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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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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 0 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 0.

Team Week 0 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs FAU L,43-13 vs William & Mary
FAU at Charlotte W, 43-13 at Ohio
FIU — OFF —  — vs Bryant
LA Tech — OFF —  — at Missouri
MTSU — OFF —  — at James Madison
North Texas at UTEP W, 31-13 vs SMU
Rice — OFF —  — at USC
UAB — OFF —  — vs Alabama A&M
UTEP vs North Texas L,31-13 at Oklahoma
UTSA — OFF —  — vs Houston
WKU vs Austin Peay W, 38-27 at Hawaii

Notable Week 0 results – Standings

WKU survives

When the fourth quarter began in Bowling Green this past Saturday, WKU was nursing a one-point lead against an FCS squad. The Tops turned stepped on the gas, forced some turnovers and got more touchdowns from quarterback Austin Reed to put things away, but it wasn’t the comfortable opener they might have been hoping for.

FAU pummels Charlotte

Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds was knocked out of this game early on. By the time he was able to re-enter the game at the start of the second half, Charlotte trailed 26-7. Outside of a few highlight reel plays by Charlotte wideout Grant Dubose, this was all FAU all day. Five different Owls scored touchdowns, including defensive back Justin McKithen. Dubose’s second touchdown was incredible, though.

UTEP fizzles against North Texas

Much was made of the Miners’ expectations entering the 2022 season. Perennial cellar dwellars, the program was picked to finish in the middle of the pack this year and opened the season with a sell-out home crowd against fellow middle-ranked North Texas. The Mean Green marched up and down the field and stifled the UTEP offense for much of the night. It still might be a good year in El Paso, but this wasn’t a performance anyone will look kindly upon in the future.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Lonestar Showdowns

Conference USA will host a pair of Lonestar-sized rivalry games to kick off the 2022 season. UTSA hosts AAC favorite Houston (2:30 PM CT) at the Alamodome while North Texas welcomes crosstown rival SMU (6:30 PM CT) to Denton. Both of these games should be worth tuning into for those that have the chance.

Heavy underdogs take their shots

Paycheck games will always be a part of Conference USA football schedules. Week 1 features three such games. Rice travels to USC, Louisiana Tech plays at Missouri and UTEP visits Oklahoma. C-USA always seems to manage a P5 upset at least once throughout the year. All of these project to be long shots, but crazier things have happened.

Early season tune-ups

On the other end of the spectrum, UAB will ease into its 2022 campaign with a tune-up game against Alabama A&M and Charlotte will play their second game of the season against William and Mary. Middle Tennesee also draws an FCS team in Week 1, but the transitioning James Madison is a much more challenging opponent.


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