Conference awards don't win football games, but they can be indicative of how the season went.
New Mexico Bowl-bound UTEP landed its largest haul of first-teamers since 2016. Sophomore receiver Jacob Cowing and sophomore defensive end Prause Amaewhule were honored as first team All-Conference USA, the first time UTEP has had multiple first-team selections since Aaron Jones, Will Hernandez and Hayden Plinke were honored in 2016.
Linebacker Breon Hayward was second team for the Miners, whose 7-5 record marked their best season and first bowl bid since 2014.
"I'm really, really pleased about Cowing getting first team, what a great player he is," coach Dana Dimel said.