Ranking the Hardest 2024 Conference USA Non-Conference Schedules

One of the most volatile conferences with the recent wave of conference realignment, Conference USA has seen plenty of changes. Before the 2022 season, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss left to join the Sun Belt. Then, UTSA, Rice, North Texas, Charlotte, FAU, and UAB left to the American before the 2023 season. The conference added Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, and Jacksonville State last year. This year, they’ll add Kennesaw State. Then, next year, Delaware and Montana State will make the jump from the FCS ranks.

Let’s kick off Conference USA by looking at the five “hardest” non-conference slates. Oddly enough, two of the 15 FBS teams who won’t face an FCS foe reside in Conference USA.

Disclaimer: “Easiest” or “Hardest” is not to mean “these teams will beat those on their schedule.” It could be a fact that the worst team in a conference could have the easiest non-conference schedule and also not be able to win any. These rankings will be based on the average preseason ranking between five major outlets: Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, ESPN FPI, College Football News, and Kelley Ford. There will at least be a little factual standing behind these rather than ranking based on bias and vibes.

Ranking the 5 Hardest 2024 Conference USA Non-Conference Schedules

5. Lousiana Tech: vs. Nicholls State (FCS), at NC State, vs. Tulsa, at Arkansas

Back-to-back 3-9 seasons have some getting nervous at Louisiana Tech. However, the mentality is the same. A high-powered offense is the goal and, honestly, it’s going to be a challenge. Jack Turner has some experience in the Bulldogs’ offense and will be asked to take over full-time. Bowling Green transfer Abdul-Fatai-Ibrahim showed serious flashes in his lone season with the Falcons, hauling in 20 passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He should get more work at LT. Defensively, the Bulldogs struggled. They made a change at defensive coordinator, so he will look to improve upon the Bulldogs’ 114th scoring defense and 107th total defense.

After getting a tune-up with Nicholls State, the Bulldogs travel to NC State. This could be a fun Wolfpack team to watch. New quarterback Grayson McCall is going to have fun with his upgraded weapons. Kevin Concepcion had a monster freshman season, leading the way with 839 yards and 10 touchdowns. Add in former four-star receiver Noah Rogers and plenty of returning talent on the offensive line and they are cooking. This game is wedged between a pair of must-watch games for NC State (vs Tennessee then at Clemson).

Then, the Bulldogs play host to Kevin Wilson’s Tulsa squad looking to improve off its 4-8 mark a year ago. Redshirt freshman and former walk-on Kirk Francis is expected to take on the starting quarterback role full-time in 2024. In the eight games before he started, the Golen Hurricanes scored 22 points per game (with two 40-point outliers). Francis started the final four games and Tulsa scored 26.25 points per game with one win and three one-score losses. Overall, Tulsa won’t be great but they’ll be better in 2024.

Finally, Louisiana Tech heads to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have struggled of late and were pretty sad in 2023. They lost a number of contributors and head coach Sam Pittman may be on the hot seat. However, Taylen Green transferred in after leading the Boise State offense over the last couple of years. While there are not many starters returning, it’s always a safe bet that whoever the running back is will break out. Will that be Rashod Dubinion or Ja’Quinden Jackson this year?

4. New Mexico State: vs Southeastern Missouri (FCS), at Fresno State, vs New Mexico, at Texas A&M

Last year, New Mexico State was one of the most surprising teams in college football. The Aggies finished with 10 wins, going 3-2 out of conference (they played 13 regular season games thanks to the Hawai’i rule), and fell in the Conference USA Championship. The most impressive part? New Mexico State went to Auburn and dominated the Tigers, 31-10. This year, the Aggies have another opportunity to go into SEC country and leave with another win.

