Conference USA: Enjoy explosive offenses? This is your league

Just call it the Little Big 12.

Conference USA has a lot in common with the Midwest's premier league, and we aren't talking about the geography, although there is some of that, too. No, think more in line with explosive offenses and Swiss cheese defenses.

A little trivia: Did you know the nation's top two total offenses last season came from C-USA? Tulsa paced the nation like a greyhound rabbit, averaging 569.9 yards per game under head coach Todd Graham and then-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who has since taken his traveling offensive circus to Auburn. The greatest show on turf had nothing on these guys.

But does Malzahn's exit signal change for the Golden Hurricane? Of course not. Graham isn't stupid.

"We've had the No. 1 offense in the country for two years straight. For us to change anything wouldn't be very smart," Graham said. "We have tremendous respect for Gus and what he did, but this offense is designed for the University of Tulsa and our personnel."

It's not rocket science, but still should be commended as the right plan. The execution, however, might be difficult to replicate. After all, this is the same school that dropped 77 points and a PlayStation-like 791 yards on UTEP in 2008. Miners coach Mike Price remembers that all too well.

"We just couldn't stop them. It was a scorefest in the first half and we just couldn't keep up," Price said. "Just an ole ass kicking."

Price's Miners are looking to put up some of those eye-popping numbers this season as well. Under the leadership of senior quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, the Miners figure to put up plenty of points themselves.

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Despite Vittatoe playing last year with a foot injury, the Miners had plenty of fireworks. It gets lost in the horrifically ugly loss, but they did score 35 points against Tulsa. And Price thinks his quarterback can add to the show with a season full of pyrotechnics.

"He's as good of a quarterback as I've coached, and I've coached some good ones," said Price, who mentored Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf at Washington State. "I'm looking for him to have just a tremendous year."

A little too high of praise? We'll see, but at least numbers wise, Vittatoe could eclipse the Pac-10 greats.

What about Southern Methodist? Sure, the Mustangs were only 98th in the nation last year in total offense, but if all goes as planned, they will turn up the RPM and bring the league's offensive rep up a few gears.

The plan? It's simple: Go into a second year with pass-happy June Jones at the helm. After smashing records at Hawaii and making quarterbacks such as Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan known names in the college football world, Jones is looking to true sophomore Bo Levi Mitchell to take the reins for his offense.

Mitchell had mixed results in his true freshman season -- 24 TDs to 23 INTs are not the kind of numbers you want -- but the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.

Now, on to Houston.

The Cougars, under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin, boasted the nation's second-most prolific offense, behind only Tulsa last season.

Houston looks poised to surpass Tulsa this year to be the conference's -- and perhaps the nation's -- leading offense. Why? Quarterback Case Keenum, he of the 5,020 passing yards and 44 TDs a season ago, is back. So are his favorite targets. No exaggeration: Keenum likely will see his name in Heisman talks at some point, much like Tulsa's David Johnson was discussed last year. The numbers Keenum figures to put up will venture into the realm of absurdity. Sumlin and his quarterback just might out-shoot Texas' biggest gun slinger, Tech's Mike Leach.

And it's back to the Big 12 vs. Conference USA.

So just how, exactly, do the conferences compare? Rather favorably.

Throw in Southern Mississippi from the C-USA East Division, which is changing from its defensive history to a high-octane offense under Larry Fedora, and you start to see how the numbers pile up.

Taking the 12 teams in the conference, C-USA offenses average out at 52.5 in the rankings of all 119 teams in 2008. The Big 12 looks much better by comparison, with the mean average in the league at a whopping 30. But consider these two factors: C-USA is brought down by Central Florida's offense, which ranked last in the country; and SMU was in Year 1 of the June Jones era, which means it shouldn't drag the numbers down too much longer.

Then there's that ugly side of offensive leagues -- defensive rankings. Mean rankings there: C-USA 84.67, Big 12 86.58. Ouch.

That begs the question that was debated ad nauseum before last bowl season with the Big 12 teams: Are we talking about exceptional offenses or really bad defenses? Price has an idea.

"Not a lot of offenses are better than the ones in our conference, but a lot of the defenses you will see are better than our conference's. I think offenses in our conference can compete with anybody in the country."

Translation: More good than bad, but still, plenty of bad. Explanation, please?

"The real difference is the D-line," Price said. "We have as good of corners and DBs as anyone. The D-line is the big difference."

Offensive Player of the Year

With Keenum at the helm, the Cougars could have the nation's top-rated offense. (Getty Images)

Case Keenum, QB, Houston: This is a pretty clear-cut choice as his numbers are too absurd -- in a good way, of course -- to ignore: Keenum threw for 5,020 yards on 67.4 percent passing, 44 TDs to 11 INTs and a national-high 403.2 total yards per game -- as a sophomore, no less. Can he put up even better figures this season? Logic dictates the answer is yes as Keenum's receiving corps and main backfield mate all return.

Defensive Player of the Year

C.J. Wilson, DE, East Carolina: The top player from the league's top defense, Wilson will be a terror to deal with. The senior dominated last season to the tune of 10½ sacks. Of course, he gets help on the interior with a pair of stout tackles in Jay Ross and Linval Joseph. Look for another big season that should put Wilson on the radar of NFL scouts.

