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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 5 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 5.

Team Week 4 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs UTEP L, 41-35 — OFF —
FAU at North Texas L, 45-28 — OFF —
FIU at New Mexico St W, 21-7 vs UConn
LA Tech — OFF —  — vs UTEP
MTSU vs UTSA L, 45-30 at UAB
North Texas vs FAU W, 45-28 — OFF —
Rice vs UAB W, 28-24 — OFF —
UAB at Rice L, 28-24 vs MTSU
UTEP at Charlotte W, 41-35 at LA Tech
UTSA at MTSU W, 45-30 vs WKU
WKU vs Troy L, 34-27 at UTSA

Notable Week 5 results – Standings

Who’s the bully now?

Much was made by the folks in Birmingham last week of Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren’s postgame comments from a year ago in which he called UAB the bully of Conference USA. Evidently, that didn’t sit well with the Blazers, who came to Houston looking for revenge. They left with a loss. Rice is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference for the first time since 2013 when they won the C-USA title.

UTEP goes East

For the first time in the long history of UTEP football. the Miners have won a game played in the Eastern Time Zone. Heading into Saturday, UTEP was 0-27 on games played on the East Coast until they beat Charlotte on the road to move to 3-3 on the season.

The only 2-0 team in Conference USA

Granted, only three teams have played multiple conference games through Week 5 and preseason favorite UTSA is 1-0 in their lone game, but North Texas currently stands atop the Conference USA standings at 2-0. For all the ire Seth Littrell has endured in recent years, his team is out to its best start in conference play since 2017.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Title Game Rematch

Points were flying and players were making plays when Western Kentucky and UTSA met up in last year’s Conference USA Football Championship game. On a week where several C-USA squads have the week off, this should prove to be one of the most compelling storylines with potentially significant ramifications on who goes back to the championship game this season.

Here’s your chance

Head coach Miike MacIntyre knew wins were going to be hard to come by in his first season at the helm at FIU. Saturday’s upset of New Mexico State notwithstanding, the Panthers’ upcoming game against UConn might be the last real opportunity for this team to scratch out a win for a while.

Staying in contention

UAB entered the season with conference championship expectations. Middle Tennessee did not, but hope ballooned upward following their big win over Miami. Now both programs sit at 0-1 in conference play. One of the two will fall to 0-2 next weekend, which won’t technically eliminate them from a conference title run, but would put those aspirations on life support at the very least.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 4 Roundup

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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.

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.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 3 Roundup

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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.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 2 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 2.

Team Week 2 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs Maryland L, 56-21 at Georgia State
FAU vs SE Louisiana W, 24-9 vs UCF
FIU at Texas St L, 41-12 — OFF —
LA Tech vs SFA W, 52-17 at Clemson
MTSU at Colorado St W, 34-19 vs Tennessee St
North Texas vs Texas Southern W, 59-27 at UNLV
Rice vs McNeese St W, 52-10 vs Louisiana
UAB at Liberty L, 21-14 vs Georgia Southern
UTEP vs New Mexico St W, 20-13 at New Mexico
UTSA at Army W, 41-38 (OT) at Texas
WKU — OFF —  — at Indiana

Notable Week 2 results – Standings

UTSA posts another thriller

Because one overtime barnburner wasn’t enough, UTSA followed up a Week 1 triple overtime loss to Houston with a Week 2 single overtime victory over Army. The Roadrunners have been all over the place in this young season thus far, but at 1-1 with a road win under their belts and Frank Harris continuing to excel, expectations remain high among the UTSA faithful.

Middle Tennesee bounces back

Everything that could go wrong went wrong for Middle Tennesee in their season-opening loss to James Madison, but the Blue Raiders have clearly put that behind them. MTSU lept out to a 27-0 halftime lead on the road against Colorado State, weathering a 19-point third quarter from the Rams to clinch their first victory of the year.