After hosting SEMO (FCS), New Mexico State gets to travel to Fresno State. Oddly enough, these two teams met up in the New Mexico Bowl last year where the Bulldogs were victorious, 37-10. There is going to be a lot of continuity for Fresno State’s offense. Eight starters are returning including four offensive linemen and the star quarterback Mikey Keene. The key for Jeff Tedford’s squad in 2024 will be consistency. They scored 30+ points seven times, including the bowl. At the same time, they were held to fewer than 20 four times, including each of the final three regular season games.

Then, the 114th edition of the Rio Grande Rivalry. Despite winning the last two and four of the last seven, New Mexico State trails its in-state rivals, 35-73-5 all-time. The Lobos’ program isn’t to the Aggies’ level right now as they went 4-8 last year which included an ugly overtime win over UMass. The Lobos have a talented sophomore quarterback in Devon Dampier but they have a patchwork offensive line and struggled on defense. It’s a rivalry game, so records don’t matter, but the Agiies should be able to win three straight for the first time since 2009-11.

Finally, the Aggies get to take a trip to the friendly confines of Kyle Field. Now that the Jimbo Fisher failed experiment is over, Texas A&M moves on to Mike Elko. Elko, when you consider what he had to work with at Duke, was immensely successful. He gets to work with one of the more talented quarterbacks in Conner Weigman. He’s a dark horse Heisman and first-round draft pick but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. The Aggies (of Texas A&M) return plenty of talent but the question will remain on the offensive line.

The New Mexico State passing defense a year ago was one of the worst and they only forced a total of 31 sacks.

3. Western Kentucky: at Alabama, vs. Eastern Kentucky (FCS), vs. Toledo, at Boston College

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have had one of the most prolific offenses in the nation over the last decade or so. Last year, the Hilltoppers finished with a top-15 passing attack. While losing its quarterback and star receiver to the NFL, WKU will be just fine. Texas State transfer T.J. Finley is set to step in and improve upon the mark of 3,449 yards and 24 touchdowns he amassed with the Bobcats. Most outlets have Western Kentucky battling with Liberty for the Conference USA crown this year.

Well, Nick Saban is gone…now what? Well, the national runner-up Kalen DeBoer steps in. DeBoer took a four-win Washington program to 25 wins in two years and made it to the College Football Playoff National Championship after winning a surprisingly tough Pac-12. Alabama lost a lot to the transfer portal. However, it’s still Alabama. DeBoer recruits incredibly well and and retained a number of high-level players. The Crimson Tide will continue to be in the thick of the SEC race and will certainly be in the thick of the CFP discussion.

After hosting Eastern Kentucky (FCS) in the Battle of the Bluegrass (fantastic name for a rivalry), one of the premier MAC programs comes to town. The Rockets have been one of the top MAC teams in the Jason Candle era and will likely be fighting for a title once again. They did lose a few massive pieces to the portal but they actually recruit well enough to compete.

Tucker Gleason has plenty of starting experience but the Rockets’ offense will make it easy for him to succeed. Jacquez Stewart and Jerjuan Newton will make his job easy. Defensively, Toledo will have to replace a number of pieces but that’s where the strength of Toledo has been. While they may not contend for a CFP spot (for better or worse), Toledo looks to be one of the better Group of 5 teams yet again.

Finally, the Hilltoppers travel to Boston College to take on the first year of the Bill O’Brien regime. The draw for the Eagles in 2024 will be O’Brien’s offense gelling with a surprisingly dynamic offense from a year ago. Thomas Castellanos is set to return after throwing for 2,248 yards and 15 touchdowns and adding a program-record 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. His offensive line looks to be a strength as the trenches in Boston look to be solid.

If there is going to be a team to make an unexpected jump in a weaker ACC (overall), it could be BC. After Florida State in Week 1, the Eagles don’t play any of the big dogs of the conference.

2. UTEP: at Nebraska, vs. Southern Utah (FCS), at Colorado State, at Tennessee

UTEP gets an exciting non-conference slate, that much is certain. The Scotty Walden era begins with the Miners looking to improve upon a 3-9 mark a year ago. While Cade McConnell is expected to start at quarterback, if he loses out to Skylar Locklear, that would mean no offensive starters return. The 34-year-old Walden brought in a number of coaches and players from Austin Peay and it’s going to be interesting to see if it works.

