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Pitt (6-6) and SMU (7-5) will play for the first time in 29 years when they meet at 1 p.m. Saturday in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. The Panthers and Mustangs last met on Jan. 1, 1983, in the Cotton Bowl. The SMU "Pony Express" backfield of Eric Dickerson and Craig James beat the Dan Marino-led Panthers 7-3.

The Panthers will try to give the Big East a 4-1 bowl record for the season.

WHO TO WATCH: Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri. It is hard to imagine any quarterback in the country taking as much criticism, and as many shots, as he has this season. He was sacked more than 50 times, and former coach Todd Graham essentially blamed him for not making his "high-octane" offense work. Through it all, Sunseri took the high road, kept his head up and kept playing. Say what you will about his football season -- he deserves credit for taking the hits while trying to remain a leader for this football team. Interim coach Keith Patterson said this week that the offense would slow down a bit to emphasize what Sunseri does best, which is running the football. Zach Brown (bruised sternum) is most likely out, so the load will fall once again to freshman Isaac Bennett.

WHAT TO WATCH: Pittsburgh defense against SMU offense. The Mustangs have the potential to put up points in a hurry, but the key is being able to limit the passing game. More emphasis will be placed on that with leading rusher Zach Line out for this game. This is really all you need to know about what SMU does when it scores: The Mustangs are 7-0 this season when scoring first and 7-0 when scoring at least 21 points. Slowing down receiver Darius Johnson will be the biggest key. Johnson has five 100-yard games this season, and three with 10 or more catches.

WHY TO WATCH: This could have been a future Big East game, but alas, Pitt is headed to the ACC when SMU joins with the Big East. Either way, June Jones has done a remarkable job in turning around the Mustangs, though they probably fell a little short of expectations this season. SMU is playing in its third straight bowl game -- tying a school record. When his offenses are on, they are fun to watch.

PREDICTION: Pitt 28, SMU 17. From my predictions post a few weeks ago: Pitt has to do what has worked best this season -- establish the run and let Sunseri manage the game. The defense has been much improved in the second half of the season, and SMU has struggled to put up points of late. The Mustangs also will be without leading rusher Line, who played a big role in the offense. If the Panthers can continue to get after the quarterback and play well in the secondary, they should be able to win this game.

SMU MUSTANGS

Record: 7-5, 5-3 C-USA

The season appeared as if it would be an improvement over 2010, when the Mustangs won the West Division and played in the Conference USA championship game. They got off to a 5-1 start, including a huge 40-33 overtime win over cross-town rival TCU, their first win over a ranked team since the 1980s. SMU also avenged a loss to UCF -- which beat the Mustangs in the C-USA title game a year ago.

But then things began to fall apart for an offense that is known for its high scoring. J.J. McDermott, who replaced Kyle Padron in the season opener, started to struggle and the Mustangs ended up losing four of their final six games. In three of those losses, SMU scored a touchdown or less, unheard of for a June Jones run 'n' shoot offense. SMU squeaked out a 27-24 win over Rice to get to seven wins in the regular season for the second straight year. But SMU was unable to beat Tulsa and Houston this year, its top competition in the West.

Still, getting to a third straight bowl game tied the school record for consecutive bowl appearances. For a program ravaged by the death penalty, that is a huge measure of how far this program has come.

Offensive MVP: Zach Line, RB. Line led Conference USA in rushing for the second straight season with 1,224 yards and scored a league-best 17 touchdowns in just 10 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Still, he made the C-USA first team and was dependable all season long for an offense that struggled at times.

Defensive MVP: Taylor Thompson, DE. The Mustangs got a lot of clutch performances on defense, but Thompson was a C-USA first-team selection after leading the team with seven sacks and six forced fumbles -- that tied him for No. 3 in the nation.

Turning point: A 27-3 loss to Southern Miss. SMU only had 330 yards and 14 first downs in the loss, which started the slide at the end of the season. The Mustangs had opportunities in the second half, driving into Southern Miss territory twice, but they came away with no points. They also had nine penalties and were 4-of-13 on third downs.

