Watch Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard during media day
Ryan Beard addresses the media during Missouri State football’s annual media day at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.
Missouri State football enters its final season of FCS play and there are plenty of items to watch when trying to evaluate the Bears’ future upon entering Conference USA.
Conference USA, an FBS league the Bears will join in 2025, produced a New Year’s Six program last season and should contend for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. Another major storyline includes the addition of Kennesaw State as it comes off its final season in FCS in which it struggled.
There are a handful of things Missouri State fans should be looking for, considering the level of play by the offensive and defensive fronts and how the Bears’ future opponents stack up against familiar opponents this year.
Here are five things a Missouri State fan should keep an eye on throughout the 2024 Conference USA season.
More: All of our 2024 Missouri State, high school football preseason coverage in one place
Can Missouri State football be competitive in Conference USA immediately?
Some metrics suggest the Bears won’t be as bad as you’d think when moving up a football subdivision but the game isn’t played on a calculator or Excel spreadsheet. Watching the skill and level of coaching in Conference USA and then comparing it to who and how the Bears are playing this season will be one of the bigger storylines throughout the 2024 season.
You’ll want to see Conference USA succeed when it plays its buy games against power conference opponents. You’ll want to see the league get a bid to the College Football Playoff. National recognition for the league will only benefit Missouri State on the field and in its bank accounts.
You’ll also want to see where the Bears fit in. A lot of that will have to do with how the Bears perform on the field this year but there will be ways to watch CUSA games this year and envision how competitive MSU would be in it right now.
More: Missouri State football depth chart projections: Our first preseason prediction is in
How does Kennesaw State stack up against Conference USA opponents in its first year?
Kennesaw State will make its Conference USA debut in 2024 following a 3-6 finish when playing the 84th-toughest schedule in the FCS last season. The Owls limited a handful of players to just four games, intentionally playing them for a redshirt to preserve their eligibility heading into a new league. Missouri State, for reference, went 4-7 against the 19th-toughest schedule.
Expectations are extremely low for the Owls in their first year at the next level and we’ll say the same thing about Missouri State when it moves up next year. Keeping an eye on Kennesaw State throughout this season can give Bears fans an idea of what to expect in year one.
More: Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard determined to lead program’s challenging rebirth
Will Liberty run away with Conference USA and make the College Football Playoff?
Liberty is a heavy favorite to repeat as CUSA champs thanks to the return of star quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back Quinton Cooley. Their biggest challengers will likely come from Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State and an up-and-coming Sam Houston.
The Flames are coming off a New Year’s Six appearance and are considered one of the Group of 5 favorites to make the expanded College Football Playoff Field. The five highest-ranked conference champions will make the field, opening the door for a team like Liberty to make it in.
Offseason additions for Liberty included power-conference transfers to its defense and several big-play options at wide receiver.
Liberty should be as good as it gets at the Group of 5 level. Watching the Flames and comparing them to the Bears will be quite the measuring stick.
More: Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard Q&A on Conference USA, 2024 season, Biff Williams
How advanced are Conference USA offensive and defensive lines compared to Missouri State’s?
We’ve seen the Bears get bigger and better along the offensive and defensive fronts in recent years but they’ll need to take another jump to be competitive in the Group of 5.
Liberty, for example, led CUSA and allowed the second-fewest sacks in the nation last season at 0.64 per game. Its starting offensive line in its Fiesta Bowl matchup with Oregon averaged 320 pounds. Only Erick Cade weighed more than 320 pounds, from MSU’s offensive line late last season, with the entire unit averaging 310.6.
A lot more goes into offensive line performance than weight but these dudes will be bigger and badder.
The same applies to the opposite side of the ball when the Bears will try to get after the quarterback more in 2024. They took a step back in 2023 but should have more depth in 2024. You’ll see what the best looks like in CUSA when Maurice Westmoreland (UTEP) and Issiah Nixon (Sam Houston) rush off the edge. Liberty had the 24th-best rush defense last year in FBS, allowing 116.7 yards per game.
Here are 5 Conference USA games Missouri State fans should watch in 2024
Sept. 28 – UT Martin @ Kennesaw State
This game comes a week after Missouri State plays at UT Martin. It’ll be a pretty easy way to compare the Bears and the Owls and then see what Kennesaw State does the rest of the year.
Oct. 9 – New Mexico State @ Jacksonville State
Here’s a taste of Wednesday Conference USA football for you as you watch Jax State head coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense take on an Aggies team that had one of its best seasons in decades a year ago.
Oct. 16 – Florida International @ UTEP
These two are ranked eighth and ninth in CUSA entering the season, around where the Bears will be projected heading into next year. Getting an idea of the Bears’ familiar opponents at the bottom of the league as they attempt to build up will be found here.
Nov. 23 – Western Kentucky @ Liberty
These two are the projected favorites in Conference USA this season. This may be the first of two matchups if they face off in a conference championship game. Yes, there’s a real conference championship game with a big ol’ trophy in this league. This isn’t FCS.
Nov. 29 – Liberty @ Sam Houston
Sam Houston won the FCS national championship in the spring 2020 season while beating teams like North Dakota State, James Madison and South Dakota State to get there. The Bearkats looked like a team with a lot of potential last season and could make some noise in 2024, their second season in Conference USA.
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Publish date : 2024-08-15 21:22:00
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