Conference USA is fully back to Saturdays, and the entire league is in action for Week 12. It’s an interesting late-season slate featuring five conference bouts and two non-conference clashes, all staggered
throughout the day from the Southeast corner of Miami, FL to the Northeast footprint of Pullman, WA.
Here is the CUSA’s full Week 12 slate:
- UTEP @ Missouri State, 3 p.m. ET — ESPN+
- Middle Tennessee @ WKU, 3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN+
- New Mexico State @ Tennessee, 4:15 p.m. ET — SEC Network
- Liberty @ FIU, 5 p.m. ET — ESPN+
- Delaware @ Sam Houston, 7 p.m. ET — ESPN+
- Kennesaw State @ Jacksonville State, 8 p.m. ET — ESPNU
- Louisiana Tech @ Washington State, 10 p.m. ET — The CW Network
Battle for first place
Only one of the five conference matchups received national television exposure, and this one earned it for good reason. Kennesaw State (7-2, 5-0 CUSA) and Jacksonville State (6-3, 5-0 CUSA) are the only remaining teams spotless in CUSA play. In fact, there are only six other teams in the FBS (excluding the Pac-12) perfect in the conference standings.
Kennesaw State rides a 7-game win streak while Jax State has rattled 4-consecutive victories to set up a mid-November tilt to decide first place. There is a strong possibility the result of this contest also decides which team hosts the CUSA Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 5.
The Owls attack with one of the finest defenses in the conference, as Indiana is the only team to register more than 26 points on them all season. Offensively, Kennesaw State is holding its own thanks to the midseason breakout of running back Chase Belcher, who posted 259 of his 316 rushing yards in his last three contests. But the running back most viewers will focus on is Jax State’s Cam Cook. Cook leads the FBS with with 1,181 rushing yards in an offensive heavily reliant on zone read execution. He averages north of 150 yards per conference game, racking up at least 5.0 yards per carry each time. Something has to give when the star running back faces this Kennesaw State defense.
Can you throw away records in 100 Miles of Hate?
Rivalries matter. As the sport becomes less regional, we’re losing cherished century-old rivalries like Bedlam and the Iron Skillet. But these matchups should be celebrated on an annual basis, no matter what the teams’ records are. One of the CUSA’s most important rivalries is 100 Miles of Hate, which pits Western Kentucky against Middle Tennessee.
The all-time series sees WKU with a 38-35-1 advantage, but the Hilltoppers’ dominance is a more recent phenomenon. They’re 6-0 in the Tyson Helton era and have defeated Middle Tennessee in nine of the last 10 meetings. WKU is a 13.5-point favorite in this installment of 100 Miles of Hate, but with the rivalry element on the line, does Middle Tennessee show some life in a futile season? The Blue Raiders are 1-8 and 0-5 in conference play. They notably lost to FCS Austin Peay by 20 in Week 1, but many of their CUSA defeats came down to the wire — dropping four-straight one-score games, before finally bowing out by 26 to FIU last week.
WKU is 7-2, but the Hilltoppers’ lone CUSA loss was quite a stunner as the offense faltered in a home matchup against FIU, falling in 25-6 fashion. Freshman Rodney Tisdale Jr. has taken the reins of the offense lately and is 2-0 as a starter, firing for 301 yards and four touchdowns in his second opportunity vs. New Mexico State. He’ll look to prevent Middle Tennessee from sparking a rivalry upset to keep the Hilltoppers alive in the CUSA title race.
Vital bowl eligibility matchup in 305
When two 4-5 teams meet, one reverts to .500 and the other is pushed to the brink of missing a bowl game. That philosophy makes Saturday evening’s matchup between Liberty and FIU at Pitbull Stadium one of the more intriguing watches of the weekend, given the stakes for both programs.
The Flames have never suffered a losing season since joining the FBS. They made the jump in 2018 and fared 6-6 in their debut season. Since, Liberty knows nothing but winning at least eight games — climbing the mountaintop to a CUSA championship and Fiesta Bowl nod in 2023. But 2025 has been a surprising struggle for Jamey Chadwell and the Flames which are fresh off a heartbreaking home defeat to FBS newcomer Missouri State. Liberty has still won three of its last four, finally figuring out the run game via tailback Evan Dickens (344 rushing yards in his last two outings).
FIU has not equaled Liberty’s success in recent years. The Panthers haven’t attained bowl eligibility since 2019 or a winning season since 2018, but this home game Saturday presents them an opportunity to springboard into a new era. First-year head coach Willie Simmons has already checked off several impressive boxes by knocking off rival Florida Atlantic, handling WKU on the road, and dropping 56 on a conference opponent last week at Middle Tennessee. By upending Liberty, Simmons’ Panthers climb a massive leap closer to their first bowl game in the 2020s decade.
