Underdog Dynasty
An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
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Houston collects 10th win in 38-35 Texas Bowl takedown of LSU
The hometown team finally took the stage in the hometown bowl. It had been 18 years since the Houston Cougars punched a ticket to the Texas Bowl — an era that was two conferences and several head coaching regimes ago. But for the first time under Willie Fritz and for the first time with the […]
2025 Texas Bowl Preview: LSU Tigers vs. Houston Cougars
Game notes Setting the scene Houston and LSU are two of the biggest fanbases residing in the nation’s 4th-largest city, making the 2025 Texas Bowl a perfect crowd matchup. It also pits together two teams that haven’t squared off in a quarter of a century. The Houston Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) enjoyed a spectacular […]
McCown, UTSA shellack FIU 57-20 in First Responder Bowl
In the 2025 First Responder Bowl, the game was all about response. The UTSA Roadrunners stared down an immediate 14-0 deficit to the FIU Panthers, as their streak of winning seasons stood in peril. But UTSA rebounded in calm and collected fashion in Dallas, piling on 38 unanswered points in an eventual 57-20 victory over […]
Justin Lamson Filled Big Shoes to Get MSU Back to Title Game
Replacing a quarterback is never easy. Replacing one that won the Walter Payton Award is especially difficult. That is the job that Montana State head coach Brent Vigen and his staff were tasked with, though, entering this season. Tommy Mellott was a household name in Bozeman by the time he graduated and rightfully so. Mellott, […]
2025 New Mexico Bowl Preview: North Texas Mean Green vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Game notes Setting the scene The New Mexico Bowl features a battle of clashing styles, involving two of college football’s most improved teams. North Texas (11-2, 7-1 American) aims to build on its winningest season of all-time with its high-flying No. 1 ranked scoring offense, while San Diego State (9-3, 6-2 Mountain West) provides its […]
2025 Military Bowl Preview: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. East Carolina Pirates
Game notes Setting the scene The Military Bowl welcomes the reigning champions back to Annapolis. Last December, East Carolina won a heated rivalry over NC State, prevailing 26-21 on an unforgettable 86-yard scamper by Rahjai Harris in the final two minutes. This year, the Pirates posted an even better regular season record — their best […]
How the Bobcats and Redbirds Set Up an Unlikely and First-Ever Meeting in Nashville
When the FCS championship game goes down on January 5 it will not necessarily be between a pair of teams that many thought it might be at the beginning of the season. No North Dakota State. No South Dakota State. Instead it will be another team from the Missouri Valley Conference… a team that didn’t […]
2025 First Responder Bowl Preview: FIU Panthers vs. UTSA Roadrunners
Game notes Setting the scene Old Conference USA foes reunite in Dallas for a post-Christmas showdown. The FIU Panthers (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) concluded their regular season in scorching fashion, rattling off four-straight wins including one over Jacksonville State to secure their first winning season in seven years. Year one of the Willie Simmons era was […]
New Orleans Bowl: McIvor leads WKU to close win over Southern Miss
The 25th edition of the New Orleans Bowl lived up to its history as Maverick McIvor and Matthew Henry led the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to defeat Southern Miss, 27-16. Early in the contest, Western Kentucky earned great field position from a botched snap on a Southern Miss punt. However, the Hilltoppers were only able to […]
New Orleans Bowl – Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky: Three things to watch
The 2025 New Orleans Bowl is here, and if the early start to this bowl season is any indication, it’ll be a lot of fun in the Big Easy Tuesday night. The 25th anniversary of the Bowl Season battle between the Sun Belt and Conference USA is looking to be quite the battle between the […]
Final takeaways: Tulane’s 41-10 CFP loss at Ole Miss
A historic Tulane season resulted in a conference championship and a seat in the College Football Playoff — just the second team in American Conference history to achieve that combo. However, upon reaching the CFP stage, the moment was quite anticlimactic as Tulane quickly experienced a double-digit deficit and didn’t notch its lone touchdown until […]
Inside Jon Sumrall’s final moments at Tulane on the CFP stage
Jon Sumrall operated in a unique position throughout the month of December. One head coaching job in the modern climate of college football is already a bear to handle, but the fiery 43-year old head coach worked double-duty for three weeks, and it was an arduous situation he willingly signed up for. On Nov. 30, […]
Oregon ends James Madison’s historic run to CFP, 51-34
The James Madison Dukes football program is no stranger to playoff atmospheres. JMU qualified for the FCS Playoffs every season from 2014-21, reaching three national championship games and winning one, becoming one of the blue-bloods in their leagues. But James Madison envisioned success beyond FCS championships. The Dukes strived to compete for national championships at […]
What’s Next for Hauck, Montana after Lopsided Semifinal Loss?
