UNT and Conference USA bowled 'em over in 2014

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Last year’s bowl season was one of the high points in Conference USA’s recent history.

The league picked up its first postseason win of the year when Marshall beat Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl and kept right on rolling.

By the time the dust settled, C-USA had posted an .800 winning percentage (4-1) in bowl games that ranked No. 1 among FBS conferences.

Add in a few impressive wins from 2013, including North Texas’ win over UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, and league officials believe they can make a good case that C-USA is a conference on the rise heading into the 2015 season.

“We are probably underappreciated and maybe under-respected some around the country, but not by those of us who play and coach in this league,” UNT coach Dan McCarney said. “This is a tremendous conference.”

The challenge for C-USA is to continue building on that reputation this fall.

Louisiana Tech and Marshall both received votes in the preseason coaches’ poll. C-USA’s best hope for a breakout team this fall, though, could be Western Kentucky.

The balance of power in the league shifted when the NCAA granted quarterback Brandon Doughty a sixth year of eligibility in December.

Read more:  http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/unt-mean-green/20150812-conference-usa-bowled-em-over-in-2014.ece