If you haven't been staring at the Conference USA football standings lately, you might have missed the weirdest year in the league’s history. Honestly, it was a fever dream. Imagine telling a college football fan two years ago that Kennesaw State—yes, the team that was just playing in the Big South—would be holding a trophy while Jacksonville State fans stared in disbelief.
College football is moving so fast it makes your head spin. Realignment has turned CUSA into a bit of a laboratory for new FBS programs. Some people call it the "Island of Misfit Toys," but those people aren't watching the games. The 2025 season just wrapped up, and the final standings tell a story of massive upsets, a complete collapse of the old guard, and a freshman quarterback who basically became a folk hero overnight.
The Final 2025 Conference USA Football Standings
Kennesaw State finished at the top of the mountain. It's wild. They went 7-1 in the conference and 10-4 overall. They weren't even supposed to be bowl eligible yet in the minds of most analysts. But there they were, beating Jacksonville State 19-15 in the championship game on December 5, 2025.
Jacksonville State actually matched them with a 7-1 conference record, but that head-to-head loss in the title game stung. Western Kentucky followed them at 6-2. The Hilltoppers are basically the most consistent thing in this league, even when everything else is falling apart. Then you have a massive logjam in the middle.
Louisiana Tech, FIU, and Missouri State all sat at 5-3. It’s kinda funny because Missouri State was the "new kid" this year along with Delaware. Delaware held their own at 4-4, proving they belong in the FBS. But then look at the bottom. Liberty, who usually runs this league, crashed and burned to a 3-5 conference finish. It was ugly.
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New Mexico State and Middle Tennessee were both 2-6. UTEP and Sam Houston brought up the rear at 1-7. It’s a tough look for Sam Houston, who looked so promising just a year ago.
Why the Standings Look So Weird Right Now
Jerry Mack. That's the name you need to know. The Kennesaw State head coach took a 2-10 team and turned them into 10-4 champions. He won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year for a reason. He didn't just win; he won close games. The Owls won six games by one possession. That’s living on the edge.
Amari Odom, their quarterback, was the catalyst. In the championship game against Jax State, he was 26-of-32. He found Navelle Dean for an 11-yard touchdown with 51 seconds left. It was the first touchdown of Dean's career. Talk about timing.
Meanwhile, Liberty’s fall from grace was the talk of the message boards. They were 4-8 overall. After years of dominating the Conference USA football standings, the Flames looked out of sync. Their star running back, Evan Dickens, still put up numbers—over 1,300 yards and 16 scores—but he’s already hopped into the transfer portal and headed for Boston College. When your best players leave, the standings reflect it.
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Bowl Season: A Mixed Bag for the League
Standings are one thing, but bowl games are where the "Group of Five" earns its respect. Or loses it.
Kennesaw State got a reality check in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, getting hammered 41-6 by Western Michigan. It turns out the "championship hangover" is a real thing. But the league had some bright spots elsewhere. Western Kentucky took care of Southern Miss 27-16 in the New Orleans Bowl. Delaware won their first-ever bowl game by beating Louisiana 20-13.
Louisiana Tech also managed a win in the Independence Bowl against Coastal Carolina. That 23-14 win was a nice send-off, because the rumors are true—the Bulldogs are likely headed to the Sun Belt soon.
Realignment is Already Breaking the 2026 Standings
If you think the current Conference USA football standings are confusing, wait until next August. The map is changing again. UTEP is officially packing its bags for the Mountain West. They want more "geographic sense," which is code for "we're tired of flying to Delaware."
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Speaking of Delaware, they are now full members. So is Missouri State. The conference is becoming a haven for former FCS powerhouses. This creates a weird power dynamic. You have established FBS programs like FIU and Western Kentucky competing against "upstarts" who have won national championships at the lower level.
- UTEP joins the Mountain West in July 2026.
- Louisiana Tech is widely expected to move to the Sun Belt.
- Delaware and Missouri State are now eligible for the CUSA title and bowl games.
The 2026 recruiting rankings suggest a shift is coming. Western Kentucky has the top-rated class right now, followed closely by FIU. If FIU can actually turn that talent into wins, the top of the standings will look very different next year.
What You Should Do Next
If you're a fan trying to make sense of all this, you need to stop looking at historical data. The 2024 and 2025 seasons proved that previous "power" in this league means nothing.
Track the transfer portal specifically for Kennesaw State and Jax State. With Rich Rodriguez leaving Jax State for West Virginia, that program is in a total transition under Charles Kelly. Watch the spring portal window. If the Gamecocks lose their core defensive front, they won't be sniffing the top of the standings in 2026.
Also, keep an eye on Malachi Nelson at UTEP. The former five-star recruit is the most talented player in the league, but he's playing for a team that's basically a lame duck. How he performs will determine if UTEP leaves CUSA with a bang or a whimper.
The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to follow the Conference USA football standings through the lens of roster turnover. In this league, talent doesn't stay put for long.