Rice football fell again, but Louisiana Tech and Marshall’s big victories highlighted a defining weekend for Conference USA Football.
| Team | Week 8 | Result | Week 9 |
| Charlotte | at WKU | L, 30-14 | vs North Texas |
| FAU | vs Marshall | L, 36-31 | at Old Dominion |
| FIU | vs UTEP | W, 32-17 | at MTSU |
| LA Tech | vs Southern Miss | W, 45-30 | at UTEP |
| Marshall | at FAU | W, 36-31 | vs WKU |
| MTSU | at North Texas | L, 33-30 | vs FIU |
| North Texas | vs MTSU | W, 33-30 | at Charlotte |
| Old Dominion | at UAB | L, 38-14 | vs FAU |
| Rice | at UTSA | L, 31-27 | vs Southern Miss |
| Southern Miss | at LA Tech | L, 45-30 | at Rice |
| UAB | vs Old Dominion | W, 38-14 | — OFF — |
| UTEP | at FIU | L, 32-17 | vs LA Tech |
| UTSA | vs Rice | W, 31-27 | — OFF — |
| WKU | vs Charlotte | W, 30-14 | at Marshall |
Notable Week 8 results – Standings
Rice running out of ways to lose
Rice scored first, led at halftime and led in the fourth quarter. But once more, the Owls were unable to seal the deal and come away with the victory. UTSA stunned the visiting Owls, turning away a last-minute fourth quarter drive with back-to-back sacks to secure the home victory. Meanwhile, Rice, who was favored in the game, falls to 0-7 on the season.
Look out for LA Tech
The only Conference USA team to receiver any votes in the Week 7 AP Poll, Louisiana Tech cemented their place atop the conference with a shootout win over Southern Miss. Eagles’ quarterback Jack Abraham was picked off four teams, including a dagger pick-six from Tech’s Ezekiel Barnett to ice the game in the fourth quarter.
North Texas survives
Held together by baling wire and duct tape, Mason Fine won’t quit. The battered North Texas passer through for 375 yards and a touchdown, adding a score on the ground in a thrilling win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday. MTSU tied the game with 28 seconds to play before Fine drove the field to set up an Ethan Mooney game-winner as time expired.
Week 9 storylines
Marshall back in the mix?
Entering the game at 3-3 with a disappointing loss to Middle Tennessee in their C-USA opener, Marshall has won back-to-back games for the first time and has put themselves back in the mix in for the C-USA East crown. A win over WKU next week would put them in the driver’s seat despite the rough start to the season.
More than Will Healy bargained for
A trendy preseason pick to be better than expected in C-USA East, Charlotte has had a tough go of it in the last few weeks. After taking two of their first three with wins over Gardner Webb and UMass, the 49ers have lost four straight, including three conference games by a combined score of 123-64. If Charlotte can’t turn things around in next week’s game against a hot-and-cold North Texas squad, they might not any time soon.
Monarchs marching further and further from improvement
Bobby Wilder recently called himself the coach of the best 1-5 team in the country. By his calculations, he’s probably now the coach of the best 1-6 squad which could be 1-7 soon if they can’t figure things out on offense. FAU is allowed 25.3 points per game against conference foes while Old Dominion is averaging 16.5.
