Jason Munz/Hattiesburg American
IRVING, Texas — Southern Miss clinched bowl eligibility with a late-season win over Louisiana Tech in 2016.
But a lopsided loss at UTSA left the Golden Eagles looking up at the Bulldogs and Roadrunners in the Conference USA West standings. If there will be roadblocks between Jay Hopson’s team and a division crown in 2017, it is expected to once again be Louisiana Tech and UTSA as the Bulldogs and Roadrunners were picked to finish first and second in the league's preseason media poll.