UTSA has been picked to finish second in Conference USA’s West Division in a vote by media members who cover the league.
The Roadrunners received nine first-place votes and have been projected second behind defending conference champion UAB, which collected 15 first-place votes. Louisiana Tech is predicted to finish third in the West Division, followed by Southern Miss, Rice, North Texas and UTEP.
UTSA welcomes back 71 lettermen, including 10 starters on offense and all 11 on defense, from a 2020 campaign that resulted in a 7-5 record and the program’s second bowl appearance. Head coach Jeff Traylor guided the Roadrunners to the second-most wins in school history, the most victories by a first-year UTSA coach and to a runner-up finish in the C-USA West Division with a 5-2 mark.
Marshall is the favorite in the East Division with 17 first-place votes ahead of Florida Atlantic, which received six. WKU picked up one first-place vote and is predicted to finish third, followed by Charlotte, Middle Tennessee, FIU and Old Dominion.
EAST DIVISION
- Marshall (17)
- Florida Atlantic (6)
- WKU (1)
- Charlotte
- Middle Tennessee
- FIU
- Old Dominion
- WEST DIVISION
- UAB (15)
- UTSA (9)
- Louisiana Tech
- Southern Miss
- Rice
- North Texas
- UTEP
- (first place votes in parentheses)
UTSA will kick off its 11th season of football on Sept. 4 at Illinois in a game that will be televised nationally at 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
The Roadrunners will host Lamar the following Saturday in the home opener. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN3.
Other home games include Middle Tennessee (Sept. 18), UNLV (Oct. 2), Rice (Oct. 16), Southern Miss (Nov. 13) and UAB (Nov. 20).
The Roadrunners will travel to Memphis (Sept. 25), WKU (Oct. 9), Louisiana Tech (Oct. 23), UTEP (Nov. 6) and North Texas (Nov. 27), while the Conference USA Championship Game is set for Dec. 4.