What’s next: SMU plays Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl, and then it is off to prepare for a new conference home, as the Mustangs are reportedly set to join the Big East for 2013. Coach June Jones has been mentioned as a candidate at several openings, but has reportedly assured his staff he is staying. For how long is always a question that has surrounded him everywhere he has gone.

SMU Mustangs (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6)

Jan. 7, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

SMU take from college football blogger Matt Fortuna: Following a Conference USA West division title, the Mustangs opened this season with a 5-1 record, including an overtime win at TCU. In the season's second half, however, things turned south. SMU lost four of its last six games and two of its final three to finish 7-5. A lot of that falls on the offense, which averaged 33.7 points per game through the season's first half before scoring just 17.7 points per game in its final six games.

Quarterback J.J. McDermott replaced Kyle Padron in a season-opening 46-14 loss at Texas A&M and has started every game since, throwing for 3,182 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Running back Zach Line eclipsed the 100-yard mark in eight of SMU's first 10 games and led the conference in rushing, but he is out for the remainder of the season with a foot injury. Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson have emerged at receiver, with each just shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Defensively, linebackers Taylor Reed (93 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks) and Ja'Gared Davis (11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions) lead the way for a Mustangs unit that ranks 37th nationally in total defense.

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Pitt take from Big East blogger Andrea Adelson: Expectations were high for the Panthers this season. First-year coach Todd Graham predicted his team would run a “high-octane” offense, a line he used over and over again to promote his program and the new regime hitting town. To be sure, it was a huge departure from the pro-style, smash-mouth football Pitt has been known to play. Graham says he has no regrets over ratcheting up hopes, even though Pitt failed to resemble anything high or octane. Simply put, he does not have the personnel to run the hurry-up, spread system that ran to perfection in his final season at Tulsa.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri never bought in or adapted to the changes, and that contributed to Pitt giving up 56 sacks this season. Injuries on the offensive line didn’t help, either, as Pitt used myriad different starting lineups to help fill in the gaps. The line wasn’t the only area that was impacted by injuries. The Panthers lost star tailback Ray Graham to a torn ACL against UConn in October and from that point on, it was an even bigger struggle for the offense to do anything with Sunseri behind center.

Pitt needed a 33-20 win over Syracuse in the final game of the season to become bowl eligible, but at least salvaged the season. What the Panthers do have is a much improved defense from Week 1. Defensive end Aaron Donald was a breakout star, with 10 sacks. The pass defense made a huge turnaround. After giving up more than 300 yards in two of the first three games of the season, the most they gave up in the final nine weeks was 271 yards to Rutgers.

SMU MUSTANGS

Record: 4-1, 2-0 CUSA

The Mustangs made it to the Conference USA championship game last season, but now coach June Jones expects to win it. His team has its hands full in the West Division, but certainly the Mustangs have shown the potential to get back into the title game again this season. They have done it with a new quarterback. J.J. McDermott replaced an ineffective Kyle Padron in the season opener and has not let go of the starting job. McDermott has played well, throwing for 1,482 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions to rank No. 2 in CUSA in passing. Darius Johnson has proven to be a go-to receiver with 39 catches for 550 yards and four touchdowns, and leads the league in receptions per game and receiving yards a game. His teammate Cole Beasley is right behind him at No. 3 in both categories. Running back Zach Line once again is dominating on the ground, with 583 yards and 11 touchdowns already this season to lead CUSA. SMU has done a nice job on defense as well, ranking No. 2 in the league in total defense, giving up an average of 296.6 yards a game. Steps are being made, and none bigger than its 40-33 overtime win over cross-town rival TCU. It was the Mustangs' first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 22 TCU 21-10 in Dallas on Sept. 10, 2005. SMU is off to a 4-1 start for the first time since going 5-1 to begin the 1986 season. But the schedule has its challenges. The Mustangs get UCF this weekend in a rematch of last year's CUSA title game. They also have to play at Southern Miss, Tulsa and Houston. But the Mustangs have proved they can play with anybody. Will that translate into an even bigger milestone for the program this season?

