Week Two Conference Notes
 
DALLAS – Conference USA returns to action in Week Two with all 10 league members in action, highlighted by a pair of SEC Network showdowns, a bowl rematch and a regional showdown between ATL foes.
 
Western Kentucky and Delaware will both take on SEC opponents on the road Saturday, with the Hilltoppers visiting No. 2 Georgia at Sanford Stadium at 11:45 a.m. CT before the Blue Hens make their first-ever trip to [RV] Vanderbilt for a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff. Both games will be carried live on the SEC Network.
 
Four CUSA teams will return home looking for their first victory of the season, as FIU welcomes Buffalo, Liberty hosts Gardner-Webb, Sam Houston welcomes Tulsa and Missouri State entertains Lindenwood.
 
Jacksonville State will travel to Ohio for a rematch of the 2024 Cure Bowl, while Kennesaw State and Georgia State meet in a regional faceoff at Fifth Third Stadium. MTSU returns to Huntingdon for the first time since 2020 to face Marshall, and Saturday’s nightcap features NM State facing Hawaii in the Aloha State.
 
WKU (0-1) AT NO. 2 GEORGIA (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 11:45 a.m. CT
Location: Athens, Ga. (Sanford Stadium)
Broadcast: SEC Network
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour (PxP), Matt Stinchcomb (Analyst), Michella Chester (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Georgia leads 1-0
 
DELAWARE (1-0) AT [RV] VANDERBILT (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 3:15 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn. (FirstBank Stadium)
Broadcast: SEC Network
Announcers: Dave Neal (PxP), Cole Cubelic (Analyst), Tori Petry (Reporter)
All-Time Series: First meeting
 
BUFFALO (1-0) AT FIU (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 5:00 p.m. CT
Location: Miami, Fla. (Pitbull Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Corey Brooks (PxP), Jermon Bushrod (Analyst), Sydney Jones (Reporter)
All-Time Series: First meeting
 
JAX STATE (1-1) AT OHIO (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Athens, Ohio (Peden Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Joe Tordy (PxP), LaDarrin McLane (Analyst)
All-Time Series: Ohio leads 1-0
 
GARDNER-WEBB (0-2) AT LIBERTY (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Matt Warner (PxP), Reginald Walker Jr. (Analyst), Emily Austen (Reporter)
All-Time Series: First meeting
 
TULSA (1-0) AT SAM HOUSTON (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Huntsville, Texas (Bowers Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Jason Metko (PxP), John Harris (Analyst), Kendra Sheehan (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Tulsa leads 1-0
 
GEORGIA STATE (1-0) AT KENNESAW STATE (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Fifth Third Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Nolan Alexander (PxP), Caleb O’Neal (Analyst), Maria Martin (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Georgia State leads 1-0
 
MTSU (1-0) AT MARSHALL (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Huntingdon, W.Va. (Joan C. Edwards Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Keith Morehouse (PxP), Mark Martin (Analyst), Ben Westfall (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Marshall leads 7-5
 
LINDENWOOD (1-1) AT MISSOURI STATE (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Springfield, Mo. (Plaster Stadium)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Announcers: Don West (PxP), Tom Mast (Analyst), Cierra Clark (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Missouri State leads 1-0
 
NEW MEXICO STATE (1-1) AT HAWAII (0-2)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 10:59 p.m. CT
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii (Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex)
Broadcast: Mountain West+
Announcers: Kanoa Leahey (PxP), Rich Miano (Analyst), Cienna Pilotin (Reporter), Kyle Chinen (Reporter)
All-Time Series: Hawaii leads 11-1
 
HIGH PRAISE FOR MINICUCCI
Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci enters 2026 as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after leading CUSA and ranking in the top 10 nationally in completions (5th, 322), passing yards (6th, 3,683) and total offense (8th, 3,918) on his way to Second Team All-CUSA honors. He finished the season as one of only two FBS players to eclipse 3,500 passing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Minicucci moved into sixth place in program history in career completions (470) and eighth in career passing yards (5,312), and career passing touchdowns with 40 after completing 20-36 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Merrimack.
 
