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.

College football is finally back, and opening weekend has the Sam Houston Bearkats battling the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in this early-season Conference USA matchup.