Conference USA Football

The Florida Atlantic University Owls have hired former West Virginia Mountaineers and Florida State Seminoles quarterback Clint Trickett as their new tight ends coach, according to Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman. 

Trickett's Twitter bio has been changed to reflect the move. 

Before landing at Florida Atlantic, Trickett served as an assistant coach with the Eastern Mississippi Lions and was featured on Netflix's Last Chance U. 

Trickett tweeted on Feb. 2 that he accepted an offensive graduate assistant coaching position with the Alabama Crimson Tide, but he's now headed to Boca Raton to link up with former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who was named Florida Atlantic head coach on Dec. 13. 

According to CoachingSearch.com's Chris Vannini, Trickett will take over at FAU for Charlie Weis Jr. The Sun Sentinel's Matthew DeFranks reported Weis Jr. left the Owls on Friday to serve as an offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons. 

Louisiana Tech sophomore running back Jaqwis Dancy announced Friday that he is cancer-free.

According to the team's official website, Dancy was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma in October.

After learning of the positive news, Dancy released the following statement:

It felt amazing when I heard the news that I am cancer-free. It was something I have been waiting to hear since I was diagnosed and I can't wait to share my happiness with all my teammates. I especially want to thank the LA Tech family and everyone who supported me in this fight. The support I have received since the beginning has been amazing. My biggest goal right now is to get back on the field with my teammates.

The Arkansas native did not play in 2016 after seeing limited action offensively as a freshman in 2015.

Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz also commented on Dancy's diagnosis:

We are thrilled about the positive news and to hear about the progress he has been making in his battle against cancer. It has been a tough fight for Jaqwis and his family. There is still work to do, but this is certainly positive news to celebrate. As much as anything, I am thrilled for him and his mom for what they have been through. At this point, it is nice to know he is cancer-free and we are optimistic, but we know he still has some work to do.

Dancy's teammates supported him during the 2016 season with decals on their helmets while he went through chemotherapy sessions.

He was a special teams standout during his freshman campaign, particularly on punt and kick return coverage.

While leading rusher Jarred Craft will return for Louisiana Tech as a senior in 2017, Dancy has a chance to carve out a role for himself on offense provided he continues to progress in his recovery.

Commit to the Owls! Coach @Lane_Kiffin is bringing in the best recruits. Now we need the best fans!

Commit Today!https://t.co/Z6u9knOFu9 pic.twitter.com/KGMAFYDmD3

— FAU Football (@FAU_Football) January 27, 2017

"What an exciting time," Lane Kiffin said without the slightest semblance of excitement in a Florida Atlantic University promotional video.

In the above "hype" video leading up to Wednesday's national signing day, the new Owls head coach looks and sounds like a student forced to read aloud to the entire class. His voice stays monotone and unenthusiastic while he attempts to persuade fans to buy tickets for a promising season.

After Kiffin's rousing speech, some Twitter users could not contain their elation:

Perhaps the wound of Alabama unceremoniously dumping him before the College Football Playoff still hurts. Or maybe he's camera-shy. Nevertheless, he didn't quite outwardly display eagerness for a fresh start with the Conference USA school.

[Twitter]

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Lane Kiffin has quite an impressive resume. What is even more impressive is how he exits each job opportunity.

It's safe to say that FAU's newest head coach is quite the trailblazer. Check him out above. 

It's difficult to focus on anything while standing next to someone vomiting. As a result, North Texas quarterback Alec Morris deserves a mulligan for mishandling a snap against Army in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Late in the first half, running back Jeffrey Wilson threw up on two consecutive plays. Following the first projectile, a distracted Morris took his eye off the line of scrimmage, causing a botched snap and loss of 13 yards.

The Mean Green recovered, scoring on a 27-yard touchdown pass to Rico Bussey Jr. two plays later. Wilson recorded 127 total yards and two touchdowns, but the Black Knights scratched out a 38-31 victory in overtime.

[h/t The Comeback]

If it weren't clear already, the Florida Atlantic Owls are going to score often now that Lane Kiffin is at the helm.  

Not only did the Owls tab Kiffin as their head coach earlier in the month, but they named former Baylor Bears offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to the same post on Friday to create one of the most fascinating personnel pairings in college football, according to Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel. 

"We were very deliberate in our decision to bring Kendal to FAU...completed our due diligence," Kiffin told Thamel. 

Kiffin also called the hire a "home run" after Briles received interest from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Houston Cougars, according to FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman. 

Briles' father, Art, was dismissed by Baylor after a sexual assault scandal rocked the university, but Kendal remained with the program during Jim Grobe's stint as interim head coach last season. 

Over the course of the 2016 campaign, Kendal served as the architect of a Bears attack that churned out a 35th-ranked 33.1 points per game. 

And while Briles and Kiffin are both regarded as offensive gurus, it appears the 34-year-old will be allowed to call the shots with the Owls, according to ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit:

However, as Smart Football's Chris B. Brown noted, it will be fascinating to see if FAU embraces Briles' spread philosophy since Kiffin has a history of running a more pro-style system:

Even just structurally. Lane is WCO based - rigid routes, reads - while Briles is all fluid vertical read routes and limited concepts

— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) December 24, 2016

But regardless of which tactical approach reigns supreme, FAU is in store for a boost in offensive quality. The Owls ranked 80th among FBS teams with 25.4 points per game in 2016, and their passing attack had to fight to churn out a shade over 200 yards per outing through the air. 

Now in possession of two innovative offensive minds, the Owls should have a nice shot at capturing their first winning season since 2008. 

