ESPN College Football

Conference USA is the only non-BCS league that has three teams off to 3-0 starts, and it has a 5-2 record against the Southeastern Conference. Then again, C-USA teams have played only two nonconference games against teams ranked in the Top 25. That will change this week when Tulane visits Texas and Southern Miss plays host to Nebraska.

Thursday night's home game against Nebraska is one of the most-anticipated games in Hattiesburg, Miss., in years, but Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower didn't anticipate going into it with some key injuries.

He certainly didn't anticipate a quarterback shortage when he entered the season with six quarterbacks on the roster. Then one quarterback had shoulder surgery, another transferred and, against Memphis in the Golden Eagles' last game, starter Micky D'Angelo suffered his third concussion in two years.

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