickie Collins. Odom spearheaded college football’s most impressive turnaround in 2024, guiding […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

North Texas gets new QB-RB duo from Big 12

One of the bigger storylines of this transfer portal window is the mass North Texas to Oklahoma State exodus. As of the start of Jan. 11, there have been 16 North Texas players that followed head coach Eric Morris to his new stomping grounds in Stillwater. Thus, the Mean Green fresh off their winningest season […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

RB Brandon High Jr. is back at UTSA as boomerang transfer

Remember the Alamodome. Brandon High Jr. certainly took that to heart when he entered the transfer portal for the second-consecutive season. The former UTSA running back transferred to California last offseason. But after one season in Berkeley, the Spring, TX native returned to his original home in San Antonio. High is a Roadrunner once again. […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Arkansas State receives commitment from Texas QB Trey Owens

The Arkansas State Red Wolves recently lost their three-year starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor to Iowa State in the transfer portal. However, less than a week later, Butch Jones and his staff may have found their quarterback of the future. Arkansas State received a commitment from Trey Owens on Friday, who confirmed the move by updating […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

Numbers that Defined the 2025 FCS Season

The 2025 FCS season is now officially over and all the stats are in. It was a campaign unlike any other for the subdivision on a lot of different fronts. Interest around the country, especially toward the end, reached all time highs and several teams and players left their marks. What numbers were the most […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

East Carolina adds former Wake Forest, Texas Tech QB Mitch Griffis

The reign of COVID-era quarterbacks is dwindling, but there will still be remnants of the 2020 season in 2026. One of them just committed to East Carolina. ECU added former Wake Forest and Texas Tech quarterback Mitch Griffis, a longtime college quarterback whose playing days date back to the infamous 2020 campaign. Griffis spent the […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

James Madison reloads at QB with Memphis transfer Arrington Maiden

A new standard has been set at James Madison. The Dukes are fresh off their first-ever Sun Belt title, complemented with an appearance in the College Football Playoff. While James Madison must replenish in a multitude of areas for 2026, ranging from head coach to quarterback, it’s nothing the program hasn’t done in the past. […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

UTSA loses three all-conference talents to portal

The UTSA Roadrunners are fresh off their sixth-straight winning season in six years under Jeff Traylor. The program that isn’t even two decades old ended 2025 on a high note with a 57-20 throttling of FIU in the First Responder Bowl for its third-consecutive bowl win. The momentum from that win can still be felt, […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

LSU QB Michael Van Buren Jr. commits to South Florida

2026 represents a new chapter for South Florida football, as the Bulls flip from the Alex Golesh era to the Brian Hartline era. South Florida lost three-year starter Byrum Brown in the transfer portal, as the star dual-threat quarterback followed Golesh to Auburn. In return, the Bulls received a quarterback with substantial starting experience in […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

Georgia Southern QB JC French transfers to Cincinnati

Out goes one transfer quarterback, in comes another for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Fresh off losing highly-touted portal quarterback Brendan Sorsby to conference foe Texas Tech, the Bearcats replenished at the all-important position. Cincinnati landed a veteran starter in JC French IV from Georgia Southern who arrives at his new Big 12 home with one year […]

about 2 months ago | 0 reads

Bobcats Exorcise 41 Years Worth of Demons in Dramatic Title Game Win

When Montana State placekicker Myles Sanstead walked out for his overtime extra point attempt on Monday night in Nashville he had more pressure resting on his shoulders… or more apt his right leg… than any football player in America did in that moment. Sanstead, who has surely kicked hundreds of PATs in his life, lined […]

about 2 months ago | 0 reads

Rice’s option offense adds UCF transfer QB Jacurri Brown

In 2025 under first-year head coach Scott Abell, the Rice Owls installed a new shotgun-based option offense, dubbed as the “Rice gun choice.” The Rice gun choice may have found its conductor for 2026 season, as the Owls landed UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown in the transfer portal — a mobile quarterback willing to operate Rice’s […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

SMU lands South Florida CB Jarvis Lee in portal

The SMU Mustangs have been significant players in the transfer portal throughout the 2020s decade, landing All-ACC talents like Jordan Hudson, Brashard Smith, Elijah Roberts, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jakai Clark, and Kobe Wilson from the portal. Rhett Lashlee and Co. hope the 2026 cycle continues the trend, and SMU is off to a strong start. After […]

about 2 months ago | 0 reads

Former Memphis 4-star QB AJ Hill transfers to Arkansas

The Memphis Tigers’ former quarterback of the future is now taking his talents to Arkansas. AJ Hill, a 4-star recruit from Houston County High School (GA) ranked 11th in the class of 2025 by 247Sports and 7th among pocket passers by ESPN, committed to the Razorbacks for the 2026 season. Hill follows former Memphis head […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

How Illinois State’s Miraculous Run Ended in Immense Heartbreak

The Illinois State Redbirds knew their season was coming to an end one way or another on Monday evening, an honor that Brock Spack’s team awarded itself for an unbelievable playoff run. Winners of four straight road contests in the postseason, ISU earned its way into the FCS championship game where it faced off with […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

UTSA adds WKU’s Rick Bowie as offensive coordinator

The UTSA Roadrunners’ offense will be under new direction in 2026. Head coach Jeff Traylor hired Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Rick Bowie to the same position in San Antonio. Bowie replaces Justin Burke, who was an inaugural member on Traylor’s staff in 2020 and spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator. With Burke off […]

about 2 months ago | 0 reads

Cotton Bowl hero Alex Bauman solidifies legacy in Arlington

Alex Bauman woke up the morning of Jan. 2, 2023 knowing it was a day of opportunity. The lightly-recruited true freshman spent the majority of the 2022 campaign as Tulane’s third-string tight end. Despite a lack of significant playing time, he was a member of a special run for the program. Bauman corralled five receptions […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

East Carolina QB Katin Houser transfers to Illinois

East Carolina Katin Houser announced his intent to enter the transfer portal back in December. On Sunday, Jan. 4, his whereabouts for the 2026 season were confirmed. Houser is heading back to the Big Ten, officially committing to Illinois. Houser originally launched his college career at Michigan State where he took a redshirt in 2022 […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III commits to UCF

The 2025 James Madison Dukes made history. In just their fourth year of FBS membership, they won 12 games, claimed their first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship, and crashed the College Football Playoff party — becoming the first Sun Belt team to qualify in the event’s 12-year history. The quarterback that spearheaded that run is now […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

Former Tulane stars Makhi Hughes and Shadre Hurst commit to Houston

Willie Fritz may be entering year three with the Houston Cougars, but his connections from his old stomping grounds are still strong. On Sunday, two days after the transfer portal opened, Houston landed two former Tulane stars that played under Fritz in New Orleans — running back Makhi Hughes and guard Shadre Hurst. Both Hughes […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads