Rice football fell to Hawaii in Week 2 and enters their bye week 1-2. How did the rest of the conference fare and what’s next for the Conference USA football in Week 3?
| Team | Last Week | Result | This Week |
| Charlotte | vs App State | L, 45-9 | at ODU |
| FAU | vs Air Force | W, 33-27 | vs Bethune-Cookman |
| FIU | at ODU | W, 28-20 | vs UMass |
| LaTech | vs Southern | W, 54-17 | BYE |
| Marshall | vs E Kentucky | W, 32-16 | at South Carolina |
| MTSU | vs UT-Martin | W, 61-37 | at Georgia |
| North Texas | vs Incarnate Word | W, 58-16 | at Arkansas |
| ODU | vs FIU | L, 28-20 | at Charlotte |
| Rice | at Hawaii | L, 43-29 | BYE |
| Southern Miss | vs ULM | L, 21-20 | at App State |
| UAB | at Coastal Carolina | L, 47-24 | vs Tulane |
| UTEP | at UNLV | L, 52-24 | at Tennessee |
| UTSA | vs Baylor | L, 37-20 | BYE |
| WKU | vs Maine | L, 31-28 | vs Louisville |
Notable Week 2 results
Rice — Positive returns in Owls’ second tough-luck loss
A 1-2 start was what most analysts projected entering the bye week, but Rice played Hawaii tougher than anyone else has yet and came close to pulling off the upset. The rebuild at South Main is ahead of schedule
Western Kentucky – Hilltoppers collapse at home
One would think that a 21-0 lead over a Maine team that completed less than 50 percent of their passes and converted 5-of-18 third downs would be enough to secure a victory. It wasn’t. The Hilltoppers blew what could have been the first when of the season and Mike Sanford is catching flak.
UTSA – Roadrunners can’t recreate Baylor upset
A year removed from a win over the Bears, the Roadrunners did not have an answer for the speed Baylor possessed on the outside. Jalen Hurd and Denzel Mims each tallied eight catches for 130+ yards and a touchdown.
Week 3 storylines
Bounce back opportunities
Western Kentucky draws a Louisville team that benched their starting quarterback Jawan pass midway through a win over Indiana State. The talent gap is still there, but no the quarterback drama gives WKU a chance.
Charlotte gets Old Dominion in Week 3, a much easier task than an App State team that came close to upsetting Penn State in Week 1. The 49ers are looking for their first Conference win since they defeated UAB in overtime on Oct. 21, 2017.
And then there were three
Only three unbeaten Conference USA teams remain entering Week 3: Louisiana Tech, Marshall and North Texas. The Mean Green have the best chance to stay perfect — they travel to play an Arkansas squad that found a way to squad a big lead against a hapless Colorado State team in Week 2.
Can FAU continue to settle in?
The Owls were crushed in Norman by the Oklahoma Sooners to start the season but bounced back with a win over Air Force last weekend. This team is expected to compete for the Conference USA title, but there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out.
One question that doesn’t need solving? Quarterback. Redshirt sophomore Chris Robinson, who passed for 471 yards against Air Force, should be in for another big day against Bethune-Cookman.
