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No. 50- Univ. of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, C-USA, Odds to win BCS National Championship 100/1, Head Coach Jeff Bowers.  With less than three months until the 2007 NCAA College Football season kicks off, Point-Spreads.com will preview what we consider the Top-50 programs in the country and their chances of making it to the BCS Championship Game in January.
We begin our previews with a look at the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, located in Hattiesburg, Miss., and members of C-USA. Considered one of the better MID-MAJOR programs in the country, this years team has numerous shoes to fill on offense after graduating three of their offensive line’s inside starters and a four-year starter at fullback. On a positive note, head coach Jeff Bower welcomes back top running back Damion Fletcher, who turned heads as a true-freshman in 2006. Linebacker Marcus Raines has switched positions to fullback and is expected to make an impact. Senior quarterback Jeremy Young, not known for a strong passing game, will keep the opposition off-guard with his feet. Young will still need to throw the ball on at least 40% of the plays and should feel at ease knowing his leading receiver for the past two years All-Conf USA tight end Shawn Nelson will be a constant threat to defenses. The presence of Nelson's presence keeps defenses from stacking the box in an attempt to stop the run-happy Golden Eagles.
Two starting tackles return from 2006 in All C-USA senior Chris Clark and Ryan Show. For the most part, the USM line is getting a make-over with left guard Wesley Housley and Rick Thompson at center moving up to starting positions. Gerald McGrath, a first-team Sporting News Freshman All-American returns to lead the defense for coordinator Jay Hopson. McGrath led the Golden Eagles in tackles with 104, including 59 solo stops, two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and two forced fumbles. Senior safety Brandon Sumrall returns to lead the Golden Eagles secondary. Sumrall was the leading tackler last year with 77 including 51 solo stops. Sumrall also had two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The schedule could be a problem early with key road non-conference tilts at Tennessee and at Boise State (ESPN). Once beyond the early challenges, the Golden Eagles could be poised for a C-USA championship run. If the Golden Eagles can pull off a couple of upsets early, they could be in the mix as a BCS-Buster as Boise State did last season.
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