2011 Conference USA football season

The 2011 Conference USA football season was an NCAA football season that was played from September 1, 2011, through January 2012. Conference USA consists of 12 football members separated into two divisions: East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, and UCF make up the East Division, while Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP comprise the West Division.

2011 Conference USA football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 1, 2011
through January 7, 2012
Number of teams12
TV partner(s)ABC, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, CSS, CST
2012 NFL Draft
Top draft pickDT Dontari Poe, Memphis
Picked byKansas City Chiefs, 11th overall
Regular Season
Season MVPQB Case Keenum, Houston
East championsSouthern Miss
West championsHouston
Championship Game
ChampionsSouthern Miss
  Runners-upHouston
Finals MVPRB Tracy Lampley, USM
2011 Conference USA football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 20 Southern Miss x$  6 2     12 2  
Marshall  5 3     7 6  
East Carolina  4 4     5 7  
UAB  3 5     3 9  
UCF  3 5     5 7  
Memphis  1 7     2 10  
West Division
No. 18 Houston x  8 0     13 1  
Tulsa  7 1     8 5  
SMU  5 3     8 5  
Rice  3 5     4 8  
UTEP  2 6     5 7  
Tulane  1 7     2 11  
Championship: Southern Miss 49, Houston 28
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
As of January 10, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 football season marked the 17th season of the conference's existence and 16th of football competition; although C-USA was established in 1995, it did not begin football competition until 1996.

Previous season

UCF won the conference championship for the second time, defeating the SMU Mustangs 17–7.

Preseason

Coaching changes

Preseason polls

No Conference USA teams were ranked though Houston, Southern Miss and UCF each received votes in the Coaches Poll, and Houston, Southern Miss, Tulsa and UCF received votes in the AP poll.

Coaches

Team Head Coach Years at School Overall Record Record at School C-USA Record
East Carolina Ruffin McNeill 1 7–7 6–7 5–3
Houston Kevin Sumlin 3 23–16 23–16 16–8
Marshall Doc Holliday 1 5–7 5–7 4–4
Memphis Larry Porter 1 1–11 1–11 0–8
Rice David Bailiff 4 40–45 19–30 15–17
Southern Miss Larry Fedora 3 22–17 22–17 14–10
SMU June Jones 3 92–64 16–23 12–12
Tulane Bob Toledo 4 91–103 13–35 7–25
Tulsa Bill Blankenship 0–0 0–0 0–0
UAB Neil Callaway 4 15–33 15–33 11–21
UCF George O'Leary 7 97–77 45–44 33–23
UTEP Mike Price 7 169–167 40–45 20–28
Statistics are through the conclusion of the 2010 NCAA Season.
  • Tulane head coach Bob Toledo resigned on October 18 after starting the season 2–5 and was replaced for the rest of the season by interim head coach Mark Hutson.[2]

Regular season

Index to colors and formatting
Conference USA member won
Conference USA member lost
Conference USA teams in bold
Rankings from Coaches' Poll

Week One

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 18:00PM#20 Mississippi StateMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeFSNL 14–5933,990
September 33:30PMSoutheastern LouisianaTulaneLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansW 47–3315,912
September 33:30PMUCLAHoustonRobertson StadiumHoustonFSNW 38–3431,114
September 37:00PMCharleston SouthernUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaBHSNW 62–039,752
September 37:00PMRice#24 TexasDarrell K Royal – Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TexasLonghorn NetworkL 9–34101,624
September 37:00PM#12 South CarolinaEast CarolinaBank of America StadiumCharlotte, North CarolinaFSNL 37–5658,272
September 38:00PMTulsa#1 OklahomaGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OklahomaFXL 14–4785,260
September 39:05PMStony BrookUTEPSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TexasW 31–24 OT28,752
September 310:00PMLouisiana TechSouthern MissM. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MississippiFSNW 19–1722,356
September 43:30PMMarshallWest VirginiaMountaineer FieldMorgantown, West VirginiaESPNL 13–3460,758
September 47:30PMSMU#9 Texas A&MKyle FieldCollege Station, TexasFSNL 14–4686,951

Week Two

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 103:30PMPurdueRiceRice StadiumHoustonCBS Sports NetworkW 24–2225,317
September 103:30PMSouthern MissMarshallJoan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, West VirginiaCSSMRSH 26–2024,247
September 103:30PMTulsaTulaneLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansCSTTLSA 31–319,752
September 103:30PM#11 Virginia TechEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaFSNL 10–1749,404
September 107:00PMHoustonNorth TexasApogee StadiumDenton, TexasESPN3W 48–2328,075
September 107:00PMMemphisArkansas StateASU StadiumJonesboro, ArkansasL 3–4729,872
September 107:00PMUAB#18 FloridaBen Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FloridaFSNL 0–3987,473
September 107:00PMUTEPSMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasFSNSMU 28–1726,691
September 108:00PMBoston CollegeUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaCBS Sports NetworkW 30–345,671

