Rice football fell in overtime, but they weren’t the only Conference USA Football to come down on the wrong end of a close game in Week 5.
| Team | Week 5 | Result | Week 6 |
| Charlotte | vs FAU | L, 45-27 | — OFF — |
| FAU | at Charlotte | W, 45-27 | — OFF — |
| FIU | — OFF — | — | vs UMass |
| LA Tech | at Rice | W, 23-20 (OT) | — OFF — |
| Marshall | vs Cincinnati | L, 52-15 | at MTSU |
| MTSU | at No. 14 Iowa | L, 48-3 | vs Marshall |
| North Texas | vs Houston | L, 46-25 | — OFF — |
| ODU | vs East Carolina | L, 24-21 | vs WKU |
| Rice | vs Louisiana Tech | L, 23-20 (OT) | at UAB |
| Southern Miss | vs UTEP | W, 31-13 | — OFF — |
| UAB | at WKU | L, 20-13 | vs Rice |
| UTEP | at Southern Miss | L, 31-13 | vs UTSA |
| UTSA | — OFF — | — | at UTEP |
| WKU | vs UAB | W, 20-13 | at ODU |
Notable Week 5 results – Standings
South Main’s first chance at victory soured late
The bottom line was the same for Rice football in Week 5 as it was in the Owls’ first four games. Defeat. This time the Owls pushed their heartbreak further than 60 minutes, falling in overtime to Louisiana Tech in a game in which they left too many points on the board.
Blazers bow out of the ranks of the undefeated
UAB was the lone remaining unbeaten in Conference USA, but wins over Alabama State, Akron and South Alabama weren’t on par with the level of competition they’ll face in Conference USA. Finally faced with their first big test, the Blazers came up short — to a Western Kentucky team which fell to an FCS squad not that long ago. The Hilltoppers have improved a lot, but UAB fans have reason to be concerned.
FAU could be on to something
Early losses to Ohio State and UCF took the early spotlight off the Owls this season. Since then, they scored 40+ points in three consecutive games. FAU routed a quietly impressive Charlotte squad. Now 1-0 in C-USA, the Owls are squarely back in the race for a division crown, especially considering the struggles of Marshall and FIU.
Week 6 storylines
Time to sound the alarm?
Both 1-3, UTSA and UTEP meet in a telling Week 6 matchup. The winner earns their first conference victory of the season while the loser falls to 0-2 with a rigorous slate ahead of them. It’s pretty early in the season to call anything a “must win”, but both teams will have an extra push to lock this one down.
Brick by brick
It’s been a long season for FIU. The Panthers sit at 1-3 with a close win over New Hampshire their only bright spot. The road to salvaging the season and getting back on track starts Saturday against a 1-4 UMass squad who earned their first win over 0-4 Akron last week. If there’s such a thing as a must-win game, this is it.
Take 5
Thanks to the extended calendar this season, each Conference USA Football team will have two open weeks. The first big wave comes in Week 6 with five teams each taking their first open weekend at the same time — Charlotte, FAU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and Southern Miss. This is the second-most idle teams C-USA will have this season. Six teams are off in Week 12.