To kick off the year, UTEP travels to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are going to be interesting to watch in 2024. At quarterback, five-star true freshman Dylan Raiola is expected to jump right in and this is going to be his coming out party. Regardless if he’s the real deal or not, the Huskers have plenty of returning talent to help him along if need be. Defensively, Nebraska should be solid. Last year, they were only really exposed in two games (Colorado, 36 points, and Michigan, 45 points). This year, they should take a step forward. There is a decent chance that if things work out, Nebraska can rattle off eight wins to start the year.

After hosting Southern Utah (FCS), UTEP gets to travel to Colorado State. Last year, the Rams were a disappointing 5-7 in Jay Norvell’s second season. This year, they look like they will take a step. Sophomore quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi took over early last year and ended up throwing for 3,460 yards and 22 touchdowns. 1.136 yards and eight of those touchdowns went to Tory Horton. The talented receiver is entering 2024 with a career mark of 3,262 yards and 26 touchdowns after posting back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons. The question will be on defense. The Rams allowed nearly 30 points per game last year and gave up at least 40 three times.

Finally, for the fourth time in program history, UTEP faces off against Tennessee. While the Volunteers have been the pinnacle of underachieving in the modern age, they’re primed for an exciting 2024. Tennessee hasn’t been the cream of the crop in the SEC but they’ve been hanging around. Josh Heupel’s system begets points and redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava has a talented supporting cast. Oh, and the current favorite to go first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft James Pearce, Jr. is on this Volunteer defense. With the expanded College Football Playoff, Tennessee could be knocking on the door for an at-large bid.

1. Middle Tennessee State: vs. Tennessee Tech (FCS), at Ole Miss, vs. Duke, at Memphis

It’s all relative but on paper, it looks like Middle Tennessee State has the most difficult non-conference schedule in Conference USA. Last year, the Blue Raiders finished a disappointing 4-8 with just one win over an FCS foe out of conference. However, they should be a bit better this year. They had the 33rd-best passing offense in the nation and returns quarterback Nicholas Vattiato. His 3,092 yards and 23 touchdowns paced the offense and his weapon only got better.

His leading receiver switched to tight end and they welcome Auburn transfer Omari Kelly to pair with redshirt freshman Cam’ron Lacy. This year’s non-conference slate is rough but remember that they opened the season last year with a pair of NY6 Bowl participants in Alabama (CFP) and Missouri.

After likely dispatching Tennessee Tech, the Blue Raiders get to travel to Oxford to face Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. Kiffin has the Rebels humming. Last year, they were the best two-loss team in the county and capped it off with a commanding win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl. Jaxson Dart is an uber-efficient quarterback and while they have to replace two-time All-SEC running back Quinshon Judkins, they have plenty of talent on the roster to step up. If there is a bigger beneficiary to the expanded CFP than Ole Miss, it’d be surprising.

Then, Duke comes to town. The Blue Devils underwent some changes this offseason with Mike Elko taking the Texas A&M job and Manny Diaz getting back to the head coaching ranks. One of the biggest wins in the portal was Duke securing Maalik Murphy from Texas. The former five-star quarterback came in from Texas and has some seriously high expectations. Winning at Duke is difficult. Is this where Diaz breaks through?

Finally, a trip to one of the best Group of 5 teams rounds out the non-conference slate. Memphis has had a high-flying offense for a while now and last year was no different. the Tigers finished with the sixth-best scoring offense and 10th-best passing offense. Seth Henigan passed for 3,883 yards and 32 touchdowns last year and he gets his leading receiver back. Additionally, Mario Anderson, who ran for 707 yards and three scores at South Carolina last year, comes in at running back. Objectively, Memphis can make some CFP noise. Their non-conference schedule is no joke either.