Updated September 2, 2026
Conference USA is wide open this year, with a long list of teams that could potentially win the conference title. This league is not expected to earn a College Football Playoff berth by having the highest-ranked Group of 6 conference champion, but it can't be ruled out entirely either. As the Conference USA futures market changes from week to week, we will break down the pricing and make our pick in the futures markets.
The market pricing at the Polymarket prediction market is tough to draw any real conclusions from, as there is very little money in this market. But the favorite to win Conference USA this season is Liberty. The Flames have had a couple of down years in CUSA, at least relative to their normally high standards. They will try to put an end to that this season and get back on top of the mountain in their conference.
The Flames went fell apart down the stretch last season, losing their final four games and going a dismal 1-5 on the road. They will need to respond better to adversity as a whole this year to get back into CUSA title contention.
Western Kentucky has not won the Conference USA title game since 2016, but they are among the favorites to get the job done again this season. The Hilltoppers finished a game behind the two finalists in last year's CUSA standings, with Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State competing in the title game instead. The Tops will try to make up that deficit this time around to compete for the league championship.
WKU is set to go with Rodney Tisdale Jr. as its starting quarterback to begin the season. Tisdale beat out Brock Glenn for the starting job, who transferred in from Florida State. The reigning CUSA freshman of the year will need to have a big year to help his team stay in the conference title picture.
Jacksonville State is another interesting contender in the CUSA title race. The Gamecocks have been excellent early in their time in this conference, moving up from the FCS level and making the last two championship games, including a title game triumph in 2024. A third straight championship game appearance would be an impressive feat.
A couple of other recent additions from FCS are also in the mix for the CUSA championship. Delaware has a strong passing attack that could vault them into the mix, while Kennesaw State is looking to defend its title and will be a tough out.
Jacksonville State is my pick to win Conference USA this season. The Gamecocks have found a way to outperform most of this conference since arriving in CUSA and that trend could very well continue, while their price to win the league is attractive enough to justify selecting them.