UTEP gets reprieve

The UTEP faithful entered the season with high expectations and might not have been able to stomach an 0-3 start. Leading 20-13, the Miners watched nervously as New Mexico marched down the field in the final four minutes before finally stalling out on the 13-yard line in the final seconds. It was too close for comfort, but a win is a win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Roadrunners rowdy for more?

It might behoove UTSA to keep their proclivity for exciting football games going for at least one more week. The Roadrunners travel to Austin next weekend to play a Texas team that will be licking its wounds from a near-upset of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Longhorns might be without their starting quarterback, too.

Winning record?

A week removed from their first win of the year, can Rice football make it two in a row? The Owls host Louisiana in Week 3. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a new head coach and posted modest early season wins over South Eastern Louisiana and Eastern Michigan. Riding some momentum, Rice could be in reach of their first winning record under head coach Mike Bloomgren.

Sunshine State Showdown

There’s no lack of hostility among football fans of various programs throughout the state of Florida. Needless to say, emotions will be high when UCF makes the trip to Boca Raton to play Florida Atlantic in Week 3.  The Owls take on the Knights and then the Purdue Boilermakers the week following. A win in either game would be sweet, but you can bet FAU fans really want to knock off UCF.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 1 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 1.

Team Week 1 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs William & Mary L, 41-24 vs Maryland
FAU at Ohio L, 41-38 vs SE Louisiana
FIU vs Bryant W, 38-37 (OT) at Texas St
LA Tech at Missouri L, 52-24 vs SFA
MTSU at James Madison L, 44-7 at Colorado St
North Texas vs SMU L, 48-10 vs Texas Southern
Rice at USC L, 66-14 vs McNeese St
UAB vs Alabama A&M W, 59-0 at Liberty
UTEP at Oklahoma L, 45-13 vs New Mexico St
UTSA vs Houston L, 37-35 (3OT) at Army
WKU at Hawaii W, 49-17 — OFF —

Notable Week 1 results – Standings

Charlotte stumbles and MTSU plummets

Charlotte’s 2022 season couldn’t have started out much worse. Following an injury that forced him to miss a large portion of the 49ers’ opening game loss to FAU, starting quarterback Chris Reynolds was held out of their Week 1 loss to William& Mary. The Charlotte defense was battered for four quarters and the offense simply couldn’t keep up without their leader on the field as the Niners fell to 0-2.

It could have been worse, they could have been blown out by five touchdowns by a James Madison team currently in transition to the FBS. Sorry, Middle Tennessee.

FIU escapes

FIU filtered with disaster early and often against Bryant, falling behind 16-0 early and being forced to chip away. The Panthers made the gutsy call to go for two in overtime and were able to convert the try, earning a win. Struggling with an FCS program isn’t a good way to start the season, but the Panthers’ fans will take solace in the end result — a victory — compared to their conference brethren in Charlotte.

UTSA drops thriller to Cougars

In what might be the most epic game between Group of 5 teams this season, UTSA pushed Houston to the wire at the Alamodome on Saturday afternoon. Leading by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter, UTSA was unable to quell a furious rally from Houston, ultimately falling in triple overtime. Both of the teams are going to be really, really good this year.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

No rest for the weary

Already in an early season rut, Charlotte is the only Conference USA football squad scheduled to face a Power 5 program in Week 2. They’ll have the privilege of hosting Maryland, but their home field advantage didn’t seem to matter much against William & Mary. Charlotte needs to exhibit some sort of spark to stop a flood of bad breaks this early in the year.

Home openers

Early season scheduling for Group of 5 programs typically means a lot of road trips. While several C-USA schools had their home openers in Week 0 and a few in Week 1, two schools will host their first home games of the year in Week 2: LA Tech (who hosts SFA) and Rice (who hosts McNeese State). Both will be favored at home after one-sided defeats in their season debuts.

Conference USA 2023 Preview

UTEP and New Mexico State meet this coming week for a non-conference matchup that will soon turn into an annual conference clash between two rival programs. The Miners are sticking around in C-USA next season while the Aggies make the jump up to the FBS into the league next year. Meanwhile UAB, which leaves for the American after this season, plays another future C-USA program, Liberty.

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