Rice football gave North Texas a scare, but dropped the road contest in Denton, Tx. How did the rest of the conference fare and what’s next for Conference USA football in Week 10?
| Team | Last Week | Result | This Week |
| Charlotte | vs Southern Miss | W, 20-17 | at Tennessee |
| FAU | vs LaTech | L, 21-13 | at FIU |
| FIU | at WKU | W, 38-17 | vs FAU |
| LaTech | at FAU | W, 21-13 | at Mississippi State |
| Marshall | — OFF — | — | at Southern Miss |
| MTSU | at ODU | W, 51-17 | vs WJU |
| North Texas | vs Rice | W, 41-17 | — OFF — |
| ODU | vs MTSU | L, 51-17 | — OFF — |
| Rice | at North Texas | L, 41-17 | vs UTEP |
| Southern Miss | at Charlotte | L, 20-17 | vs Marshall |
| UAB | at UTEP | W, 19-0 | vs UTSA |
| UTEP | vs UAB | L, 19-0 | at Rice |
| UTSA | — OFF — | — | at UAB |
| WKU | vs FIU | L, 38-17 | at MTSU |
Notable Week 9 results
Rice came close
The process continues to churn for Rice football in 2018. The Owls have lost eight consecutive games, but each successive contest feels more and more winnable. Rice was tied 17-17 with North Texas with minutes to play in the third quarter before a late rally turned the game into a blowout. It’s only a matter of time before this team breaks through.
The Lane Kiffin hype train is off the tracks
When Lane Kiffin signed his 10-year contract last season people balked. How could Kiffin stay at FAU that long? Losing appears to be the answer. The former NFL and college coach has only dirtied his resume this year with a few high-profile losses and no shot at a conference title. Kiffin could very well turn it around, but at the moment he seems to be fighting an uphill battle.
Conference USA East is pretty good
Outside of a hapless Western Kentucky team and a woefully inconsistent ODU squad the rest of CUSA East is looking fairly competitive. Charlotte’s win over Southern Miss made for the fourth team in that division with three wins or more in conference play. The 49ers weren’t supposed to be here, and they’re two games better than FAU. Nothing makes sense, but that’s where we are.
Week 10 storylines
Who will rule the sunshine state?
FAU was projected to be the favorite in the East, instead, it’s FIU that sits atop the division at the midpoint of conference play. The two Florida schools meet in Week 10 with bragging rights on the line. A win against their in-state rivals would do wonders for the Panthers’ momentum.
Battle for the bottom
UTEP and Rice meet in Houston with last place in CUSA West on the line. Neither of these schools have a win in conference play and Rice’s only win came two months ago in Week 0. Both of these schools are in rebuilding mode, but proving progress is being made will be extremely important for both Mike Bloomgren and Dana Dimel.
SEC surprise?
There will be a handful of SEC matchups with CUSA teams in the month of November. Both Charlotte (at Tennesee) and Louisiana Tech (at Mississippi State) will get their crack at an upset in Week 10. Both teams have shown some punch this season, but a win over an SEC school would be a tall order. Nevertheless, that’s why they play the games.
