A big road for Rice football was the highlight of Week 12. The latest from this weekend of Conference USA Football as title races begin to wind down.
| Team | Week 12 | Result | Week 13 |
| Charlotte | — OFF — | — | vs Marshall |
| FAU | — OFF — | — | at UTSA |
| FIU | — OFF — | — | vs Miami |
| LA Tech | at Marshall (Fri) | L, 31-10 | at UAB |
| Marshall | vs LA Tech (Fri) | W, 31-10 | at Charlotte |
| MTSU | vs Rice | L, 31-28 | vs Old Dominion |
| North Texas | — OFF — | — | at Rice |
| Old Dominion | — OFF — | — | at MTSU |
| Rice | at MTSU | W, 31-28 | vs North Texas |
| Southern Miss | vs UAB | W, 36-17 | vs WKU |
| UAB | vs UTEP | W, 37-10 | vs LA Tech |
| UTEP | at UAB | L, 37-10 | at New Mexico St |
| UTSA | vs Southern Miss | L, 36-17 | vs FAU |
| WKU | — OFF — | — | at Southern Miss |
Notable Week 12 results – Standings
Rice Wins
It took 10 tries, but Rice Football finally put one in the win column in 2019. The Owls came out of the gates white-hot, following a field goal with four first-half touchdowns to stake a 31-14 halftime lead. The points would hold, giving the Owls the first road win of the Mike Bloomgren era.
LaTech vs Marshall
What should have been a battle of C-USA heavyweights ended in a Friday night dud. Louisiana Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith and star wideout Adrian Hardy were suspended against Marshall, silencing the Bulldogs’ offense on the road. Louisiana Tech still controls their own destiny in the West, but the defeat puts added pressure on the players who will suit up next week.
Ruh-roh Roadrunners
Entering the weekend, UTSA had yet to beat a team with a winning record. The Roadrunners needed to knock off at least two in their next three games to clinch bowl eligibility and stave off the pressure bearing down on head coach Frank Wilson. Not only did they fall to Southern Miss, they posted a program-worst home attendance in defeat.
Week 13 storylines
Wild, Wild West
As if things weren’t wild enough through the first 12 weeks of Conference-USA play, the next slate of games could thrust an entire division into chaos. Louisiana Tech beat Southern Miss. Southern Miss beat UAB. UAB can complete the circle with a win over Louisana Tech next weekend. If the Blazers they’ll set up the potential for a three-way tie in the division.
What will Western do?
East Division contender Western Kentucky could play a significant role in who represents the West in the conference championship game. They host Southern Miss, who could take the pole position in the West if they beat a J’Mar Smith-less Louisiana Tech on Saturday. If UAB and WKU, there will be three teams atop the west with identical 5-2 conference records.
Road warriors
FAU holds the tiebreaker over Marshall in the East, but both teams share 5-1 records. Each will go on the road before finishing their seasons in front of their home fans. Both need a win to keep pace in the divisional race. If one stumbles, the other could have their half of the conference locked down prior to the final weekend of the regular season.
