Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 9.
| Team | Week 9 | Result | Week 10 |
| Charlotte | at Duke | L, 53-19 | at MTSU |
| FAU | vs UTSA | W, 24-3 | vs WKU |
| FIU | vs Marshall | CANCELED | at UTEP |
| LA Tech | vs UAB | W, 37-34 (OT) | at North Texas |
| Marshall | at FIU | CANCELED | vs UMass |
| MTSU | — OFF — | — | vs Charlotte |
| North Texas | at UTEP | CANCELED | vs LA Tech |
| Rice | at Southern Miss | W, 30-6 | vs UTSA |
| Southern Miss | vs Rice | L, 30-6 | vs N Alabama |
| UAB | at Louisiana Tech | L, 37-34 (OT) | — OFF — |
| UTEP | vs North Texas | CANCELED | vs FIU |
| UTSA | at FAU | L, 24-3 | at Rice |
| WKU | at BYU | L, 41-10 | at FAU |
Notable Week 9 results – Standings
That didn’t last long
Week 8 marked the first time this season that Conference USA had no games canceled and all teams planning to play this season underway. That brief honeymoon lasted a few days before two Week 9 games were canceled, including a highly contentious postponement between North Texas and UTEP.
Welcome to the win column
Rice football shook the rust off quickly. Following an overtime loss to Middle Tennessee, Rice crushed a downtrodden Southern Miss squad on their third head coach of the season. The Owls kept Southern Miss out of the endzone, allowing just two field goals. That marks the first time Southern Miss has failed to score a touchdown in a game since 2014.
Wild, wild west
Marshall still holds a commanding lead in the East, but C-USA west is officially wide open thanks to Louisiana Tech’s overtime victory over UAB in Week 9. Now four teams: UAB, Louisiana Tech, UTSA and Rice have records of .500 or better in conference play. If things stay tight, a yet to be officially rescheduled UAB visit to Rice could have division title implications.
Week 10 storylines
One is better than none
Marshall has dealt with the impacts of 2020 scheduling as well as could be expected. The Thundering Herd added a game against UMass midseason which, although it should be an easy win, will have the added bonus of keeping Marshall from another multi-week bye, an oddity multiple C-USA teams have already had to deal with to this point.
Texas-sized tussle
When Rice and UTSA met last season the two teams were a combined 1-10 against their other 11 FBS opponents. It was a race to the bottom of the conference standings. This time around, the winner will keep themselves among the leaders in the West. What a difference one year can make.
At the bottom
With Rice picking up their first victory in Week 9 against Southern Miss, there are only two remaining teams without a conference win: FIU and UTEP. One of those will be walking away a victor next week when FIU visits El Paso, assuming that game is played as scheduled.
Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report
A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.
