One side of the Conference USA Championship matchup is set, with Jacksonville State punching its ticket. The other slot remains up for grabs between the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Here’s what Sam Houston needs to do to secure its spot in the title game.
Sam Houston’s CUSA Championship Game Road Map
Not only did Sam Houston pick up a necessary conference win in Week 14, but they did so against the Liberty Flames, eliminating them from CUSA Championship Game contention. Now, the Bearkats await the results from Saturday’s Jacksonville State vs. Western Kentucky clash.
Their road to the title is quite simple:
- If Jacksonville State wins, they are in.
- If Western Kentucky wins, they are out.
The reason the Bearkats don’t control their own destiny is because they lost the head-to-head tiebreaker against Western Kentucky earlier in the season, 31-14. Thus, if both WKU and Sam Houston finish tied for second place, the Hilltoppers would advance to the CUSA Championship Game.
The Gamecocks are on a 7-0 run, all against league opponents, so it should be an easy win, right?
Not so fast.
Jacksonville State is only a one-point favorite. In fact, the College Football Network Playoff Meter (FPM) only gives the program a 48.8% chance of leaving Week 14 victorious.
However, for the sake of argument, let’s say the Gamecocks win.
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In that case, the Bearkats would face JSU on the road in the championship bout, with the FPM giving Sam Houston a 34.3% chance of earning their first CUSA title.
It’s been a season of redemption for K.C. Keeler’s Bearkats, transforming from a 3-9 campaign to a 9-3 finish. Now, they await one final domino to fall — a Jacksonville State victory that would give Sam Houston the chance to cap off its remarkable turnaround with a Conference USA title in just its second year at the FBS level.
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