The 2025 FCS championship has been set but the Montana Grizzlies will not be a part of it. After starting the season 11-0 and blowing out its first two playoff opponents, it seemed like Bobby Hauck and his Griz were on the fast track to a trip to Nashville and a more-than-legitimate shot at the […]
Sobkowicz, Rittenhouse Lift Illinois State to Semifinal Win and into FCS Championship
The magical run run for Illinois State is not done just yet. The unseeded Redbirds have now won four straight road games in these playoffs, the most recent being Saturday night’s __ win at Villanova in the semifinals, to secure its spot in the championship game down in Nashville in two weeks. The victory over […]
Resounding 48-23 Win over Montana Sends Montana State back to FCS Title Game
For the third time in five seasons Montana State is heading back to the FCS national championship game. This time, though, the semifinal win felt just a little bit sweeter for the Bobcats and their following. Not only did MSU gather its most lopsided win in its semifinal history, it did so in an unprecedented […]
Tulane playoff run concludes in 41-10 defeat Ole Miss
For the first time in the month of December, The Grove was open for business. A record 68,251 patrons funneled from the iconic tailgate scene to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, exchanging their red solo cups and barbecue for Santa hats and pom-poms at the site of the first College Football Playoff game in Ole Miss history. Oxford, […]
NC State pillages Memphis 31-7 in Gasparilla Bowl
A treasure chest was on the line in Tampa, FL for the 2025 Gasparilla Bowl, and NC State plundered and pillaged its way to gold during the hunt. The Wolfpack seamlessly dominated Memphis 31-7 for the coveted postseason win, handing the Tigers’ their fourth-straight loss to end the year. Bowl streaks were snapped on both […]
Kennesaw State dream season sputters in 41-6 Myrtle Beach Bowl loss to Western Michigan
It was an early wakeup call Friday morning, as Kennesaw State and Western Michigan were slated for an 11 a.m. ET kickoff at the sixth-annual Myrtle Beach Bowl — the earliest kickoff of the 2025 college football season. Western Michigan arrived to the teal “Surf Turf” of Brooks Stadium ready to seize the day, but […]
FCS Semifinals – Montana Grizzlies @ Montana State Bobcats: How to Watch, Preview, Prediction
Date: Saturday December 20, 2025 Time: 4:00 PM (ET) TV: ABC The Quick Hits After over a century and a quarter of playing football together, Montana and Montana State will at long last meet in the FCS playoffs and the stakes couldn’t get much higher as the two rivals will clash in the semifinals. These […]
2025 College Football Playoff First Round Preview: James Madison Dukes @ Oregon Ducks
Game notes Setting the scene It’s the unlikely pairing of the Ducks and Dukes. Two programs located 2,800 miles apart on opposite sides of the country are now associated with one another for a College Football Playoff matchup. The Oregon Ducks are still vying for that elusive first national championship, but the team is familiar […]
Arkansas State upends Missouri State 34-28 in inaugural Xbox Bowl
Arkansas State unlocked a significant achievement Thursday night in Frisco, TX. The Red Wolves emerged victorious in the inaugural Xbox Bowl, taking down first-year FBS program Missouri State 34-28 in the first college football game played at the Ford Center inside The Star — the practice facility of the Dallas Cowboys. Immediately after Master Chief […]
Missouri State to hire SMU OC Casey Woods as head coach
On the day of Missouri State’s first-ever bowl game, the Bears landed their head coach for the future. SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods was named head coach at Missouri State per multiple reports. Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Missouri State is finalizing a 5-year deal with Woods, who is expected to officially be announced head coach […]
Delaware captures first bowl win in 20-13 win over Louisiana
The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, in their first year in the FBS, are already bowl champions. Delaware won the 2025 68 Ventures Bowl with a dramatic 20-13 victory over the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, securing a monumental win for the program in Mobile, AL. The Blue Hens controlled the game early by intercepting Louisiana in the […]
FCS Semifinals – Illinois State Redbirds @ Villanova Wildcats: How to Watch, Preview, Prediction
Date: Saturday December 20, 2025 Time: 7:30 PM (ET) TV: ESPN2 The Quick Hits To call this semifinal a matchup of Cinderellas might be an understatement. Unseeded Illinois State takes on 12-seed Villanova in the culminations of two of the more miraculous runs the FCS playoffs have seen in quite some time. The Redbirds have […]
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