Conference USA · Willie Simmons, year 2 (8-7) · Pitbull Stadium · 20,000 · 18,202 avg in 2026
LastW 33–20 vs Buffalo · Sat Sep 12 · JJ Kohl 367 pass yds, 3 TD, 19 rush yds
Nextat Florida Atlantic · Sat Sep 19 · 6 pm ET · FAU Stadium · Florida Atlantic by 7 · series 6-16 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | #124 | #64 | +14.5✓ | @South Florida | L 9–19 131 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #119 | #138 | -8.5✓ | Buffalo | W 33–20 142 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #113 | #109 | +7 | @Florida Atlantic | |||
| 4 | Sep 26 | #113 | #213 | Long Island University | ||||
| 6 | Oct 7 | New Mexico State | ||||||
| 7 | Oct 14 | @Jacksonville State | ||||||
| 8 | Oct 20 | Middle Tennessee | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | @Liberty | ||||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | Missouri State | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @Delaware | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | @Kennesaw State | ||||||
| 13 | Nov 28 | Sam Houston |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | Buffalo | W 33–20 | 540 | 1 | 38:22 | +0.181 | 40.0% | 135.0% | |
| Sep 5 | @South Florida | L 9–19 | 381 | 3 | 29:51 | +0.111 | 38.2% | 112.9% | |
| Season average (2 games) | 460 | 2.0 | +0.146 | 39.1% | 124.0% | ||||
Florida International is the Miami commuter school that sold its stadium's name to Pitbull and just had its best season in years — a program that wins by surprising even itself.
Panther fans live in the shadow of Miami and share a city that barely knows they exist; they say the only way FIU gets noticed is by winning, so they treat every bowl bid and every Shula Bowl scalp as…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2025 · 7-6 · last season
✓ measured from 13 games · ranks are among Conference USA teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Mixed. 6-4 over the last 10, and won the last one.
They’ve got a great quarterback, and their kicker might be one of the best kickers, maybe the best kicker in the country
Next Sep 19
vs Florida Atlantic · away
~ our read on style
Market outlook
Sportsbook consensus · best odds across multiple books · 2026-09-14
the open questionwhere does it go from here?
Florida International enters 2026 — the 7-6 record and No. 107 SP+ mark contrast with the program’s 2002 founding and Riccardo Silva Stadium legacy, raising questions about sustaining its identity in Conference USA.
our readbackground
Willie Simmons begins his tenure at Florida International with a 7-6 record, signaling a shift in identity for a program defined by its 2002 founding and Riccardo Silva Stadium legacy.
our readdeveloping
JJ Kohl's arrival as the top QB transfer anchors Florida International's top-20 portal class — Simmons' first move in a 7-6 program with Miami-G5 identity at stake.
our readbackground
Alex Perry produces at a notably LOWER rate when his team is an underdog than when favored -- he fades when the pressure is on, and his per-target value drops too.
our readdeveloping
Alex Perry is a real deep-ball threat -- a high share of his targets come on throws past the sticks.
our readbackground
Alex Perry does NOT see a usage spike in garbage time -- his workload holds steady regardless of score.
our readbackground
Dallas Payne is used almost exclusively underneath -- a low share of his targets are downfield shots.
our readbackground
Kejon Owens converts 3rd/4th-and-short at a below-average rate.
our readbackground
Maguire Anderson is used almost exclusively underneath -- a low share of his targets are downfield shots.
our readbackground
Outcome band · Florida International · 2026
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
Florida International enters 2026 rated No. 107 in 2025 SP+ (-10.5). SP+ describes what the program HAS done, not what it will do. The season is the field test. The coverage is thin. Quiet preseasons end two ways.
The 'the projection is underselling us' read -- fans betting the season beats the preview number.
The 'the model has seen the tape' counter -- efficiency ratings reward what a program has actually done, not hope.
Nothing in our corpus yet — this door stays open for when there is.
This event was in 75 of 301 board posts (25%) over the last 60 days — a fanbase consumed by it. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (65 posts): 6% positive · 72% neutral · 22% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
Florida International signed a top-83 transfer-portal class — 23 additions headlined by Alex Perry (WR) from Hawai'i and JoJo Stone (WR) from Louisville. The portal window is closed. Whether this class contributes reveals itself in August, not in rankings. Attention has moved on; what's left is the competition itself.
The 'portal class fills the gaps' believers -- upgrades at real positions of need.
The 'portal is a gamble' counter -- departure losses and the 'plug-and-play doesn't work' read.
Nothing in our corpus yet — this door stays open for when there is.
Only 14 of 301 board posts mention it — below our floor to call a community stance. Shown as texture, not a verdict.
Board health this week (65 posts): 6% positive · 72% neutral · 22% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
More in this tab
Florida International is the Conference USA program whose 2002 program founding + Mario Cristobal era + Riccardo Silva Stadium identity define what Miami-G5-football looks like.
The program ledger
since 2025Tobias Johnson commits to FIU
OT pressure flagged at #90 nationally, and Simmons goes and lands a D-lineman from Escambia — depth class or not, filling the trenches on both sides of the ball is how you rebuild identity in C-USA.
Top 3 commits
Recruiting Footprint · 2026
FL leads the 2026 class with 17 commits. National footprint reaching 3 states.
Where they recruit · 2023-2026
84 signees across 11 states, 2023-2026. FL leads the pull.
That is 5.0% of every high-school FBS signee FL produced over those cycles — the biggest share any program takes — Miami is next. The full map →
Miles from home · 2026 roster
The median Florida International player grew up 111 miles from campus.
Half this roster came from closer than that; half came from farther.
Straight-line distance from each player's listed hometown to FIU Stadium. Hometowns are placed at city-centroid precision, not street address — fine at this scale, but a player's true door-to-door number can differ by a few miles. 107 of 109 listed players have a geocoded hometown. Source: CFBD roster hometowns.
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
Losing the penalty battle: 13 penalties committed vs. 9 drawn on opponents, a 32-yard deficit.
91 penalty yards committed vs. 59 drawn on opponents, 2026 season total.
Outcome band · Florida International · 2026
Recruiting Footprint · 2026