Ticket Information | C-USA Football Standings | Championship Information

With Southern Miss defeating Marshall on Saturday night, 42-7, the matchup for the second annual Conference USA Football Championship Game presented by Aéropostale is set. The East Division champion Golden Eagles will meet the West Division champion Houston Cougars on Friday, December 1 at Robertson Stadium in Houston. ESPN 2 will televise the championship game live beginning at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m. CST.

The game represents a pairing of two of the six schools that comprised Conference USA's football lineup in 1996, the first year that the league sponsored football. Houston won the league's inaugural championship that season, after winning a Nov. 9 showdown with Southern Miss at Robertson Stadium. Future NFL Pro Bowl running back Antowain Smith scored a still-C-USA record six touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 56-49 overtime victory over the Golden Eagles.

Houston will be aiming for its first conference championship since capturing the league's inaugural title. Southern Miss will be seeking its fifth C-USA championship in 11 years.

Houston's high-powered offense is led by record-setting senior QB Kevin Kolb and lightning-fast junior RB Anthony Alridge. Kolb owns nearly every UH passing mark, breaking those held by 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and former NFL first round draft pick David Klingler. Alridge is one of the fastest players in Conference USA and the converted wide receiver has rushed for more than 100 yards four times in the last five outings.

Southern Miss counters with one of the top freshmen running backs in the nation. True freshman Damion Fletcher has rushed for more yards than any freshman in school history and ranks second among all freshman running backs in Division I-A this season. With Fletcher leading the way, the Golden Eagles have posted their 13th consecutive winning season, a feat that only four I-A schools can claim.

Back on October 14, the two teams met in Hattiesburg, Miss., with Southern Miss prevailing, 31-27. Golden Eagles quarterback Jeremy Young threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead USM. Kolb passed for 338 yards and two scores for Houston.

Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 7-2.

Tickets

Tickets for the championship game are available now through the athletic ticket offices at Houston and Southern Miss or online at their athletics websites. Houston fans can order online at www.UHCougars.com or by calling 713-GO-COOGS. Tickets are also available through Southern Miss via phone at 1-800-844-TICK or online at www.southernmiss.com or click here.

Catch C-USA Teams In Postseason Bowl Action!

R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (December 22)
Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, Ala. (December 23)
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, Texas (December 23)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn. (December 29)
GMAC Bowl, Mobile, Ala. (January 7)

C-USA All-Access

Watch 3-5 C-USA football games live every weekend for only $9.95/month! Click here for more information.

Conference USA Partners

C-USA Fans,

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