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Charlotte - J. Cole: This NC native is rising rapidly in popularity just like the 49ers upstart program. We'll see if two televised Friday games in 2015 will provide Charlotte with the same exposure as J Cole's Friday Night Lightsmixtape.
FIU - T Pain: Much like T Pain's liberal use of autotune to hide his flat voice, FIU is able to mask their program's ineptitude with their access to lots of exceptional Florida talent.
FAU - Rick Ross: While the now slimmed-down big man (thanks RossFit) may reside in Miami instead of Boca Raton, FAU's gorgeous campus and modern facilities line up with Rozay's much-documented opulence.
LA Tech - Lil Wayne: The Louisiana native has sustained one of the most successful rap careers in history and the Bulldogs provide a long-running winning tradition that even a shameless bandwagon fan like Weezy could be proud of.
Marshall - Pusha T: We're barely crossing over state boundaries to pluck out a Virginia rapper here but it's a surprisingly good fit. Pusha is one of the most vicious rappers in the game right now. Much like how Pusha uses sly wordplay and vivid details to paint memorable scenes in his lyrics, Marshall uses deep passes and big plays on the ground to leave your team with a loss that they'll remember for a while.
MTSU - Young Buck: Hard to say what's changed more often: MTSU's legal name or Young Buck's label affiliation.
UNT - RiFF RaFF: In a state where hardcore gangster rap reigns supreme, Houston native RiFF RaFF stands out as a lovable neon oddball. I think the comparison works because UNT is full of art and music students which causes it to lean way far to the left on the political scale in comparison to neighbors TCU and SMU.
ODU - Missy Elliot: It's been quite a few years since Missy was blazing trails as a female rapper but she's been creeping back into the public consciousness in a bit of a career revival. The Virginian showed the world she's still got it by stealing the Super Bowl limelight from Katy Perry this year. ODU knows a thing or two about resurrections. The Monarchs took a 68 year hiatus from the game before returning to some pretty solid success. Get your freak on, ODU.
Rice - Bun B: Well this is the easiest call on the list. The former UGK legend and unofficial mayor of Houston is a guest lecturer at Rice.
USM - Afroman: "I was going to dominate CUSA but then I hired Ellis Johnson"
UAB - Gucci Mane: The second easiest call on the list. #FreeGucci #FreeUAB
UTEP - Willie D: Before he was exchanging bars with Scarface in Geto Boys, Willie D was the Golden Gloves champion for the entire state of Texas. Sean Kugler is implementing a tough, blue collar system that lines up with Willie's upbringing.
UTSA - Travis $cott: Scott has gone from a no-name Houston producer to crafting beats for Jay Z and Kanye West overnight. Some critics say that Scott has risen to relevance thanks to his industry connections rather than through his skill set, much like how critics knock UTSA for moving up through conference realignment quickly thanks to their high enrollment and large market. It doesn't hurt that Scott attended UTSA before dropping out to kickstart his rap career.
WKU - Nappy Roots: I'll admit to knowing very little about Kentucky or its culture but Nappy Roots is the only rapper or rap group I could find from Kentucky so they kind of win by default. Sometimes the perfect candidate runs unchallenged.