Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 3.
| Team | Week 3 | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | at Georgia State | W, 42-41 | at South Carolina |
| FAU | vs UCF | L, 40-14 | at Purdue |
| FIU | — OFF — | — | at WKU |
| LA Tech | at Clemson | L, 48-20 | at South Alabama |
| MTSU | vs Tennessee St | W, 49-6 | at Miami |
| North Texas | at UNLV | L, 58-27 | at Memphis |
| Rice | vs Louisiana | W, 33-21 | at Houston |
| UAB | vs Georgia So. | W, 35-21 | — OFF — |
| UTEP | at New Mexico | L, 27-10 | vs Boise St |
| UTSA | at Texas | L, 41-20 | vs Texas So. |
| WKU | at Indiana | L, 33-30 (OT) | vs FIU |
Notable Week 3 results – Standings
Streak Snapped
The nation’s longest winning streak ended on Saturday night in Houston, Texas as Rice football took down Louisiana in what was the biggest home win of head coach Mike Bloomgren’s tenure. Early turnovers kept the game close for a while but quarterback TJ McMahon rebounded for a strong second half and the team rode a dominant defensive performance to the upset. Conference USA went 3-0 against the Sun Belt this weekend.
So close…
Western Kentucky was in the driver’s seat in the fourth quarter against Indiana and let one slip away. Leading by eight points with less than two minutes to play, the Hilltoppers watched the Hoosiers march the length of the field and converted a two-point try to tie it up. Then WKU missed what would have been a walk-off-field goal. Indiana won in overtime.
The seesaw continues
Florida Atlantic opened their 2022 season with a lopsided victory over Charlotte, who would go on to struggle severely until quarterback Chris Reynolds was back in the lineup. Since then the Owls have lost to Ohio, beaten SE Louisiana and lost decidedly to UCF. They’ve only played one truly competitive game this season and lost. How good is this team? The jury might still be out.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
Battlin’ for the Bucket
It’s been an up-and-down non-conference run for Rice football and crosstown rival Houston. Both the Owls and the Cougs will be looking for a win as they enter the conference portion of their schedules. The Cougars will likely be favored and have dominated the rivalry in recent years, but the Owls have shown some fight over their last few games while Houston just lost to Kansas at home. This one could get interesting.
Miners enter make-or-break stretch
UTEP had high expectations entering the 2022 season, but the Miners sit at 1-3 through four games and needed a redzone stop to secure their lone victory. They draw Boise State at home next week in a game in which they’re likely to be heavy underdogs. That could drop their record to 1-4. More winnable games are on the horizon, but UTEP is running out of margin, quickly.
Litmus test game
Louisiana Tech is three games into the Sunny Cumbie era with a challenging road trip looming at South Alabama. If the Bulldogs want to reach a bowl berth, a 2-2 split in nonconference play would be ideal. It won’t come easy. The Panthers took UCLA to the brink on the road on Saturday, falling 32-31.
