Conference USA – COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOUR

October 15, 2022October 21, 2022

NORTH TEXAS – APOGEE STADIUM

Denton, Texas is situated just 40 miles from Dallas – home of the North Texas Eagles – better known as the North Texas Mean Green. UNT is relatively new to the major college football scene, and they have adapted remarkably. They joined FBS in 1996 and a few years later came a sparking new stadium. The traditions that color gameday in Denton are phenomenal making the home of the Mean Green a colorful thread in the fabric of college football.

October 15, 2022October 21, 2022

Game 324: Louisiana Tech @ North Texas

The pregame Mean Green March that welcomed the team into Apogee Stadium ignited a fantastic day of scoring and celebration for the home team. The Green Brigade was provided many opportunities to strike up the fight song as North Texas won its eighth straight Conference-USA game and surged to 3-0 in league play.

September 17, 2022September 21, 2022

Game 319: New Mexico State @ Wisconsin

Washington State’s upset over Wisconsin last weekend exposed the Badgers and their predictable rushing-based offense. Four-star QB recruit, Graham Mertz, seemed to only have one or two stars lit on the field. Overall, the defense played well, but the offense had many errors to correct, especially when it came to fundamental execution. While this outcome was phenomenal for the visiting Cougars, it was probably the worst case scenario for this week’s opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies. Wisconsin would come out well-practiced and angry. The Aggies were the punching bag.

August 27, 2022September 21, 2022

UTEP – THE SUN BOWL

“Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, there is a team that they call the Miners.”

This eclectic border town is home to the University of Texas El-Paso. Originally founded as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, UTEP’s nickname of Miners is a perfect fit. The school has embraced its Miner identity with a swagger-filled mascot (Paydirt Pete), pickaxe icons that engulf campus, and a historic stadium carved into the mountains.

August 27, 2022September 1, 2022

Game 316: North Texas @ UTEP

A sold out Sun Bowl highlighted the anticipation for UTEP’s home opener against instate foe, North Texas. This is Coach Dana Dimel’s 5th year leading the Miners and expectations are soaring. The Mean Green come in with much to prove, as well. In many ways, this game was setting up to be a pickaxe in the road forcing the winner and loser on alternate paths.

November 27, 2021September 21, 2022

SOUTHERN MISS – M.M ROBERTS STADIUM

The foundation of college football culture is constructed on small campus towns that swell to ten times their size on gamedays. Locations like Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Norman, Oklahoma attract most of the spotlight. But, more impressive are the dots on the map that are typically less hyped, but emit the same passion and pageantry as universities that are consistent gridiron thoroughbreds. Hattiesburg, Mississippi qualifies as one of these special campuses. Located one hour from both the Louisiana and Alabama borders, the University of Southern Mississippi is an underrated hot spot in college football that deserves more of that spotlight.

November 27, 2021January 18, 2022

Game 315: FIU @ Southern Miss

Neither the Golden Eagles or the Panthers experienced the seasons they had imagined. Southern Miss lost three quarterbacks to injury, and in their most recent game, they rotated four quarterbacks that weren’t even listed at that position on the depth chart. Florida International entered this contest with one win and disgruntled head coach, Butch Davis, coaching in his final game while carrying accusations of a complacent and non-supportive athletic department. The game certainly did not garner national interest, but the passion was palpable as each team filed in to play their final battle of the season.

October 9, 2021October 12, 2021

UAB – PROTECTIVE STADIUM

The shift from decaying Legion Field to the newly built Protective Stadium has reenergized a program that completely dropped football after 2014, only to have it reinstated two years later after a flurry of protests. The next four seasons saw a program notch two conference titles and build an impressive new stadium in the bustling Uptown district of Birmingham. Gamedays here are building new traditions while integrating everything that makes a college gameday special.

October 9, 2021September 21, 2022

Game 307: FAU @ UAB

Second time is a charm?
Certainly for UAB, this can be applied accurately.
Last week’s first game in the newly minted Protective Stadium resulted in a Blazer meltdown at the hands of Liberty. This week, the FAU Owls were much more accommodating house guests. UAB notched their first victory at their new home and posted their fourth victory on what looks to be a successful season ahead.

October 19, 2019December 3, 2019

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL – RICCARDO SILVA STADIUM

Florida International University’s football program was born in 2002. Despite its youth, Riccardo Silva Stadium fills with pageantry on gameday. This bowl of bleachers cemented into campus contains all the ingredients necessary for a classic college atmosphere, and the Panther football team is making their roar heard along the college football landscape.