Florida International Panthers at Kennesaw State Owls
Sat Nov 21 · 2:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 4d ago·2 min read
FIU
KENN
AT
2:00 PM CT
Share
Kennesaw State enters 2026 as the defending Conference USA champs. FIU enters it looking to prove last year's breakthrough was real. Neither team looks anything like the one that got them here.
Bush’s Picks
FIUKENN
FIUKENN
OverUnder
Best BetKennesaw State
Kennesaw State is the safer moneyline lean here purely on program continuity — Jerry Mack just won CUSA and Coach of the Year honors, and home field in a conference game matters. FIU's ceiling rose last year, but a first-time playcaller combo at QB on the road against the champs is a tough proving ground. Back the Owls to win outright.
+Coach Jerry Mack named Group of Five Coach of the Year
−Lost starting QB, top 2 rushers, top 2 receivers
−Entirely new backfield/receiving corps to build around Collins
This is a rematch nobody saw coming two years ago. Kennesaw State went from 2-10 and last place in CUSA to a 10-4 Conference USA title under first-year coach Jerry Mack, who was named Group of Five Coach of the Year for pulling it off. FIU's turnaround was quieter but still real: a 7-6 finish and the program's first bowl trip since 2019 under second-year coach Willie Simmons. Both programs head into Saturday, November 21 trying to prove last season wasn't a one-off.
The bigger story by kickoff might be who's throwing the ball. Kennesaw State lost its starting quarterback along with its top two rushers and top two receivers, and brought in Rickie Collins via the portal to compete for the job. FIU has an even bigger void to fill after three-year starter Keyone Jenkins left for UCF. The Panthers responded by bringing in two portal arms, JJ Kohl (1,465 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs in six starts at Appalachian State last year) and Zach Marker, whose 2025 at Delaware ended after one quarter with a season-ending knee injury.
Show fees
2:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
FIU Florida International
KENN Kennesaw State
FIU is also replacing four of five starting offensive linemen and its top rusher, Kejon Owens, meaning whoever wins that QB battle won't have much continuity around him. Kennesaw State's rebuild cuts just as deep on offense, but Mack has already shown he can flip a roster fast. This is shaping up as two CUSA contenders figuring out their identities on the fly, months before the game is even played.
Florida International Panthers
Nov 14?@ Delaware—
Nov 7?vs Missouri State—
Oct 31?@ Liberty—
Oct 20?vs Middle Tennessee—
Oct 13?@ Jacksonville State—
Oct 7?vs New Mexico State—
Sep 26?vs Long Island University—
Sep 19?@ Florida Atlantic—
Sep 12?vs Buffalo—
Sep 5?@ South Florida—
Kennesaw State Owls
Nov 14?@ Sam Houston—
Nov 7?vs Delaware—
Oct 28?@ Middle Tennessee—
Oct 22?vs Liberty—
Oct 14?@ Missouri State—
Oct 7?vs Jacksonville State—
Sep 26?@ Arkansas State—
Sep 19?@ Tennessee—
Sep 12?vs Georgia State—
Sep 3?vs West Georgia—
Recent form.
It's worth remembering how far apart these two ended up last season even with FIU's step forward. Kennesaw State rolled through CUSA at 7-1 and beat reigning champ Jacksonville State in the title game, while FIU needed the final stretch of the year just to lock up bowl eligibility before getting run out of the building 56-20 by UTSA in the First Responder Bowl. That gap in program trajectory doesn't just vanish because both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks.
Florida International Panthers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Kennesaw State Owls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Marker's injury history is the more interesting name to track between now and November — if he wins the FIU job, it's his first extended action since that opening-week knee injury. Kennesaw State's Collins, by contrast, arrives with actual starting reps on his resume from the portal, which could matter more than raw talent once these new-look offenses are forced to execute under Conference USA lights again.