New Florida Atlantic Owls head football coach Lane Kiffin found his quarterback just a day after officially being hired, signing former Florida State Seminoles signal-caller De'Andre Johnson on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com's Derek Tyson.

The move may raise some eyebrows, though, as Johnson was dismissed from Florida State after punching a woman at a bar in 2015.

Tyson added that Johnson, who has three years of eligibility left, will enroll at the school in January.

Coming out of Jacksonville, Florida, the 3-star prospect ranked as the No. 44 quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class, per Scout.com.

But Johnson didn't appear in a regular-season game with the Seminoles before the incident, which took place at a Tallahassee bar.

Johnson reached a plea deal, underwent six months of probation, paid $900 in fees and participated in a 10-day sheriff's work program, per the Tallahassee Democrat (via Tyson).

FAU released a statement commenting on Johnson's past Wednesday, per Tyson:

The unfortunate incident that occurred in June 2015 that involved De'Andre has been adjudicated through the legal system. De'Andre has shown he is committed to using his platform to be a positive advocate for violence prevention, self-control and decision making. He will work directly with FAU Student Affairs to develop educational programming for our campus community. ... De'Andre is committed to growing and helping others in our campus and local community.

After his dismissal from Florida State, Johnson enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, which was featured on Netflix's Last Chance U, and was the program's starter in 2016.

He compiled 2,646 passing yards with an additional 834 on the ground while racking up a combined 31 touchdowns, per the school's official website. It was good enough for Scout.com to rank him as the No. 89 junior college prospect in the country.

This could be a risky signing for Kiffin, given Johnson's past. But within a state in which the best recruits are going to Florida State, Florida or Miami—even South Florida or Central Florida—rather than FAU, Kiffin saw a chance to acquire premier collegiate talent in an attempt to build toward relevance and took it.

Follow @JoePantorno on Twitter.

Louisiana Tech is 2-1 against Western Kentucky over the last three seasons, going 2-1 against the spread, including a 55-52 home victory over the Hilltoppers earlier this season. The Bulldogs hit the road to WKU for the Conference USA Championship Game on Saturday afternoon in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Point spread: The Hilltoppers opened as 7.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 46.4-35.0 Hilltoppers (College football picks on every game)

Why the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs can cover the spread

With a division title already in pocket, Louisiana Tech took its foot off the gas and lost for the first time since September last week, 39-24 to Southern Miss. The Bulldogs took a 14-10 lead on the Eagles early in the second quarter on a fumble return for a touchdown, but they let things slide from there as their seven-game winning streak came to an end.

However, a performance like that might just set Louisiana Tech up for a bounce-back effort this week.

Prior to the loss to Southern Miss, the Bulldogs had outgained their previous six opponents and outrushed their previous seven.

Finally, as mentioned above, Louisiana Tech beat the Hilltoppers eight weeks ago 55-52, and that game wasn't quite as close as that score would indicate. The Bulldogs led 49-24 at one point in the third quarter and outgained Western Kentucky by 134 yards.

Why the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers can cover the spread

The Hilltoppers ride a six-game winning streak into this conference championship bout after mashing Marshall last week 60-6. Western Kentucky took an immediate lead when Kylen Towner (37 yards per kickoff return this season) took the opening boot back for a touchdown, and it hit the end zone three more times before the first quarter was done. WKU later pushed that advantage to 48-0 on its way to an easy cover at -28 on the road.

On the evening, the Hilltoppers outgained Marshall 462-230, accumulating 229 yards on the ground and 233 through the air.

Western Kentucky has now outgained and outrushed each of its last five foes, going 4-1 ATS in the process.

Finally, while the Hilltoppers lost that game to Louisiana Tech two months ago, they rallied from 25 points down to within a field goal, and they got the ball back with two minutes to go but lost a fumble.

Smart pick

Western Kentucky owns home-field advantage, but Louisiana Tech basically took last week off and could be primed for a rebound. For what could turn into another crazy contest, the smart money takes the Bulldogs and the points.

Betting trends

The total has gone over in five of Western Kentucky's last seven games.

The total has gone over in five of Louisiana Tech's last six games against its conference.

Louisiana Tech is 9-0 ATS in its last nine games after losing as a favorite.

All college football lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the Odds Shark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds-tracker app.

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The Florida International Golden Panthers are expected to hire Butch Davis as their next head football coach, according to ESPN.com.

Davis has spent the last three years working as an analyst for ESPN. Prior to that, he had successful stints as a head coach for the Miami Hurricanes and North Carolina Tar Heels, accumulating a 79-43 overall record.

He was the Big East Coach of the Year in 2000.

After a 0-4 start to the 2016 campaign, Florida International fired Ron Turner, who had a 10-30 record in four seasons. Ron Cooper has been the team's interim head coach since September.

Davis is perhaps best known for rebuilding Miami's program in the 1990s. While the 64-year-old never won a national championship, he led the squad to four bowl wins and an 11-1 record in 2000. The team he recruited then went on to win the national title under Larry Coker in 2001.

He also spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, accumulating a 24-35 record before being fired in 2004. He helped the team reach the playoffs in 2002, which remains the franchise's most recent postseason appearance.

Davis returned to the college ranks in 2007 and had three eight-win seasons at North Carolina, but his time was mired by scandal.

The Tar Heels fired him in 2011 amid an NCAA investigation into improper benefits for players and academic misconduct.

The NCAA vacated 16 wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

After a few years in the studio, Davis will return to the sideline while hoping to lead FIU to its first winning season since 2011.