Week Three

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 174:00PMTulaneUABLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaTULN 49–1017,658
September 176:00PMUCFFIUFIU StadiumMiamiESPN3L 10–1720,205
September 177:00PMHoustonLouisiana TechJoe Aillet StadiumRuston, LouisianaESPN3W 35–3424,628
September 177:00PMMarshallOhioPeden StadiumAthens, OhioESPN3L 7–4424,244
September 177:00PMAustin PeayMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeW 27–618,808
September 177:00PMSoutheastern LouisianaSouthern MissM. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MississippiW 52–627,433
September 178:00PMNorthwestern StateSMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasW 40–720,083
September 178:00PMUTEPNew Mexico StateAggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, New MexicoESPN3W 16–1019,751
September 1710:00PM#7 Oklahoma StateTulsaH. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaFSNL 33–5924,563

Week Four

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 238:00PMUCFBYULaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UtahESPNL 17–2459,874
September 2412:00PMSMUMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeFSNSMU 42–016,748
September 243:30PMTulaneDukeWallace Wade StadiumDurham, North CarolinaESPN3L 27–4820,138
September 243:30PMUABEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaECU 28–2350,023
September 243:30PMSouthern MissVirginiaScott StadiumCharlottesville, VirginiaW 30–2443,220
September 243:30PM#11 Virginia TechMarshallJoan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, West VirginiaCBS Sports NetworkL 10–3034,424
September 247:00PMUTEP#17 South FloridaRaymond James StadiumTampa, FloridaESPN3L 24–5239,628
September 247:00PMRice#19 BaylorFloyd Casey StadiumWaco, TexasFSNL 31–5640,088
September 248:00PMTulsa#4 Boise StateBronco StadiumBoise, IdahoCBS Sports NetworkL 21–4134,019
September 248:00PMGeorgia StateHoustonRobertson StadiumHouston, TexasCSSW 56–032,005

Week Five

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 298:00PMHoustonUTEPSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TexasCBS Sports NetworkHOU 49–4224,111
October 112:00PMTulaneArmyMichie StadiumWest Point, New YorkCBS Sports NetworkL 6–4531,235
October 13:30PMSMU#20 TCUAmon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TexasCBS Sports NetworkW 40–3335,632
October 13:30PMMarshallLouisvillePapa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KentuckyCBS Sports NetworkW 17–1353,267
October 17:00PMMemphisMiddle TennesseeJohnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TennesseeESPN3L 31–3820,098
October 17:00PMNorth TexasTulsaH. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaW 41–2421,240
October 17:00PMUABTroyVeterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AlabamaSportSouthL 23–2418,044
October 18:00PMNorth CarolinaEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaCBS Sports NetworkL 20–3550,610

Week Six

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 812:00PMMississippi StateUABLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaFS SouthL 3–2128,351
October 812:30PMMemphisRiceRice StadiumHoustonCSSRICE 28–614,179
October 83:30PMSouthern MissNavyNavy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MarylandCBS Sports NetworkW 63–3533,462
October 87:00PMEast CarolinaHoustonRobertson StadiumHouston, TexasCBS Sports NetworkHOU 56–330,126
October 87:00PMMarshallUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaBHSNUCF 16–624,750
October 88:00PMSyracuseTulaneSuperdomeNew OrleansL 34–3723,188

Week Seven

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 153:00PMRiceMarshallJoan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, West VirginiaMRSH 24–2027,509
October 153:30PMUCFSMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasFSNSMU 38–1722,932
October 153:30PMUTEPTulaneLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansFCS CentralUTEP 44–716,690
October 157:00PMEast CarolinaMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeECU 35–1717,975
October 158:00PMUABTulsaH. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaCBS Sports NetworkTLSA 37–2021,494

Week Eight

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 208:00PMUCFUABLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaCSSUAB 26–248,872
October 223:30PMEast CarolinaNavyNavy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MarylandCBS Sports NetworkW 38–3534,612
October 223:30PMMemphisTulaneLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansMEM 33–1725,158
October 224:30PMMarshall#20 HoustonRobertson StadiumHoustonCSSHOU 63–2832,107
October 227:00PMTulsaRiceRice StadiumHoustonFSNTLSA 38–2017,314
October 228:00PMSMUSouthern MissM. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MississippiCBS Sports NetworkUSM 27–332,685
October 228:00PMColorado StateUTEPSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TexasTime Warner El PasoW 31–1731,797

