2016 Conference USA football season

2016 Conference USA football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 1, 2016
through December 27, 2016
Number of teams13
TV partner(s)ESPN, CBS Sports Network, American Sports Network, beIN Sports, Campus Insiders, CUSA.tv
2017 NFL Draft
Top draft pickG Forrest Lamp, WKU
Picked byLos Angeles Chargers, 38th overall
Regular season
Season MVPQB Ryan Higgins, La. Tech
East championsWestern Kentucky & Old Dominion (co-champions)
West championsLouisiana Tech
Championship Game
ChampionsWestern Kentucky
  Runners-upLouisiana Tech
Finals MVPRB Anthony Wales, WKU
Football seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Western Kentucky xy$   7 1     11 3  
Old Dominion x   7 1     10 3  
Middle Tennessee   5 3     8 5  
FIU   4 4     4 8  
Charlotte   3 5     4 8  
Marshall   2 6     3 9  
Florida Atlantic   2 6     3 9  
West Division
Louisiana Tech xy   6 2     9 5  
UTSA   5 3     6 7  
Southern Miss   4 4     7 6  
North Texas   3 5     5 8  
Rice   2 6     3 9  
UTEP   2 6     4 8  
Championship: Western Kentucky 58, Louisiana Tech 44
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Conference USA football season was the 21st season of Conference USA football and part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 with Charlotte facing Louisville.[1] This season was the second season for the C-USA under realignment that took place in 2014, which added the 14th member Charlotte from the Atlantic 10 Conference. The C-USA is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.

C-USA consists of 14 members: Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, and Western Kentucky; and is split up into the East and West divisions. West champion Louisiana Tech played at East champion Western Kentucky's Houchens Industries-L. T. Smith Stadium for the Conference USA Championship on December 3, which Western Kentucky won 58–44. UAB continued to undergo reinstatement of its football program during the 2016 season and will begin play for the 2017 season.[2]

Western Kentucky entered the season as defending Conference USA champions, defeating Southern Miss in the previous year's championship game. The Hilltoppers would then go on to defeat South Florida in the Miami Beach Bowl 45–35.[3]

  1. ^ "C-USA Announces 2016 Football Schedule". Conferenceusa.com. February 4, 2016. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "UAB to reinstate football for 2017 season". ESPN.com. July 21, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  3. ^ "Doughty goes out on top: WKU rallies from early deficit to beat USF 45–35 in Miami Beach Bowl". U.S. News & World Report. Miami. Associated Press. December 21, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2016.