Offensive MVP: RB Zach Line. You are making me choose just one? It was a tough call between Line and Johnson, but I am going with the guy who leads the league in scoring with 66 points. He has been incredibly valuable and durable once again.

Defensive MVP: LB Ja'Gared Davis. Plenty of candidates for this one as well. Taylor Thompson is third in the league with five sacks, and Taylor Reed leads the team with 39 tackles. But Davis has done a little bit of everything -- he has 28 tackles, including four for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also has an interception, forced and recovered a fumble and has six passes defended.

If there is one area of the TCU defense that has struggled more than the rest, it has been against the pass.

There were glaring problems in the season opener against Baylor, in which the Bears had five touchdown passes of 25 yards or more. A lot of those came against one-on-one coverage, as the Horned Frogs seemed helpless to stop balls that were simply being thrown over their heads.

Since then, TCU has not faced as big a test through the air. But that changes Saturday against SMU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet. The Mustangs are No. 15 in the nation in passing under June Jones, the run 'n' shoot master.

They have not really lost a beat with J.J. McDermott at quarterback, either. McDermott relieved an ineffective Kyle Padron in the season opener against Texas A&M and has thrown for 1,133 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Coach Gary Patterson knows what to expect out of this offense. So does his defense. He says his players are doing better against the pass.

"We gave up one long pass against Monroe; last week didn't give one up," he said. "We just have to keep getting better."

Indeed, of the nine passing touchdowns TCU has given up this season, eight have been of 20-plus yards. Consider TCU allowed just five passing touchdowns of 20-plus yards in all of 2011. There are new faces starting in the secondary, so they have needed time to get adjusted.

Also, Patterson said last week veteran cornerback Greg McCoy was not playing to the level he played at in the Rose Bowl, having given up three touchdown passes already this season. He wanted his team to get into sync, and play with confidence.

How does does a win over FCS Portland State do that? That remains to be seen. SMU gave TCU a challenge in the first half last season, taking a 14-10 lead into halftime. Zach Line had a monster game with 139 yards and one touchdown and an average of 8.2 yards a run.

Line is back, and already has 11 touchdown runs this season -- second in the nation behind Bernard Pierce of Temple. Though the Mustangs love to throw, Line has been a huge presence in the run game the last two seasons. He ranks No. 14 in the nation in rushing.

But what could hurt SMU is the potential loss of top receiver Cole Beasley, who has an injured right knee. Jones hasn't said whether Beasley will play. If he can't go, that would be a big blow for an SMU offense that is doing a better job of getting big plays in the pass game.

Beasley leads the team with 31 receptions for 376 yards. He and Darius Johnson have been the top two targets, combining for 58 of the team's 95 receptions.

On throwing the ball deep, Jones said, "I think we’re better than we were last year at this point. We’re making more throws up top and down the field. We still missed a few in the first three games, but last week we made a couple good throws so we’ll just hope that we keep getting better each week."

Given what Baylor did to TCU, you can bet SMU will try to follow the same game plan.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Time to look back on a high-scoring first half...

Turning point: After throwing interceptions on his first two drives, SMU benched Kyle Padron, who threw for over 3,800 yards last season, in favor of senior J.J. McDermott. The Mustangs inched closer with a pair of touchdown drives after Padron's benching, but A&M's offense looks unstoppable and very balanced so far.

Stat of the half: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has completed 11 of 13 passes for 141 yards. Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael have combined for four touchdowns and 95 yards on 19 carries. A&M's offense is rolling and as advertised in its opener.

Best player in the half: Texas A&M's defensive line. It's struggled to defend the run (SMU's Zach Line has 108 yards and a score on 15 carries), but the Aggies are getting lots of pressure up front and already have four sacks, equaling their top total in any game in 2010. Tony Jerod-Eddie already has two sacks.

