Conference preview

Conference USA

Our projected 2026 finish, top to bottom — the top two meet in the conference championship — plus each team's game-by-game schedule.

Model projection

Conference favorite

Liberty

Top of the Conference USA board · 1% to make the 12

Best playoff odds

Liberty

1% chance at the 12-team field

Projected in the 12

None in the current field.

0 teams in our 12-team projection

#
Team
Proj W
CFP%
1
7.7
1%
2
7.3
1%
3
6.7
0%
4
6.7
0%
5
6.6
0%
6
5.7
0%
7
5.7
0%
8
4.7
0%
9
4.7
0%
10
3.8
0%
11
3.8
0%
12
3.7
0%

Projected wins run each team's real schedule through the model; Rating is national board strength. A strong team on a brutal schedule can out-rate its win total (and vice-versa).

Conference USA championship (projected)

Our top two by projection meet for the title.

Liberty

Western Kentucky

Liberty is the lean on a neutral field, at about 58%.

Schedule paths

Projected wins, schedule strength, and the weekly edge for each team — the same forecast as the board above.

FIU

6.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: South Florida (21%) · Easiest: Long Island University (90%)

1 toss-up · Schedule strength #128

Vegas win total6.5

Jax State

7.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Western Kentucky (40%) · Easiest: Eastern Kentucky (91%)

2 toss-ups · Schedule strength #136

Vegas win total7.5

Liberty

8.4 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: James Madison (35%) · Easiest: Gardner-Webb (94%)

1 toss-up · Schedule strength #135

Louisiana Tech

5.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: LSU (5%) · Easiest: Northwestern State (91%)

3 toss-ups · Schedule strength #78

Vegas win total5.5

Middle Tennessee

3.8 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Kansas (7%) · Easiest: Murray State (75%)

2 toss-ups · Schedule strength #126

Vegas win total3.5

Missouri St

4.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Texas A&M (1%) · Easiest: Lindenwood (86%)

1 toss-up · Schedule strength #48

Vegas win total4.5

New Mexico St

4.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Florida State (3%) · Easiest: Mercyhurst (82%)

3 toss-ups · Schedule strength #122

Vegas win total4.5

Sam Houston

3.7 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Texas Tech (1%) · Easiest: Nicholls (76%)

1 toss-up · Schedule strength #87

Vegas win total3.5

UTEP

3.8 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Oklahoma (0%) · Easiest: Texas Southern (70%)

2 toss-ups · Schedule strength #51

Vegas win total3.5

Western Kentucky

6.6 projected wins · 12 games

Toughest: Indiana (2%) · Easiest: Mercyhurst (92%)

0 toss-ups · Schedule strength #49

Vegas win total6.5

How to read it

Expected wins add up each game's win chance. League wins count only conference games; overall wins include the full schedule. Labels translate those probabilities into plain language: likely win, lean win, toss-up, lean loss, and likely loss. The full national playoff picture lives on the home page.