Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 4.
| Team | Week 4 | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | at South Carolina | L, 56-20 | vs UTEP |
| FAU | at Purdue | L, 28-26 | at North Texas |
| FIU | at WKU | L, 73-0 | at New Mexcio St |
| LA Tech | at South Alabama | L, 38-14 | — OFF — |
| MTSU | at Miami | W, 45-31 | vs UTSA |
| North Texas | at Memphis | L, 44-34 | vs FAU |
| Rice | at Houston | L, 34-27 | vs UAB |
| UAB | — OFF — | — | at Rice |
| UTEP | vs Boise St | W, 27-10 | at Charlotte |
| UTSA | vs Texas So. | W, 52-24 | at MTSU |
| WKU | vs FIU | W, 73-0 | vs Troy |
Notable Week 4 results – Standings
Upset in the Desert
Early in the week, the sky felt like it might start falling in El Paso. Sitting at 1-3 with a matchup looming against Boise State (which thumped UTEP 54-13 last season) had folks in the desert on high alert. Instead, celebrations ensued as the Miners handled the Broncos with surprising ease, righting their season and sending shockwaves through the country late Friday night.
Upset at the Beach
UTEP’s wasn’t the only shocker of the weekend in Conference USA. The next day Middle Tennessee blasted a raked Miami team in their own stadium, dropping 45 points on the Hurricanes and doing it in style. The Blue Raiders completed a 71-yard touchdown pass, an 89-yard pass, a 69-yard pass and a 98-yard touchdown pass on their way to the emphatic victory.
SAY IT LOUDER @CoachStock 🗣#BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/HK36kIjC8b
— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) September 25, 2022
Several more near-misses
Those would be the only major upsets for the conference this weekend, but several other C-USA squads came close. Rice led Houston in the fourth quarter of the Bayou Bucket and had what could have been the game-tying touchdown fall incomplete in the endzone. Florida Atlantic took Purdue to the brink on the road while Charlotte gave South Carolina a scare, entering halftime down just one score.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
Buckle Up in Murfreesboro
UTSA pushed past an early scare against Texas Southern this weekend and went on to win with relatively comfort, but that paled in comparison to Middle Tennessee’s historic win. Picked to finish significantly higher in the standings than the Blue Raiders, the Roadrunners had better get back to the film room quickly. Their next game just got a lot tougher.
Battling for a bowl
Charlotte has one win on the season. UTEP has two. Both programs have a long way to go if they’re going to reach bowl eligibility and while it wouldn’t be too surprising if one of them were able to get hot and make a run, that task gets harder for the loser of this game. We’re way too early in the season for this to be a make-or-break contest, but the margin gets thinner for the team that comes out behind in this one.
Bring on the rematch
Rice shocked the country when they knocked off UAB last season. To do so required nearly a perfect effort, excelling in all phases, which resulted in the narrowest of margins. Rice might not have put together a perfect game yet this season, but early returns suggest the Owls might be feisty enough to battle with the Blazers regardless. Winner might just have a shot at a deep C-USA run.
