DALLAS – The 30^th season of Conference USA football gets underway Saturday evening when WKU hosts Sam Houston in a Week Zero contest at 6 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. The league’s remaining 11 members, including FBS newcomers Delaware and Missouri State, embark on their seasons next Thursday-Saturday, August 28-30.  
 
SAM HOUSTON (0-0) AT WKU (0-0)
Date: Saturday, August 23
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Bowling Green, Ky. (Houchens Industries – L.T. Smith Stadium)
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Announcers: Chris Lewis (PxP), Robert Turbin (Analyst), Jordan Giorgio (Sideline)
All-Time Series: WKU leads 2-1
 
Two of the league’s top contenders from a season ago square off in one of just five FBS games in the national spotlight in Week Zero. WKU has beaten Sam Houston in both meetings since the Bearkats entered the league in 2023.
 
Last season, the Hilltoppers (8-6, 6-2) earned their first trip to the CUSA Championship Game since 2021. The Bearkats (10-3, 6-2 CUSA) completed one of the largest win improvements in FBS (+7) with a 31-26 victory over Georgia Southern in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
 
Both teams feature many new faces, including Bearkats’ first-year head coach Phil Longo, and each team brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators. WKU added 63 newcomers in the offseason, while Sam Houston added 56 new players.
 
With the arrival of quarterback Maverick McIvor and offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, the Tops are hoping to replicate a record-setting 2021 campaign, the last time they brought in a quarterback/offensive coordinator duo from the FCS ranks in Zach Kittley and Bailey Zappe.
 
Known for the air raid offense, Longo’s offensive vision should result in even more big plays for the Bearkats. In his first stint at Sam Houston as an offensive coordinator, he was named the National Coordinator of the Year in 2016, when he directed Jeremiah Briscoe to the first of consecutive Walter Payton Awards.