University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Finishes in Top 20 in Both Major Polls
1/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 10, 2012
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss football program garnered a spot in the final rankings of both national polls for the first time in 12 seasons with their release following Monday night's BCS National Championship game.
Southern Miss finished No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches' poll, while earning a No. 20 position in the Associated Press Top 25. The rankings are the highest for the Golden Eagles in both respective polls for the season.
The Golden Eagles secured their final ranking by capturing a school-record total for victories in a season, ending the 2011 campaign with a 12-2 mark and their fifth Conference USA title as they defeated Houston, 49-28, in the league's title game back in early December.
The program went on to beat WAC representative, Nevada, 24-17, in the school's first-ever appearance in the Hawai'i Bowl. It snapped a two-game bowl losing streak for the Golden Eagles.
In 1999, Southern Miss finished No. 13 in the coaches' poll and No. 14 in voting by the AP.
During the 2011 season, the Golden Eagles appeared in the USA Today poll seven different times, while holding a spot in the AP Top 25 five times.
Southern Miss also finished No. 21 in the BCS Rankings. The team did not move up any spots from the previous release period following the C-USA championship game at the completion of the regular season.
