It’s all there for the taking.

A Conference USA (C-USA) East Division title, home-field advantage for the conference championship, along with a virtually-assured spot in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 21 – and perhaps an even bigger bowl opportunity.

All Florida Atlantic University’s football team has to do is beat Southern Mississippi in a 3:30 p.m. game Saturday on Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium.

The game will be televised by the NFL Network.

Sounds easy for FAU (8-3 overall, 6-1 C-USA play), but Southern Mississippi (7-4, 5-2) will surely be out to wreck the party.

Southern Mississippi must beat FAU and count on Louisiana Tech (8-3, 5-2) and UAB (8-3, 5-2) to both lose to win the C-USA West Division and advance to the conference championship. New tiebreaker rules the C-USA put in play only this week, pinched Southern Mississippi over what were previous guidelines – so it has to win.

FAU – and Owls’ senior tight end Harrison Bryant – are coming off a good road win last week at the Unversity of Texas at San Antonio (4-7, 3-4), 40-26.

In that game, Bryant – one of three nationwide finalists for the John Mackey Award – caught 10 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown.

Florida Atlantic sophomore quaterback Chris Robison hit on 27 of 41 passes for 336 yards – with no interceptions. Six FAU running backs combined to grind out 191 yards on the ground as FAU’s offense made sure the Owls led from start to finish.

FAU coach Lane Kiffin says his team, in particular Bryant and Robison, are playing their best football heading into Saturday’s pivotal game.

“Obivously, the tight end (Bryant) played unbelievable (vs. UTSA),” Kiffin said earlier in the week. “The quarterback (Robison) has played great for a couple of months in a row now.

“It’s good to be playing this well, and at the right time. To run 84 plays from scrimmage and no offensive turnovers (vs. UTSA), you are going to win a lot of games.”

Defensively, FAU continues to be led by senior linebacker Rashad Smith. The team leader in sacks as a sophomore and in interceptions as a junior, Smith currently leads the FBS in fumble recoveries this season with four.

Southern Mississippi, a 28-10 loser to Western Kentucky (6-5, 5-2) at home last week, may be without several key players Saturday.

Quarterback Jack Abraham, along with starting linebackers Swayze Bozeman and Racheem Boothe, were all injured in that game and their status for Saturday is questionable for Southern Mississippi.

If You Go

Who: Southern Mississippi (7-4, 5-2) at Florida Atlantic (8-3, 6-1)

What: Conference USA game – the eighth and last for both teams. FAU won the only game in this series, 41-7, in 2013 at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Where: Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium, (Capacity 29,142) Boca Raton, FL

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

TV/Radio: NFL Network/Fox Sports 640 AM

Line: Florida Atlantic is a 8.5 point favorite

Did you Know: Senior tight ends Harrison Bryant and John Raine have caught a combined 88 passes this season – first among all FBS tight end combinations.

Photos contributed by: Bob Markey / Courtesy of www.FAUOwlsNest.com