Second guessing: Down 14-7 late in the first quarter, SMU elected to try an onside kick, but the short kick failed miserably, hitting the kicker's foot twice and going only a couple yards. For the third consecutive drive to begin the game, Texas A&M began with the ball in SMU territory.

What Texas A&M needs to do: Relax, and feed the Mustangs a steady diet of Gray and Michael. Turnovers are the only way the Aggies lose at this point, so hold on to the ball. The offensive line has been very good so far for the Aggies, and they'll need to impose their will (Just like Texas!) in the second half.

Here are ten things I'm keeping an eye on in Week 1 of Big 12 football.

1. Garrett Gilbert. Everything else aside, Gilbert is ultimately the one guy who will decide how far Texas gets this season. Or, at least whoever Texas' quarterback is by midseason. Gilbert needs to play well to a) make sure he's that guy and b) help Texas rebound from last year's debacle.

2. Does Baylor have a second go-to receiver? Josh Gordon is a huge loss. Everything pointed to a breakout year for the big receiver, but who's going to emerge as Robert Griffin III's other top target. Baylor has talent at the position, but it's going to help if one receiver makes his presence clear. Terrance Williams? Tevin Reese? Lanear Sampson? Bueller?

3. Oklahoma's safeties. Javon Harris and Aaron Colvin have a ton of potential, but they've got a tough test in Week 1. Last year, Oklahoma broke in two brand new corners against Utah State and nearly was upset on its home field. G.J. Kinne is a stud, and with both of last year's safeties in the NFL, are Harris and Colvin up for the task?

4. Weeden2Blackmon. Here's the deal: This game won't be close. But I love watching these two play. And they're going to be putting up some big highlights for the first time in eight months. Football! Finally!

5. James Franklin's arm. We've seen Franklin run plenty as a freshman playing behind Blaine Gabbert. But Missouri will go about as far as Franklin's arm will take them. His teammates have been impressed with what he's down through the air in the offseason. Will he validate them in the opener?

6. Steele Jantz's legs. Nobody outside Ames has really seen Jantz, a transfer from a California junior college, do much. But he won the starting job over the more experienced Jerome Tiller (before he was ruled academically ineligible for the season) and has Cyclones fans excited. Is he the dynamic playmaker Iowa State's offense has been missing?

7. Kansas State's running backs. Bill Snyder called it the closest competition on the team. The WIldcats have three co-starters, and third on the list is the Big 12 transfer with the most hype: Bryce Brown. Will he establish himself as the clear replacement for Daniel Thomas, who led the Big 12 in rushing the past two seasons?

8. Kansas' point total. Kansas simply needs to show it can execute. It did it against New Mexico State last year and briefly against Colorado, but this is largely the same team from last year, with a handful of new faces added. How much better is the offense? Good enough to compete in the Big 12? Because the Jayhawks weren't close in 2010.

9. Texas A&M's linebackers. Most of the attention is paid to quarterback Kyle Padron, but the Mustangs' 230-pound, rumbling running back Zach Line is no joke, either. He had at least 94 yards rushing in six of the past seven games in 2010, and the Aggies have a big hole at middle linebacker that Jonathan Stewart will try to fill.

10. Texas Tech's playcalling. Tommy Tuberville wants a new commitment to the running game, but where will that show up? The Red Raiders have what I think will be a good QB, but lots of unanswered questions at receiver next to a deep stable of running backs and a good offensive line. I'm also excited to see what freshman tight end Jace Amaro can do.

Army beat SMU 16-14 in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Here is a quick instant analysis:

How the game was won: SMU did itself in with way too many mistakes. Kyle Padron had three first-half turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble -- that led to 10 points. His first was a fumble that Josh McNary returned 55 yards for a touchdown. Army did an excellent job getting pressure on him all day, forcing him into many of those mistakes. Padron regrouped and played a much better game in the second half, rallying SMU to two touchdowns. But Matt Szymanski missed a 47-yard field goal wide left with 4:05 to play that would have given the Mustangs the win. Couple that with a missed field goal in the first half, and you have a recipe for a loss. Army was unable to do much with the triple option in the second half, which is why the Mustangs had a chance. But give the Black Knights credit for taking advantage of the mistakes and posting the first winning season at the Academy since 1996.

