The college football season is getting closer, and Sporting News is previewing each conference in order to get ready for the season. Today, we take a closer look at the Conference USA.With Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech losing their quarterbacks (among other key performers), both teams will likely take a step back, opening the door for Marshall and Southern Mi si sippi to challenge for the conferences top spots. But a father-son combination at Middle Tenne see State could propel the team to the schools first conference championship.MORE: Heres a closer look at some predictions for the league heading into 2016:Breakout player: Jarveon Williams, Texas-San AntonioAfter his sophomore season was cut short due to injury, Williams became the first running back in UTSAhistory to cro s the 1,000 Blank Jersey -yard rushing threshold, despite mi sing the teams final game and not starting two of his 11 contests. He's the team'sclear feature back, and its best hope to reach their first bowl game in three seasons.Sleeper team: Florida AtlanticThe Owls have gone 3-9 in back-to-back seasons, but have one of the better rosters in the conference. With two young, talented quarterbacks jostling for the starting job, Wei-Yin Chen Jersey the 6-6Nate Terry as a feature tight end/interior receiver and the return of defensive end Trey Henderickson who finished 2015 with 13.5 sacks the Owls could be sneaky contenders in the C-USA this year.Mind-blowing stat: ThreeThat's the number of consecutive 10-win seasonsMarshall has. Only four teams in the country (Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Florida State) have more consecutive 10-winseasons than the Thundering Herd. And with sophomore quarterback Chase Litton coming off a season in which he pa sed for 2,608 yards and 23 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, 10 wins is once again well within Marshalls sights.MORE: Freshman to watch: Daniel Parr, Florida AtlanticParr spurned Miami (Fla.) for a chance to leadFAU; hisopportunity to lead the Owls has finally come after he redshirted in 2015. Hell have to earn the job over Jason Driskell (brother of recent NFL Draft pick Jeff Driskell), but Parr has ideal arm talent, pocket quarterback size and Miguel Rojas Jersey the young supporting cast to grow with this team.Coach to watch: Rick Stockstill, Middle Tenne see StateIn his 11th season as the MTSU coach, its hard to call Stockstill one to watch. But after his son, Brent Stockstill,thoroughly impre sed as a freshman quarterback last year, the Blue Raiders could challenge as one of the best teams in the East Division while quietly challengingfor a conference title game berth.Game of the Year: MTSU vs. MarshallIn what could be the deciding factor for the East Division championship, the potentially emerging Blue Raiders will have to travel to Huntington, W.V., to upend Marshall. If Middle Tenne see State, thanks to the arm of Stockstill, can upset Marshall, they could reach their first conference championship in school history.Player of the Year: Nick Mullens, Southern Mi sEntering his fourth year as a starter for Southern Mi s, the pro-style pa ser finished with 11 multi-touchdown games in 2015. Mullens lost recent NFL draft pick Michael Thomas at receiver, but that shouldnt slow down his production too much in 2016. The team won every game in which he threw two or moretouchdowns last season. MORE: Coach of the Year: Jay Hopson, Southern Mi sSouthern Mi Jon Berti Jersey s first-year coach Jay Hopson enters an ideal situation for a rookie head coach. The former Alcorn State coach has prior experience at Southern Mi s, and inherits the best quarterback in the conference. If he can make dowith defensive player turnover, he could lead the Golden Eagles to a conference championship in his first season.C-USA championship: Marshall vs. Southern Mi sMarshall should be able to outlast Western Kentucky (without Brandon Doughty) and Middle Tenne see State (helmed by a sophomore quarterback) off the strength of its quarterback. Southern Mi soffense, coupled withthe turnover at Louisiana Tech, should give the Golden Eagles a clear path to a conference title berth.Conference champion: MarshallMarshall should continue their streak of 10-pluswin Jarlin Garcia Jersey seasons en route to their third conference title berth in the last four years. With quarterback Litton, right tackle Clint Van Horn and receiver Deon-Tay McManus, the Marshall offense hasenough offensive firepower to supplement defensive coordinator Chuck Heaters inexperienced-yet-talented unit to a conference championship victory.Eric Galko is the owner and director of scouting at Optimum Scouting and OptimumScouting.com, as well as a Sporting News contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @OptimumScouting