Even the most casual college football fans can recognize that Conference USA of today is not Conference USA of yesteryear.
The league has gone through four distinct phases in its tumultuous football life: metro-school haven (Cincinnati, Louisville and TCU's era), quirky power-conference training ground (SMU and UCF's era), Sun Belt alumni association (Florida Atlantic, Florida International and North Texas's era), and its current hollowed-out state.
Good football has not abandoned Conference USA entirely, however. Liberty reached the Fiesta Bowl in 2023, and Jacksonville State and Sam Houston provided compelling success stories in their sophomore FBS seasons.
Here's an overview of how Conference USA has performed in bowl games this year, and what it means for a little league in a big world.
What is Conference USA's record in bowl games this year?
Conference USA is 1–3 in bowl games in 2024. The league has one more bowl game to play—the Flames will play Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl Saturday morning.
What are the results of Conference USA's bowl games this year?
Here's how the league has performed in the postseason in table form.
How has Conference USA fared in bowl games over the past 10 years?
Here's a glance at the league's postseason records in the last decade, year by year.
Where does 2024 rank among the worst postseasons in Conference USA history?
There's a certain futility in trying to distinguish between a "good" and "bad" postseason for a league that doesn't send many teams to bowl games to begin with. Nonetheless, here are the lowest single-season winning percentages for Conference USA in bowl play in ascending order.
What does Conference USA's 2024 bowl performance mean?
The fact that only three of the league's teams made bowl games in the first place—Conference USA's smallest delegation since 1999—is undoubtedly worrisome. For all the hand-wringing over the near-complete collapse of the MAC as a competitive entity in recent years, seven schools in that league reached the postseason (Ohio also topped the Gamecocks in the two conferences' only bowl matchup).
However, some reason for optimism remains even with the league sputtering. It starts with the Bearkats, a phenomenal success story in their second FBS season. Sam Houston went 10–3 just two years into its FBS tenure, capping its campaign by beating Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl. Coach K.C. Keeler is off to Temple, but the presence of a solid program within shouting distance of the Houston TV market has to have league decision-makers feeling good.
Additionally, the league can take solace in the feats of two teams that did not make the postseason. Delaware and Missouri State—both due to move up to Conference USA next season—went a combined 17–-6 in their final FCS hurrahs.
With the College Football Playoff having grown from four to 12 teams, reaching it is—in theory—easier than ever for a Conference USA squad. Will an enterprising program be able to follow the trail Liberty blazed in '23?
More of the Latest Around College Football
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Conference USA Record in Bowl Games This Year: A Mixed Bag for a Once-Solid League.