Turning point: Down 16-14, SMU had a third-and-9 at the Army 33 with a little more than four minutes to go. Padron was flushed out of the pocket and nearly sacked, but the pressure only allowed him to throw a dump off pass to Darius Johnson for 3 yards. Rather than go for it, SMU decided to go for the 47-yard field goal attempt into the wind for Szymanski, who missed. That decided the game.

Stat of the game: Zero. Penalties and turnovers for Army in the game.

Player of the game: McNary. In addition to his fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, he led an aggressive defensive effort that continually harassed Padron all day. The Army defense came up big when it needed to to preserve the win.

What SMU learned: Padron has got to work on his consistency for SMU to take the next step. In this game and the Conference USA championship game, he made too many mistakes. The offensive line needs major improvement, too, because he was completely harassed and pressured in both those games. But June Jones had done a great job taking SMU to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1984-85 and he does have a nice nucleus returning next season in Padron, Zach Line and Johnson on offense.

What Army learned: Army (7-6) not only beat a winning team for the first time this season, it won its first bowl game since 1985. Coach Rich Ellerson has done a terrific job turning around a program that had suffered mightily since its last winning season in 1996. The senior class made it a point to bring respectability back to West Point, and they did that and more. It was not good enough to make it to a bowl game for Army. The Black Knights wanted a win, and they deserved it against SMU. Trent Steelman and Jared Hassin return next season, so bigger things could be in store for the cadets.

What it means: All three service academies finish with seven or more wins for just the second time in history. It happened in 1963: Army, 7-3; Navy, 9-2; Air Force, 7-4.

Record performance: Army fullback Jared Hassin went over 1,000 yards on the season, the second Army sophomore to break the mark, joining Mike Mayweather in 1988. It is the 14th 1,000-yard season in Army history.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys each for SMU and Army headed into the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday:

Army

1. Pressure the quarterback. Army has just two sacks in its last four games, but is going to have to put pressure on quarterback Kyle Padron to have a chance in this game. Padron threw for over 3,500 yards but still has trouble at times reading blitzes and defenses. An aggressive game plan could also hide some problems in the secondary and take pressure off the cornerbacks and safeties from making big plays against Aldrick Robinson and Darius Johnson.

2. Ball control. The triple-option is a ball control offense, and Army is going to need a heavy dose of that to keep the high-octane run 'n' shoot SMU offense off the field. The longer the Black Knights hold the ball, the fewer opportunities SMU has to score. Quarterback Trent Steelman and fullback Jared Hassin are perfectly capable of making big, grind-it-out plays. This offense is simply not built to get into a shootout.

3. Force turnovers. Army ranks seventh in the nation in turnover margin and has recovered 15 fumbles this season. As we saw in the Independence Bowl, Air Force beat a favored Georgia Tech team that turned the ball over four times. Army is 5-2 this season when it wins the turnover battle. SMU is one of the worst in the country in turnover margin, and Padron had thrown 13 interceptions this season. So Army has to be extra vigilant about forcing mistakes.

SMU

1. Contain the triple option. Always easier said than done of course, but that is goal No. 1 headed into this game. The SMU defense had some struggles against Navy earlier in the season, especially on pitches to the outside. Pete Fleps and Taylor Reed are going to be responsible for getting that corrected. Steelman and Hassin have combined for 1,625 yards, ranking 11th on the Army all-time rushing duo chart.

2. Beware the pass. The SMU defense can’t focus so much on the run that it forgets all about the pass. Steelman has completed 54.8 percent of his throws (69-for-126) for 965 yards, seven touchdowns and only three interceptions. If he can throw for 35 yards against the Mustangs, he will become the first Army player to rush for 500-plus yards and throw for 1,000-plus yards in the same season.

