College football is basically the only place where a team can go from being a punchline to a conference champion in the blink of an eye. If you looked at the conference usa standings football grid back in August, you probably saw Liberty or Western Kentucky at the top in your mind's eye. Everyone did. But 2025 decided to be weird. Kennesaw State—a program that was literally just trying to find its locker room in the FBS a year ago—ended up sitting on the throne.
Honestly, the way this season shook out was a total mess for anyone trying to bet on it. We saw legendary collapses, the rise of "transition" schools that weren't even supposed to be eligible for the big prize, and a title game that was decided in the final 60 seconds.
The Final Shakeup: Who Actually Won?
The top of the pile belongs to Kennesaw State. They finished 10-4 overall and 7-1 in the league. It's a massive jump. Seriously, Jerry Mack took over a team that people were ignoring and turned them into a defensive nightmare. They didn't just win; they ground teams into the dirt.
Right there with them was Jacksonville State (Jax State). They also went 7-1 in conference play, but lost that head-to-head tiebreaker when it mattered most. It’s kinda wild to see these two "new" schools dominating the old guard. Western Kentucky (WKU) was the last team in that upper tier, finishing 6-2 in the CUSA. Tyson Helton's squad always puts up points, but they just couldn't clear the hurdle of the physical defenses at the top this year.
Behind them, the middle of the pack was a giant traffic jam. Louisiana Tech, FIU, and the newcomers Missouri State all finished 5-3 in the conference. That's a lot of parity. If you were a fan of any of those three, your Saturdays were basically a coin flip.
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Why the Conference USA Standings Football Look So Different Now
Realignment isn't just a buzzword; it’s a wrecking ball. The 2025 season was the debut for Delaware and Missouri State in CUSA. Normally, these schools are in a "transition" phase where they can't play for championships, but they sure can ruin someone else's season. Delaware finished 4-4 in the league, which is actually really impressive for a first-year jump.
- Kennesaw State: 7-1 (10-4 Overall) - The undisputed kings.
- Jax State: 7-1 (9-5 Overall) - Lost the title game 19-15.
- WKU: 6-2 (9-4 Overall) - Still the most fun offense to watch.
- LA Tech: 5-3 (8-5 Overall) - Defensive stalwarts.
- FIU: 5-3 (7-6 Overall) - Finally moving in the right direction.
- Missouri State: 5-3 (7-6 Overall) - Huge debut season.
The real shocker? Liberty. They were the preseason darlings. Everyone thought Jamey Chadwell would sleepwalk to another title. Instead, the Flames cratered. They finished 3-5 in conference play. It was ugly. You’ve got a team with that much talent finishing below Delaware and Missouri State—that’s just not supposed to happen.
The Defensive Shift
For years, CUSA was known as a "track meet" conference. You scored 50 or you lost. That changed this year. Look at the title game: Kennesaw State 19, Jax State 15. That’s a Big Ten score from the 1920s. Amari Odom, the KSU quarterback, was the MVP, but he won it with grit and one clutch drive at the end, not by throwing for 500 yards.
KSU’s defense, led by guys like Baron Hopson, basically told the rest of the league that the era of easy points is over. They pitched a shutout for almost three full quarters in the championship. That doesn’t happen in modern college football.
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The Basement and the Future
Down at the bottom, it was a rough ride. Sam Houston and UTEP both struggled significantly, finishing 1-7 in the league. For UTEP, it was a bit of a "lame duck" year as they prepare to head off to the Mountain West in 2026. You could tell the energy was just... off.
Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State weren't much better at 2-6. The "Aggie Magic" at NMSU seems to have evaporated after Jerry Kill left a couple of years ago. It’s a tough place to win, and without a high-level system, they’re getting swallowed up by the more aggressive recruiting of the Florida and Georgia schools in the conference.
What This Means for Your 2026 Predictions
If you’re looking at the conference usa standings football to figure out what happens next, don't just look at the records. Look at the rosters.
- Watch the Freshman: Elijah Hill at Kennesaw State had 9 sacks as a freshman. He's going to be a problem for the next three years.
- The UTEP Void: With UTEP leaving, the schedule opens up, but the conference is also losing a major Texas recruiting footprint.
- Missouri State's Momentum: They finished 7-6 overall in their first FBS year. That's a massive foundation. They’re going to be a top-three team very soon.
Basically, the "new" CUSA is more competitive than the old one. The gap between the best team and the eighth-best team has shrunk. You can’t just pencil in the favorites anymore. Honestly, that's better for the fans, even if it's a headache for the people making the preseason polls.
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Practical Steps for Following CUSA
If you want to keep up without losing your mind, follow the midweek "CUSAction" games. That’s where the standings usually get flipped. Because they play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in October, the travel and short weeks create crazy upsets. That’s exactly how Kennesaw State got the edge—they handled the weird schedule better than the veterans at Liberty did.
Check the injury reports for these midweek games specifically; a star QB sitting out a Tuesday night game in Lynchburg is how a 1-7 team suddenly beats a favorite. Keep an eye on the transfer portal this spring, too. With Kennesaw State proving you can win big immediately, expect more G5 players to look at CUSA as a place where they can actually get a ring.
The 2025 season proved that the logo on the helmet matters less than the defense in the trenches. Kennesaw State is the blueprint now. Everyone else is just trying to catch up.