Week Nine

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 278:00PMRice#18 HoustonRobertson StadiumHouston, TexasFSNHOU 73–3432,112
October 2912:00PMUABMarshallJoan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, West VirginiaCSSMRSH 59–1420,735
October 293:30PMTulaneEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaECU 34–1349,410
October 293:30PMSMUTulsaSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaFSNTLSA 38–721,261
October 294:00PMMemphisUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaBHSNUCF 41–037,683
October 298:00PM#25 Southern MissUTEPSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TexasCBS Sports NetworkUSM 31–1324,906

Week Ten

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 38:00PMTulsaUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaCBS Sports NetworkTLSA 24–1736,712
November 53:00PMTulaneSMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasSMU 45–2420,106
November 53:30PMUTEPRiceRice StadiumHoustonFSNRICE 41–3714,372
November 54:00PM#24 Southern MissEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaCSSUSM 48–2850,345
November 58:00PM#14 HoustonUABLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaCBS Sports NetworkHOU 56–1313,909

Week Eleven

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 108:00PM#11 HoustonTulaneMercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew OrleansCBS Sports NetworkHOU 73–1717,657
November 1212:00PMRiceNorthwesternRyan FieldEvanston, IllinoisBTNL 6–2826,886
November 1212:00PMMarshallTulsaSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaFSNTLSA 59–1717,672
November 123:30PMNavySMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasFSNL 17–2421,080
November 124:15PMUABMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeUAB 41–3517,848
November 128:00PMUCF#23 Southern MissM. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MississippiCBS Sports NetworkUSM 30–2932,925
November 128:00PMEast CarolinaUTEPSun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TexasTime Warner El PasoUTEP 22–1725,571

Week Twelve

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 178:00PMMarshallMemphisLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeFSNMRSH 23–2215,101
November 178:00PM#20 Southern MissUABLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaCBS Sports NetworkUAB 34–3114,103
November 193:00PMTulsaUTEPSun BowlEl Paso, TexasTime Warner El PasoTLSA 57–2823,849
November 193:30PMSMU#10 HoustonRobertson StadiumHouston, TexasFSNHOU 37–732,207
November 193:30PMTulaneRiceRyan FieldEvanston, IllinoisRICE 19–715,461
November 197:00PMUCFEast CarolinaDowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North CarolinaFSNECU 38–3150,277

Week Thirteen

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 2512:00PM#7 HoustonTulsaSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OklahomaFSNHOU 48–1629,015
November 257:00PMUTEPUCFBright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FloridaCBS Sports NetworkUCF 31–1421,127
November 2612:00PMRiceSMUGerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TexasFSNSMU 27–2414,442
November 263:30PMEast CarolinaMarshallJoan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, West VirginiaCBS Sports NetworkMRSH 34–27 OT22,456
November 264:00PMUABFlorida AtlanticFAU StadiumBoca Raton, FloridaL 35–3812,044
November 264:00PMMemphisSouthern MissM. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MississippiCSSUSM 44–726,347
November 2611:00PMTulaneHawaiiAloha StadiumHonolulu, HIOceanic PPV/ESPN3L 23–3527,411

Week Fourteen- C-USA Championship Game

DateTime (EDT)Visiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
December 312:00PM#23 Southern Miss#6 HoustonRobertson StadiumHoustonABCUSM 49–2832,413

Players of the week

Week Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
1 – Sep. 5 Case Keenum, QB Houston Cordarro Law, DL Southern Miss Robert Kelley, KR Tulane
2 – Sep. 12 Patrick Edwards, WR Houston Ja'Gared Davis, LB
George Carpenter, LB
SMU
Marshall
Kase Whitehead, P Marshall
3 – Sep. 19 Case Keenum, QB
Ryan Griffin, QB
Houston
Tulane
Korey Williams, LB Southern Miss Nick Adams, KR UAB
4 – Sep. 26 Reggie Bullock, RB ECU Jamie Bender, S UAB Danny Hrapmann, K Southern Miss.
5 – Oct. 3 Darius Johnson, WR SMU Tyson Gale, LB Marshall Kase Whitehead, P Marshall
6 – Oct. 10 Austin Davis, QB Southern Miss. Phillip Steward, LB Houston Marques Wheaton, DB Southern Miss.
7 – Oct. 17 J.J. McDermott, QB SMU Vinny Curry, DE Marshall Richard Crawford, PR SMU