3. Take pressure of Padron. Zach Line has done a great job in the run game for SMU this season, rushing for 1,391 yards. He led the conference in rushing and is going to need to take some pressure off Padron. The offensive line is also going to have to play a better game than it did against UCF in the Conference USA championship game. He has been sacked 31 times this season, including five times against the Knights.

Southern Methodist Mustangs (7-6) vs. Army Black Knights (6-5)

Dec. 30, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)

This is Army's first bowl appearance since 1996, and Trent Steelman and Jared Hassin have led the way with the triple option this season. Steelman has made tremendous strides, rushing for 620 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing for 837 yards and five touchdowns, while Hassin is a transfer from the Air Force Academy and leads the team with 881 yards on the ground.

This is actually a great matchup between two of the most diverse offenses you can think of because SMU uses the run 'n' shoot. But don't sleep on the Mustangs’ running game. Zach Line leads Conference USA in rushing, and SMU has done a good job of relying on him to help open up the passing game. But Saturday in the C-USA championship game, SMU managed just seven points. Quarterback Kyle Padron has been inconsistent this season and the biggest reason is his inability to hit the big plays downfield.

Coach June Jones has said they if had been able to hit some of those long balls, receiver Aldrick Robinson would be averaging 35 yards a catch.
Instead, he's averaging just less than 20. This is a very young team with only four senior starters. It’s also the first time SMU is in back-to-back bowl games since 1983-84. This also serves as a home game for SMU because the game was moved to its home field, Gerald Ford Stadium, while renovations to TCU home field Amon G. Carter are completed. SMU has had trouble stopping the Navy triple option, losing to the Midshipmen two straight seasons.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- UCF earned its second Conference USA championship with a gutsy defensive performance.

The Knights dominated SMU en route to a 17-7 win in the Conference USA title game for their first league title since 2007. UCF completely stymied the SMU run 'n' shoot and shut down league leading rusher Zach Line, getting two interceptions, five sacks and harassing Kyle Padron all game.

Not only that, the Knights took away top receiving option Aldrick Robinson, who had three total catches. Padron had costly mistakes that hurt, including several passes broken up in the end zone. He threw one interception at the UCF 27 late in the third quarter, down 17-0. Then after SMU closed it to 17-7, the Mustangs held the Knights and got the ball back.

But Padron threw another interception on third-and-10 from his own 20, on a pass that was slightly overthrown down the middle for Darius Johnson. Reggie Weams essentially took the ball out of Johnson's hands and gave UCF the ball at the SMU 30 with 5:07 to play.

After the Knights missed a 52-yard field goal, SMU tried to get closer. But fittingly, Padron was sacked on fourth down deep in UCF territory with 10 seconds left, ending any chance of a comeback. UCF has now tied the school record for wins in a season with 10. SMU drops to 7-6.

UCF running back Latavius Murray was named the MVP.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- UCF leads SMU 10-0 at halftime of the Conference USA championship game. Here is a brief breakdown.

Stat of the half: Zero, the number of receptions for SMU leading receiver Aldrick Robinson. He came into the game as the top receiver in C-USA, averaging 98.5 yards per game. Plus, he had touchdown receptions in six straight games. But Josh Boddie has done an excellent job of taking Robinson away from Kyle Padron. The quarterback did try to go to Robinson a few times, but overthrew him. With Robinson taken away, Darius Johnson has stepped up with six catches for 70 yards.

Best player in the half: UCF quarterback Jeff Godfrey. He has shown why he is one of the best freshmen quarterbacks in the country. Godfrey has 148 of UCF's 204 total yards in the first half, going 11-of-15 for 126 yards with a touchdown and adding 22 yards on the ground. Godfrey has been hurried plenty, but has been able to keep several drives alive while avoiding silly mistakes (though he got lucky when Chris Banjo dropped an interception in the end zone late in the half). He is a big reason why UCF is leading time of possession 17:43 to 12:17.

What UCF needs to do: Keep on grinding the clock. This is the lowest scoring first half in C-USA title game history, and a big reason is because the Knights are playing keepaway from the potent SMU run 'n' shoot offense. UCF hurt itself with a personal foul penalty on Kamar Aiken on second-and-goal from the 3 late in the half, settling for a field goal. Coach George O'Leary is bound to address that at the break.

