DALLAS – Florida Atlantic's 34-17 win over Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon meant that the Owls (9-3, 7-1 in C-USA) had clinched both the East Division Championship and the right to host the 2019 Ryan Conference USA Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 7.  UAB (9-3, 6-2 in C-USA) punched its ticket as West Division Champion for the second straight season with its 26-21 victory at North Texas less than an hour later. The C-USA Championship Game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. CST. 
 
The matchup represents a meeting of the last two C-USA Champions (Florida Atlantic in 2017 and UAB last season) and marks the second time in three years that the championship will take place at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.  This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the schools (UAB leads 4-2) and the first since 2014.
 
Florida Atlantic captured the East Division title with wins in its final five conference games and nine of its last 10 overall, all by double-digits.  Head coach Lane Kiffin will be looking to lead the Owls to their second Conference USA Championship and a 10-win season for just the third time in program history.  Florida Atlantic is led offensively by senior TE Harrison Bryant, one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, who leads the nation’s tight ends in receptions (61) and receiving Yards (965).  The Owls defense ranks near the top of the nation’s teams in interceptions (19) and turnovers forced (29), with senior CB Meiko Dotson picking off seven passes (one shy of the national lead).
 
UAB will make a return trip to the Conference USA title game under fourth-year head coach Bill Clark.  The Blazers, who lost 36 seniors off last year’s 11-3 C-USA Championship squad, won their final three games to finish 7-1 in league play for the second straight season.  The Blazers defense, which replaced eight starters, is among the best in the FBS in several categories and leads the league in scoring defense (18.5 points allowed per game) and in rushing defense (92.3 yards per game), among other categories.  A trio of talented receivers in junior Austin Watkins, Jr., senior Kendall Parham and junior Myron Mitchell, along with junior RB Spencer Brown (last year’s C-USA Championship MVP) lead the UAB offense.
 
Since C-USA began holding a conference championship in 2005, the host school is 10-4 all-time, although visiting UAB did win last year’s game at Middle Tennessee. 
 
Tickets for the C-USA Football Championship game are available online at:
https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/fau/EN/buy/browse?i%5B0%5D=328
 
For more information, Please visit the football championship page on www.ConferenceUSA.com.