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FIU Panthers’ schedule review: Will it be a winning season in Year 3 for Mike MacIntyre?

walter villa
·5 min read

This is Year Three for FIU coach Mike MacIntyre, which is about the time he usually makes his move. Look for that trend to continue in 2024. Th bold prediction here is that FIU will finish its regular season at 8-4, qualifying for a bowl game for the first time since 2019.

▪ Aug. 31 at Indiana (3:30 p.m., Big 10 Network): Lindy’s Magazine picks the Hoosiers to finish last in the newly-expanded 18-team Big Ten. Over the past three years, Indiana is 9-27 overall and 3-24 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have thus brought in a new coach, Curt Cignetti, 63. Last year, he led James Madison to an 11-3 record, winning honors as the Sun Belt Coach of the Year. He has brought in quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a three-year starter at Ohio and the 2022 Mid-American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. Indiana has a star receiver in Donavan McCulley, but 14 defensive players hit the transfer portal after Cignetti was hired. Indiana, 38-35.

▪ Sept. 7 vs. Central Michigan (6 p.m., ESPN+): The Chippewas, who went 5-7 last year, are the opponent for FIU’s home opener. After beating Washington State in the 2021 Sun Bowl, CMU is just 9-15 over the past two seasons. The Chippewas are an offensive-minded team, led by dual-threat QB Bert Emanuel Jr., running back Marion Lukes and wide receiver Jesse Prewitt III. FIU, 31-30.

▪ Sept. 14 at Florida Atlantic (6 p.m., ESPN+): The Owls lead this rivalry – known as the Shula Bowl – 16-4. The game has been played almost every year since 2002, but the teams did not meet last season as the Owls have now bolted out of Conference USA. FAU has an active six-game win streak over FIU, beating the Panthers by no fewer than 19 points in each of those contests. This year, the Owls have been picked to finish 10th in the 14-team American Athletic Conference. The Owls boast one of the AAC’s top-10 NFL prospects in senior center Federico Maranges. But the Owls – who went 4-8 last season -- return just six starters and only one on offense. FIU, 42-21.

▪ Sept. 21 vs. Monmouth (6 p.m., ESPN+): Kevin Callahan, 69, is the only head coach in Hawks football history. The Hawks started play in 1993, and they compete as an FCS program. They went 4-7 last season. FIU, 27-17.

▪ Sept. 28 vs. Louisiana Tech (TBA): Done with non-conference play, FIU takes on the Bulldogs, who beat the Panthers 22-17 in Louisiana last year. With star wide receiver/kick returner Smoke Harris off to the CFL, the Panthers will get a shot at revenge on their home field. FIU, 28-20.

▪ Oct. 8 at Liberty (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network): The Panthers play their first Tuesday night game of the season, facing the reigning Conference USA champs on national television. With NFL prospects such as quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back Quinton Cooley, Liberty will likely be the best team FIU faces all season. After all, Liberty went 13-0 last year before losing to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Liberty, 45-16.

▪ Oct. 16 at Texas-El Paso (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network): The Panthers hit the road again, this time for their first Wednesday night game of the year. The Miners will be led by energetic new coach Scotty Walden, 34. He was the head coach at Austin Peay the past four years, producing four straight winning seasons at the FCS level, including a 9-3 record in 2023. He has brought 10 transfers to UTEP from Austin Peay, including running back Jevon Jackson, who last year rushed for 1,373 yards, ranking fifth at the FCS level. FIU, 24-20.

Florida International University running back Lexington Joseph (8) runs the ball during the first half of a football game against Middle Tennessee at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, October 10, 2020.
Florida International University running back Lexington Joseph (8) runs the ball during the first half of a football game against Middle Tennessee at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

▪ Oct. 22 vs. Sam Houston (7:30 p.m., ESPNU): This is yet another mid-week game on national TV for FIU as it will be played on a Tuesday night. The Panthers beat Sam Houston 33-27 on the road last year, and they should prevail again. The Bearkats, a second-year FBS program, have an experienced QB in Central Michigan transfer Jase Bauer. FIU, 31-21.

▪ Oct. 29 vs. New Mexico State (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network): This will be FIU’s fourth and final midweek game of the season – a Tuesday night affair. The Aggies have been to two straight bowl games. Not bad for a program that suffered through a 57-year bowl drought that finally ended in 2017. However, the Aggies lost a ton of talent from last season. FIU, 28-6.

▪ Nov. 16 at Jacksonville State (2 p.m., TV TBA): In their first year as an FBS program, the Gamecocks went 9-4, including a 34-21 bowl win over Louisiana. This year, they have added Connecticut transfer Zion Turner, a quarterback who played his high school ball at Broward County’s St. Thomas Aquinas. Turner ran with the first string all spring. Jacksonville State, 31-24.

▪ Nov. 23 at Kennesaw State (TBA): FIU’s final road game of the season could be its easiest as the Owls are in their first year in Conference USA and have been picked to finish last in the league. Davis Bryson, new as the Owls’ starting QB, is a dangerous runner. FIU, 30-9.

▪ Nov. 30 vs. Middle Tennessee (TBA): The Blue Raiders last year routed FIU 40-6, and they will look to ruin the Panthers’ 2024 regular-season finale, too. This will be a homecoming for Middle Tennessee QB Nicholas Vattiato, who played for Broward County’s University School. Middle Tennessee 30, FIU 24.