What SMU needs to do: Get Zach Line more involved. C-USA's leading rusher has nine carries for 46 yards after averaging 30 carries in his past two games. SMU came out throwing and has tried to establish the pass early in this game. Padron has found some openings, but other times he has overthrown open receivers -- including an open Robinson in the end zone in the second quarter -- and is 7-of-13 for 89 yards. Wonder whether his ankle is bothering him. The SMU defense has had opportunities to take down Godfrey but hasn't wrapped up. Better tackling is a must.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- UCF leads SMU 7-0 early in the Conference USA title game, and the Knights have done it by mastering time of possession.

The Knights held the ball for over 13 minutes in the first quarter and ran 23 offensive plays for 100 total yards. Seventeen of those have been rushes, primarily from quarterback Jeff Godfrey and running back Latavius Murray. The ground game has allowed the Knights to chew up the clock and keyed their first scoring drive. Murray has been effective running into the teeth of the SMU defense, and Godfrey has shown why his scrambling ability makes him so tough to stop.

Meanwhile, SMU came out throwing despite having the leading rusher in the conference, Zach Line. Kyle Padron was 1-of-4 in the first quarter, but two receivers had drops. Line had just one carry. One injury to note: SMU linebacker Youri Yenga left the game early after injuring his leg attempting to chase down Godfrey. He is third on the team in tackles.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- We are just a few minutes away from kickoff between UCF and SMU in the Conference USA championship game.

Quarterback Kyle Padron, who injured his ankle last week, looked good during pregame warm-ups and is set to go. This is a late-arriving crowd just a few minutes from kickoff. UCF officials are expecting about 40,000 fans, short of a sellout. The student section is full and wearing black, ready to root on UCF in its quest to win its first conference championship since 2007.

SMU hasn't won a conference title since 1984, when SMU shared the Southwest Conference crown with Houston. The Mustangs continue their resurgence under coach June Jones, who has managed to turn around a program most thought was dead. They went 1-11 in his first season, but last year they shared the West Division title and this year they are playing for a C-USA championship.

You already saw my keys to the game. Here are a few other notes:

SMU running back Zach Line has rushed for 1,297 yards this season, third best in SMU history behind Eric Dickerson in 1981 and 1982.

This season marks the 75th anniversary of SMU's first national championship in 1935.

UCF is trying to become the fifth team to win at least two C-USA titles, joining Southern Miss (three), Louisville (three), Houston (two) and East Carolina (two).

The Knights are hoping for a school-record-tying 10th victory of the season.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- We are about an hour from kickoff between SMU and Central Florida in the Conference USA title game. It is a beautiful day here in Florida, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s.

Here are some keys to watch:

1. SMU RB Zach Line vs. UCF defense. This was my biggest key to the game in my video preview earlier this week. Line leads Conference USA in rushing, and has used his speed and power to have a breakout season. Line, who was recruited as a linebacker, has given the run 'n' shoot offense an added dimension this season. The Knights have the best run defense in C-USA, but the linebackers are going to be needed to really step in and help slow Line down. UCF coach George O'Leary mentioned linebacker Josh Linam as a player who needs to have a big game.

2. Health of SMU QB Kyle Padron. Padron injured his ankle in the C-USA West Division title-clinching win over East Carolina last week. But Padron has practiced this week and will play. We'll see whether the injury affects his footwork and ability to potentially escape the pass rush. UCF has 24 sacks on the season. Watch for defensive end Darius Nall.

3. UCF QB Jeff Godfrey vs. SMU LB Ja'Gared Davis. The sophomore has had a breakout season for the Mustangs, with nine sacks -- ranking second in C-USA. He also has 15 tackles for loss, and has made a living of being in opposing backfields. With Godfrey's ability to scramble, Davis is going to be key in not only slowing down the UCF run game but in limiting Godfrey as well.