The Bearkats won nine games in the regular season -- more than Western Kentucky -- and finished with an identical 6-2 record in conference play, though the Hilltoppers won the tiebreaker. Sam Houston capped it all with a 31-26 win against Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl, marking its first postseason win since transitioning to the FBS.

Week 0 of the college football season features two Conference USA teams meeting as Western Kentucky plays host to Sam Houston State.