Tess Quinlan

USA TODAY Sports

Conference USA has hired a public relations firm to help promote the conference and make Marshall's case with respect to the first College Football Playoff.

Brener Zwikel & Associates, which counts the Rose Bowl, Los Angeles Dodgers and Speedo as clients, sent out a release highlighting the Thundering Herd's undefeated record, standing in the Amway Coaches Poll and their non-Power Five conference affiliation.

"The Conference USA office did that on behalf of the membership," said Jason Corriher, Marshall's football sports information director. "Right now, we're the ones that they've used to pursue some publicity for the league because of our national ranking. And it helped our cause and our league."

The statement, which was released just days days before the first college football Playoff committee rankings are published next Tuesday, also featured statistics about star quarterback Rakeem Cato, Marshall's three undefeated seasons, and a plea to consider the squad for the College Football Playoff.

The Thundering Herd, 7-0 and ranked No. 22 in the Amway Coaches Poll, have a strong chance to finish the regular season unbeaten. Marshall hosts Florida Atlantic on Saturday.