Can the Golden Eagles do more than just compete?
You would think a program with 16 consecutive winning seasons would get a little more respect, especially from the home-state crowd. Such is life in Conference USA. Only recently has the national conscious began to recognize its bias towards Non-AQ programs and conferences, though most of the leniency awarded has been reserved for BCS Bowl Busters and the handful of conference teams that have played them close. Despite the success of such teams in some high-profile bowl games, a larger stigma of inferior competition throughout the season has relegated the opinion of the better programs into a particular category: Respected, but not feared. Southern Miss is arguably the poster child for such teams. The Golden Eagles have earned a reputation as a good team—especially on defense—that will test your mettle and that should not be overlooked. That said, Southern Miss has not broken out with a signature win in front of a national audience that signals the program is ready to shed its historic