WINNING WITH WILLIE
FIU reached new heights in year one under Willie Simmons, winning the most games in overall play (7) and Conference USA play (5) since 2018, reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2019 and defeating rival Florida Atlantic for the first time since 2016. The Panthers closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, which included victories over Liberty and Jax State, to secure a berth in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Following the historic 2025 campaign, FIU received a program-record 14 All-CUSA selections. Finishing the season at 7-6 overall, Simmons has now had a winning season in all nine of his seasons as a head coach.
 
GAMECOCKS’ GRAB-AND-GO
Safety Ty Sims’ interception in the first quarter versus Eastern Kentucky extended Jax State’s streak with a takeaway to 19 consecutive games, dating back to November 30, 2024, the longest active mark among FBS teams. The Gamecocks added another by way of Caleb Nix’s 43-yard pick six in the second quarter. During that stretch, Jax State has tallied 32 total takeaways, averaging nearly 1.7 per game.
 
OWLS OFF TO FLYING STARTS
Kennesaw State has scored 14+ first-quarter points in five of its seven home games under Jerry Mack, including 19 points in a 47-0 shutout of West Georgia in the 2026 opener. The Owls recorded four such games last season - all against FBS foes (Arkansas State, MTSU, UTEP, Missouri State). Only eight other FBS teams had that many home starts in 2025, with North Texas, Texas and Texas Tech being the only other ones do so against 4+ FBS programs. The Owls also achieved the feat in a pair of road contests at FIU and NM State.
 
REKINDLE THE FLAMES
Liberty, which ranked top five nationally in rushing offense in its first two seasons in CUSA, saw a drop-off in 2025 while still ranking 26th nationally with 194 yards per game. The Flames retooled its backfield with a number of portal additions to reposition itself among the nation’s elite rushing offenses. Liberty brought in Kanye Udoh, who rushed 179 times for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns with Army in 2024 before transferring to Arizona State, and Kam Davis, who saw playing time in 13 games at Florida State before arriving in Lynchburg.
 
ROMAN’S REIGN
MTSU quarterback Roman Gagliano enters 2026 as the undisputed QB1 for the Blue Raiders after earning starts in the final three games of 2025 and completing 70-118 passes for 911 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed 33 times for 182 yards and a pair of scores. MTSU is 3-1 since Gagliano took over as QB1, including wins over Sam Houston and NM State at the end of last season and a season-opening win over Murray State on Saturday. The Blue Raiders have scored 30+ points in three-consecutive games, dating back to Nov. 22, 2025 versus Sam Houston.
 
MO STATE MOMENTUM
With a 7-6 campaign in its FBS debut season, Missouri State recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the Bears tallied four-straight winning seasons from 1989-92. First-year head coach Casey Woods will look to build on that foundation with a history of successful programs that includes serving on the staff for Auburn’s 2010 national championship, a record setting UAB team that won its first ever CUSA Championship in 2018 and most recently serving as offensive coordinator at SMU, which won its first conference championship since 1984 and qualified for the 2024 College Football Playoff.
 
TREY THRIVES ON THIRD
Through the first two weeks, quarterback Trey Hedden has completed 12-17 passes for 204 yards on third downs and secured nine first downs on passes, including eight on 10 completions in a hard-fought loss at Florida State. Facing an average third-down distance of nine yards that night, he didn’t shy away from taking shots, averaging 12.1 yards per attempt on his third-down throws. The Aggies converted on 10-17 (.588) third-down tries for the game and are 17-30 (.567) on the year thus far.
 
BEARKAT BENCHMARK
Sam Houston has recorded winning seasons in 14 of its last 16 seasons, with the two outliers coming in its 2023 FBS debut season in which they lost five one-score games and last season - the first under Phil Longo in which they did not play a true home game the entire season while Bowers Stadium underwent major renovations. The Bearkats look to return to their winning ways with a sense of normalcy in year two under Longo and a sense of comfort back in the confines of Bowers Stadium in 2026.
 
TOPPER TRADITION
WKU is one of just 10 FBS programs and three Group of Six schools (Memphis, Louisiana) to play in a bowl game in each of the last seven years. WKU is one of only 10 FBS programs in the nation with 8+ wins in each of the last five seasons and has participated in 12 bowl games over the last 14 seasons, winning eight after claiming the 2025 New Orleans Bowl. Since the start of the CFP era in 2014, only Georgia and Minnesota (nine each) have more bowl wins than WKU’s eight, which are tied with Alabama, Ohio State and Wisconsin.