Conference USA Football kicked off its 2020 season this weekend. Here’s the latest from the six teams in action in Week 1.
Team | Week 1 | Result | Week 2 |
Charlotte | — OFF — | — | at App State |
FAU | — OFF — | — | — OFF — |
FIU | — OFF — | — | — OFF — |
LA Tech | — OFF — | — | at Baylor |
Marshall | vs EKU | W, 59-0 | — OFF — |
MTSU | at Army | L, 42-0 | — OFF — |
North Texas | vs HBU | W, 57-31 | — OFF — |
Rice | — OFF — | — | — OFF — |
Southern Miss | vs South Alabama | L, 32-21 | — OFF — |
UAB | vs Central Arkansas | W, 45-35 | at Miami |
UTEP | vs SFA | W, 24-14 | at Texas |
UTSA | — OFF — | — | at Texas St |
WKU | — OFF — | — | at Louisville |
Notable Week 1 results – Standings
Southern Miss reminded us why we love/hate this marvelous sport
The emotional rollercoaster that was this offseason took fans through every stage of hope and despair. Eventually, when kickoff had finally arrived, most had reached a place of optimism. After months of uncertainty, football was finally here! It took less than 15 minutes of game time before Southern Miss fans were calling for a coaching change. The Golden Eagles would go on to lose to South Alabama despite being double-digit home favorites. Ouch. Welcome back, college football.
Reigning West champs look wobbly
UAB beat FCS Central Arkansas by 10 points, but the Blazers and the Bears were neck and neck through a good portion of the game. The UAB offense veered back and forth between its ups and downs, spotting UCA great field goal position, from which they capitalized. A win is a win, but UAB had better get all their rust off during practice this week before taking on Miami in Week 2.
UTEP wins!
Dana Dimel’s program is at the point where any victory is a meaningful one, even if it comes in comeback fashion against an FCS team at home. The Miners trailed Stephen F. Austin early but rallied behind the legs of Deion Hankins and the arm of Gavin Hardison to outscore their opponents 21-0 after falling behind 14-3 early in the second quarter. And hey, anything would have been better than Middle Tennessee’s disastrous outing against Army. Sheesh.
Week 2 storylines
On Deck
After sitting out Week 1 four Conference USA teams will kick off their 2020 seasons in Week 2. Oddly enough, all four begin on the road. Charlotte visits Appalachian State, Lousiana Tech takes on Baylor, UTSA travels to Texas State and WKU plays at Lousiville. The two matchups against Power 5 teams could prove to be the most interesting.
Strange scheduling
Old Dominion made waves when they became the first Conference USA team to opt-out of the 2020 season entirely. The Monarchs won’t play any games this fall, but they’ll have played as many games in the first two weeks as FIU, FAU and Rice, all of which have open dates during Week 1 and Week 2 after their originally scheduled contests were postponed.
C-USA three-peat
FIU put a feather in C-USA’s collective cap last season when the Panthers knocked off Miami. LA Tech gave the conference an encore performance, shutting out the Hurricanes 14-0 in the Independence Bowl. Should UAB topple The U next weekend, Conference USA will be able to claim three consecutive victories over one of the ACC’s most storied programs.