Rankings

Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
Ranking Movement
 PreWk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Wk
14
Final
East Carolina
Pirates
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Houston
Cougars
AP RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 21 18 14 11 11 6 7 20 18
C RV RV RV RV RV RV 22 20 18 14 11 10 7 6 17 14
HAR Not released 24 22 18 14 11 10 7 6 17
BCS Not released 19 17 13 11 11 8 6 19
Marshall
Thundering Herd
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Memphis
Tigers
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Rice
Owls
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Southern Miss
Golden Eagles
AP RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 22 RV 24 22 20
C RV RV RV RV RV 25 24 23 20 RV 23 21 19
HAR Not released RV RV RV RV 23 20 RV 23 21
BCS Not released 25 22 20 24 21
SMU
Mustangs
AP RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV
HAR Not released RV RV
BCS Not released
Tulane
Green Wave
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Tulsa
Golden Hurricane
AP RV
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
UAB
Blazers
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
UCF
Knights
AP RV RV RV
C RV RV RV
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
UTEP
Miners
AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released

Records against other conferences

ConferenceWinsLosses
ACC 2 4
Big 12 0 5
Big East 1 3
Big Ten 1 1
Independents 2 3
MAC 0 1
Mountain West 2 1
Pac-12 1 0
SEC 0 4
Sun Belt 2 5
WAC 3 1
All FCS 7 0
Overall 21 28

Bowl games

Bowl Game Date Stadium City Television Matchups/Results Attendance Payout per team (US$)
2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl December 20, 2011 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida ESPN Marshall 20, Florida International 10 20,072 $1,000,000
2011 Hawai'i Bowl December 24, 2011 Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI ESPN #21 Southern Miss 24, Nevada 17 32,630 $750,000
2011 Armed Forces Bowl December 30, 2011 Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, Texas ESPN BYU 24, Tulsa 21 30,258 $750,000
2012 TicketCity Bowl January 2, 2012 Cotton Bowl Dallas ESPNU #19 Houston 30, #22 Penn State 14 46,817 $1,200,000
2012 BBVA Compass Bowl January 7, 2012 Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama ESPN SMU 28, Pitt 6 29,726

Bowl Eligible (5)

  • Houston (12–1) became bowl eligible on October 8 after defeating East Carolina.
  • Southern Miss (11–2) became bowl eligible on October 22 after defeating SMU.
  • Tulsa (8–4) became bowl eligible on November 3 after defeating UCF.
  • SMU (7–5) became bowl eligible on November 5 after defeating Tulane.
  • Marshall (6–6) became bowl eligible on November 26 after defeating East Carolina

Bowl Ineligible (7)

  • UAB (3–9) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on October 29 after losing to Marshall.
  • Tulane (2–10) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on October 29 after losing to East Carolina.
  • Memphis (2–10) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on October 29 after losing to UCF.
  • Rice (4–8) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on November 13 after losing to Northwestern.
  • UCF (5–7) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on November 19 after losing to East Carolina.
  • UTEP (5–7) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on November 25 after losing to UCF.
  • East Carolina (5–7) lost the ability to become bowl eligible on November 26 after losing to Marshall.

Attendance

Team Stadium Capacity Gm 1 Gm 2 Gm 3 Gm 4 Gm 5 Gm 6 Gm 7 Total Average % of Capacity
East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium 50,000 49,404 50,023 50,610 49,410 50,345 50,277 300,069 50,012 100%
Houston Robertson Stadium 32,000 31,114 32,005 30,126 32,107 32,112 32,207 32,413 222,084 31,726 99.1%
Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium 38,019 24,247 34,424 27,509 20,735 22,456 129,371 25,874 68.1%
Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 62,380 33,990 18,808 16,748 17,975 17,848 15,101 120,470 20,078 32.2%
Rice Rice Stadium 47,000 25,317 14,179 17,314 14,372 15,461 86,643 17,329 36.9%
Southern Miss M. M. Roberts Stadium 36,000 22,356 27,433 28,656 32,685 32,925 26,347 170,402 28,400 78.9%
SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium 32,000 26,691 20,083 22,932 20,106 21,080 14,442 125,334 20,889 65.3%
Tulane Louisiana Superdome 72,968 15,912 19,752 23,188 16,690 25,158 17,657 118,627 19,771 27.1%
Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium 30,000 24,563 21,240 21,494 21,261 17,672 29,015 135,245 22,541 75.1%
UAB Legion Field 71,594 17,658 28,351 8,872 13,909 14,103 82,893 16,579 23.2%
UCF Bright House Networks Stadium 45,301 39,752 45,671 24,750 37,683 36,712 21,127 205,695 34,283 75.7%
UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 28,752 24,111 31,797 24,906 25,571 23,849 158,986 26,948 52.3%

References

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