Conference USA Football: Power rankings, top players and key games for 2022

The Conference USA football conference found itself being plundered last year. With nine of the 14 members from last season moving to new conferences, the league is in total upheaval.

Last year’s Conference USA championship game was the most entertaining game during conference championship weekend. UTSA, though, managed to outduel Western Kentucky for the conference title. The decade-old program had completed its rise to conference champion.

Yet, that atmosphere made it clear that this league would not be long for the world. UTSA earned a promotion to the American Athletic Conference. Western Kentucky was looking to make a MAC move.

Thankfully, WKU and MTSU managed to stay, but the conference is going to look much different next year. In come FBS independents Liberty and New Mexico State, along with promotions for Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State.

Those will come in 2023, though. This year, UTSA is going to stay, giving it one last go as a Conference USA football team.

The Roadrunners will have to fight off a challenge from UAB, though, who is also leaving. Since coming back from the dead in 2016, the Blazers have won two C-USA titles, and Bill Clark has become a rumor mill mainstay. So far, he has remained loyal, and that loyalty has been rewarded.

Although other teams in the league have improved for certain, the title picture comes down to those two teams. But, teams like UTEP and Florida Atlantic could steal a game off the two C-USA powers.