Stock up, stock down: Week 2 CUSA edition

All 10 Conference USA teams took the field in Week 2.

The league produced a 3-7 record, with FIU capturing the CUSA’s best non-conference win of the season. The Panthers became the first team in the league to knock off FBS competition in a 33-20 home win over Buffalo. The CUSA remains a perfect 7-0 against FCS opponents, however. Nobody remains undefeated, but eight of the 10 teams have entered the win column. Sam Houston and WKU are the only winless teams in the conference.

After the first two weeks of the season, here are three CUSA teams elevating their season outlook, and three teams that have been on the downturn thus far:

Willie Simmons only needed one year to provide FIU its first winning season since 2018. And year two of the Simmons era is off to a promising start. In Week 1, the Panthers lost 19-9 to a heavily favored South Florida team, but the game was highly winnable for Simmons’ squad. FIU out-gained USF, 381-208, and never allowed more than 39 yards on a single Bulls drive. However, the Panthers’ incredible defensive effort was cast aside by the offense’s turnovers. FIU lost the turnover battle 3-0 and USF cashed in with 13 fourth quarter points, which ultimately won the game.

In Week 2, FIU showed what its offense can do without a high turnover output. Quarterback JJ Kohl threw for over 300 yards for the second-straight week in a 367-yard, 3-touchdown performance. FIU racked up 540 yards of offense in a 33-20 win over Buffalo and forced three turnovers. Defensive end Elisha Baldridge was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week for his two sacks and forced fumble. And the Panthers are showing signs of being dangerous on both sides of the ball, turnovers from the USF game aside.

Western Kentucky had one of the worst Week 1s of any FBS program. The Hilltoppers were completely outclassed at Nevada, 49-14, against a Wolf Pack team that has been in the cellar of the Mountain West since 2022. Maybe Nevada just got better? But that proved to be far from the case Saturday night when the Wolf Pack lost 20-7 to FCS opponent Montana State, while getting shut out for the first three quarters.

Meanwhile, WKU had to deal with Georgia in Week 2, and it was anything but pretty for Big Red. The Hilltoppers were down 49-0 with 5:51 remaining in the second quarter, and Georgia was scoring easily in every manner possible — long touchdown passes, long quarterbacks runs, pick-sixes, kickoff returns, you name it. There was minimal resistance from WKU, and Bulldogs starting quarterback Gunner Stockton finished 13-of-16 with 234 passing yards and five touchdowns.

WKU’s run defense is currently the second-worst in the country, surrendering 278.5 yards per game on a 7.2 average. The Hilltoppers have the worst scoring differential in the FBS at a -85 through two games. Surely, there’s a get-right game against an FCS team coming up? That will have to wait another week. WKU plays at defending national champion Indiana on Saturday.

There are two FBS teams that are 0-2, but an 0-2 their fanbase should feel good about. One is Oregon State, which threw all over ranked Houston and Texas Tech teams in somewhat close losses. The other is Sam Houston, which dropped its opener 24-21 at Troy before falling 23-17 at Tulsa.

Sam Houston had a higher net success rate than both Troy and Tulsa in those defeats, and the Bearkats are not far off from 2-0. This year’s team already looks miles improved from Phil Longo’s first year at the helm. The main reason is quarterback Landyn Locke. Through two games this year, he posted the highest and second-highest passing totals since Sam Houston joined the FBS in 2023 — 335 and 316 yards. The Bearkats can move the ball through the air, and they have one of the CUSA’s more capable receiving corps.

The defense is also doing its job. Sam Houston generated four sacks in each game, and it’s 4.0 average is tied for ninth in the FBS. NC State transfer outside linebacker Elijah Groves has worked wonders for the pass rush. Even the coverage looks far improved with former FCS Elon cornerback Ishmel Atkins leading the way.

Sam Houston also has its campus stadium back this year after essentially playing 12 road games in 2025. That normalcy could go a long way, as the Bearkats look like dark horse contenders after going toe-to-toe with the reigning Sun Belt West Division champs and a Tulsa team that handled Oklahoma State.

It’s become apparent that nothing Jacksonville State does in non-conference play matters, because the Gamecocks always solve things once the CUSA slate ramps up. But this program loses so many winnable non-conference matchups that become head-scratchers in hindsight.

In 2024, the Gamecocks started 0-3 with losses to 6-7 Coastal Carolina and 5-7 Eastern Michigan. But Jacksonville State finished 9-5 as hosts and winners of the CUSA Championship Game. In 2025, the Gamecocks started 2-3 with losses to 7-6 Georgia Southern and 7-6 Southern Miss. But once again, that didn’t matter as Jacksonville State replicated its 9-5 record and hosted the CUSA Championship Game.

Maybe Jax State is following that formula again. However, there was every reason to believe this team would start strong. Unlike 2024 and 2025, it knew who its quarterback was, with Caden Creel returning after a masterful season. There was head coaching continuity this offseason. Deondre Johnson came back. The defense returned five starters including two Jim Thorpe Award watchlist nominees.

But Jax State lost a four-overtime thriller on the road at Ohio, against a Bobcat team which lost its first and second-string quarterbacks late in the game. There were so many chances to win this game, including on a 38-yard field goal at the buzzer, but now the Gamecocks’ non-conference struggles persist, and they’re sitting at 1-2.

Delaware is another CUSA team that improved its stock in Week 2 despite a loss. The Fightin’ Blue Hens took their first-ever visit to SEC country, and fight, they did.

The Delaware vs. Vanderbilt matchup started with the teams trading five punts, but Vanderbilt eventually created a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, assisted by a Delaware interception. The Hens rallied in the second with 17 unanswered points to secure a halftime lead. Each quarter of this game was a shutout, but the winner of the quarter alternated. Thus, the third was controlled by Vanderbilt in 21-0 fashion, and Delaware concluded the fourth on a 9-0 run.

Summing it all together, Delaware lost 35-26 in Nashville, and it was far from the Blue Hens’ finest performance. They lost the turnover battle 2-1. Nick Minicucci briefly left with an injury but returned, and the quarterback had seen better performances than his 11-of-27 showing against the Commodores. Delaware also surrendered six sacks, and still, it was only a single-digit defeat, inspiring confidence of what Delaware is capable of when CUSA play commences.

The reigning CUSA champs lost significant production this offseason, including nine primary offensive starters and seven on defense. But Kennesaw State had the advantage of a Week 1 FCS warm-up game, where it demolished West Georgia in a 47-0 shutout.

Week 2 was a different story. The Owls hosted in-state opponent Georgia State, which was coming off a 1-11 season. And the teams swapped places from 2025 when they met Saturday evening, as Georgia State produced a seamless 31-17 victory, where its lead grew as large as 28-3.

The Owls’ defense mightily struggled, and the Panthers only sent out the punter once all game. Georgia State accumulated 483 yards through a balanced offense, and Kennesaw State could not keep pace at its home stadium. The Owls won’t play another home game until their conference opener in October. Difficult road tests loom at Tennessee and Arkansas State, as the 2026 Owls aim to prove they still belong among CUSA’s elite.