Predicted order of finish

East

1. East Carolina: The Pirates are looking for the rather rare C-USA repeat and are primed to do it. The East's crown could be decided in a final-game showdown with Southern Miss in Greenville. Must-see game: Nov. 5 vs. Virginia Tech. Any number of games could be picked, but this one will be fun: Greenville will be rocking on a Thursday night as the Pirates seek a second straight win against what could be a highly ranked Hokies team.

2. Southern Miss: With DeAndre Brown recovering from that horrific bowl-game injury, this offense could match the usually strong defense's performance. Tough draw in the schedule, having to play at ECU and Houston. Must-see game: Sept. 26 at Kansas. The Eagles will try and steal one on the road from a good Jayhawks team. If they do, Southern Miss could very well be thinking about a 10-0 start.

Poll Who will win Conference USA?   23% ECU     18% Houston     18% Tulsa     15% Southern Miss     12% Memphis     8% Other     6% UTEP   Total Votes: 8071

3. Memphis: The Tigers have strong running backs and a good defense as usual, but questions linger about the O-line and their new defensive coordinator. A brutal conference schedule includes playing at Southern Miss, then at home vs. ECU back-to-back. They finish up at Houston and Tulsa. Must-see game: Nov. 7 at Tennessee. A schedule that includes Ole Miss at home to open and a hellacious finish, the Tigers' trip to visit the intrastate-rival Vols could spring a surprise with the Lane Kiffin era getting started.

4. UCF: Nowhere to go but up for the nation's worst offense in 2008. But I'm a sucker for trends, and George O'Leary's yin-and-yang record act in Orlando makes me think this team could push for .500. Common sense tells me the schedule isn't favorable enough. Must-see game: Oct. 17 vs. Miami (Fla.). The Knights visit Texas, and that wouldn't figure to be too close, but they host a Hurricanes squad they gave fits to last season in an ugly game. A win over an intrastate foe would be huge.

5. Marshall: Struggling to find a stable quarterback situation is a scary proposition. But the Herd will win a lot of battles in the trenches, and that's never bad. Head coach Mark Snyder could use some wins of his own. Must-see game: Oct. 17 at West Virginia. It's a one-sided but good rivalry when the two meet, and every so often the Herd are good for putting a scare in the Mountaineers.

6. UAB: Senior quarterback Joe Webb is a good one, but he will need support. Offensively, he should have some, but last year's porous defense has to get better in a conference full of high-scoring units. Must-see game: Sept. 19 at Troy. The Blazers play second fiddle to Alabama's other mid-major program, so an opportunity for a statement beckons against the Sun Belt's top squad.

West

1. Houston: If you love offense, this is your team. With in-state stalwarts Texas and Texas Tech sure to light up the scoreboard, Houston still might have the most prolific offense in the state behind Keenum. Must-see game: Sept. 12 at Oklahoma State. Tough to pick just one. The trip to visit the Cowboys could break more offensive records, but that could be outdone when Texas Tech visits Houston (Sept. 26) or the Cougars visit Tulsa (Nov. 7). Houston has the firepower to seriously scare the Big 12 foes.

2. Tulsa: Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is gone, as is QB David Johnson, but as other spread offenses have shown, finding the next signal caller can be done. A murderer's row November run follows an Oct. 14 showdown with Boise State that could show how C-USA's teams stack up. Must-see game: Sept. 19 at Oklahoma. We already highlighted the Boise State game, but just like Houston, the Golden Hurricane have the offensive prowess to make more of a game vs. a Big 12 powerhouse. It could be a dreaded trap game for the Sooners.

3. UTEP: Must be something in the water in Texas. Mike Price's offense figures to fly high again under Trevor Vittatoe, but that defense needs serious improvement from 117th and 115th respectively the last two years. Those 77 points given up to Tulsa last year still sting. The hope is a second season with a new defensive coaching staff will turn things around. Must-see game: Sept. 5 vs. Buffalo. They have Kansas at home and visit Texas, but the Miners would love to start their season right against a team that shellacked them in the opening game last year.

4. Tulane: The Green Wave were riddled with injuries last year, including tailback Andre Anderson, who was one the nation's top runners before going down. If they stay healthy, this team could surprise, but we haven't seen enough from the core to know for sure. You have to like the schedule, getting the West's top three at home. Must-see game: Sept. 4 vs. Tulsa. They follow up the opener with a home game vs. BYU, but the Green Wave would like to make some headway in the conference, and getting the Golden Hurricane before they have had a chance to click figures to be a break.

5. SMU: Year 2 under June Jones figures to come closer to resembling the rest of the gun-slinging teams in the conference, but it won't matter much if the defense doesn't improve and the interceptions don't go down. If both happen, look for the Mustangs to move up. Must-see game: Sept. 19 at Washington State. There are bigger opponents, like a date with TCU to really test the mettle of the offense, but a date with one of the nation's worst teams last season that resides in a power conference could be a nice building block.

6. Rice: It's asking a lot to replace the NCAA's most prolific QB-WR duo in history, especially when the quarterback situation is still undecided. Defensively, the Owls return the majority of last year's team. Good, right? Not when you were 111th in total defense. Must-see game: Sept. 26 vs. Vanderbilt. The Owls will have just come off of back-to-back road trips to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State (maybe they should be honorary C-USA members?), a pair of games that figure to be brutal, so Vandy provides the best shot vs. a BCS-conference team, especially getting it at home.