2011 Conference USA Football Championship Game

College football game
2011 Conference USA Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Southern Miss Golden Eagles Houston Cougars
(10–2) (12–0)
49 28
Head coach: 
Larry Fedora
Head coach: 
Kevin Sumlin
APCoachesBCS
242324
APCoachesBCS
766
1234 Total
Southern Miss 714217 49
Houston 01477 28
DateDecember 3, 2011
Season2011
StadiumRobertson Stadium
LocationHouston, Texas
MVPTracy Lampley (RB/WR, Southern Miss)
FavoriteHouston by 12.5
RefereeWayne Winkler
Attendance32,413
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersMike Patrick
Craig James
Jeannine Edwards
Conference USA Football Championship Game
 < 2010  2012
2011 Conference USA football standings
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Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 20 Southern Miss x$   6 2     12 2  
Marshall   5 3     7 6  
East Carolina   4 4     5 7  
UAB   3 5     3 9  
UCF   3 5     5 7  
Memphis   1 7     2 10  
West Division
No. 18 Houston x   8 0     13 1  
Tulsa   7 1     8 5  
SMU   5 3     8 5  
Rice   3 5     4 8  
UTEP   2 6     5 7  
Tulane   1 7     2 11  
Championship: Southern Miss 49, Houston 28
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
As of January 10, 2012
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 3, 2011, at Robertson Stadium in Houston between Southern Miss and Houston—the winners of Conference USA's East and West Divisions, respectively.[1]

Under C-USA rules, the championship game is hosted by the division champion with the best conference record. Houston finished a 12–0 regular season and won the West Division title and hosting rights with its 48–16 win over Tulsa on November 25.[2] Southern Miss booked its place in the championship game the following day with a 44–7 win over Memphis.[3]

A win for Houston in the conference's championship game would have earned the university its first bid in the Bowl Championship Series.[4] For the first time, the C-USA Championship was broadcast on ABC, rather than ESPN2 in the past. Southern Miss ended up winning the game—defeating Houston by a score of 49–28.

References

  1. ^ The Official Athletic site of The Conference USA - Football Composite Schedule
  2. ^ Associated Press (November 25, 2011). "Houston reaches Conference USA title game with record 12th win". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  3. ^ Associated Press (November 26, 2011). "Southern Miss. 44, Memphis 7". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. November 25, 2011.
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2011 NCAA football conference championship games
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