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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 11 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 11.

Team Week 11 Result Up Next
Charlotte at MTSU L, 24-14 vs LA Tech
FAU at FIU W, 52-7 at MTSU
FIU vs FAU L, 52-7 at UTEP
LA Tech at UTSA L, 51-7 at Charlotte
MTSU vs Charlotte W, 24-14 vs FAU
North Texas at UAB L, 41-21 — OFF —
Rice at WKU L, 45-10 vs UTSA
UAB vs North Texas W, 41-21 at LSU
UTEP — OFF —  — vs FIU
UTSA vs LA Tech W, 51-7 at Rice
WKU vs Rice W, 45-10 at Auburn

Notable Week 11 results – Standings

Owls implode

Rice turned the ball over a staggering six times in their road loss to Western Kentucky. The Owls controlled the ball and reached the redzone on their first two possession, but costly interceptions sent them into a spiral from which they were never able to recover.

Shula bowl statement

FAU has now won six consecutive Shula Bowl rivalry games against FIU, this one coming at a key juncture for head coach Willie Taggart, who had been facing questions regarding his job security in recent weeks. The Owls aren’t out of the woods just yet, but this win puts them within reach of a bowl berth, a must for Taggart this season.

No quarterback, no problem

Middle Tennessee was without quarterback Chase Cunningham against Charlotte on Saturday. At times, that seemed to matter, but in the end, the Blue Raiders managed to take care of business. The 49ers led 14-7 at halftime but were shut out after halftime as Nick Vattiato led three scoring drives to secure the win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

One more shot

The preseason rumors circulating around Auburn’s expected coaching change have come to fruition. Despite a win over a historically bad Texas A&M team, the Tigers aren’t infallible and Western Kentucky has plenty of firepower to work with. If Conference USA is going to pull a P5 upset, this might be the one.

“Elimination” game

UTEP and FIU are running out of time. Both programs enter this coming weekend’s matchup with 4-6 records. The Panthers might be slightly ahead of schedule, making good progress in Year 1 under head coach Mike McIntyre. UTEP had high expectations in Year 5 of Dana Dimel. Neither program can clinch a bowl berth with a win, but a loss would drop them to seven losses and no postseason opportunity.

Who’s number two?

UTSA has a two-game lead plus some tiebreakers over the rest of the conference. They’ve had a few close calls but so far, nobody has been able to unseat the defending champs. The Roadrunners will be playing in the conference championship game. For now, they need to stay healthy and figure out who they’ll be matching up with in a few weeks.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 10 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 10.

Team Week 10 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs WKU L, 59-7 at MTSU
FAU — OFF —  — at FIU
FIU at North Texas L, 52-14 vs FAU
LA Tech vs MTSU W, 40-24 at UTSA
MTSU at LA Tech L, 40-24 vs Charlotte
North Texas vs FIU W, 52-14 at UAB
Rice vs UTEP W, 37-30 at WKU
UAB vs UTSA L, 44-38 (OT) vs North Texas
UTEP at Rice L, 37-30 — OFF —
UTSA at UAB W, 44-38 (OT) vs LA Tech
WKU at Charlotte W, 59-7 vs Rice

Notable Week 10 results – Standings

Rice rallies past UTEP

The weekend started off with a bang in a thrilling back-and-forth Thursday night affair between UTEP and Rice. Both squads needed the win to move forward with realistic bowl expectations. Bradley Rozner called game with a 23-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback TJ McMahon with 25 seconds remaining in the game.

UTSA stays perfect in league play

Two conference heavyweights did not disappoint. UTSA appeared to have things salted away when Frank Harris found Zakahri Franklin in the endzone to take a 14-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Instead, UAB battled back to force overtime. Harris had the final say, though, tossing the game-winning touchdown to Joshua Cephus in 2OT.

Louisiana Tech finally finishes

The Bulldogs have come close to picking up their second conference win in recent weeks but were unable to finish, at least until Saturday. After dropping two straight overtime contests, Louisiana Tech delivered a dominant win over Middle Tennesee, putting the game out in the third quarter and coasting to the long-awaited win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Keeping pace

North Texas played UTSA to the wire, but lost, putting the Roadrunners in the driver’s seat for first place in the regular season standings. The Mean Green are still in the running for a spot in the conference championship, though, making this coming weekend’s game against UAB a must-win. If they falter, that could open the door for someone else.

Coming up next?

Western Kentucky is trying to be that someone else. The Hilltoppers’ only losses of the regular season came to UTSA and North Texas. Meanwhile at 3-2, Rice has yet to play either squad. The winner of this weekend’s game stays (mathematically) alive in that hunt.

Will bowl eliminations begin?

UTEP and Louisiana Tech each sit at six losses, needing to win out to reach the postseason. The Miners are on a bye while the Bulldogs face league-leading UTSA to keep their bowl hopes alive. It’s a tall order, but should Louisiana Tech find a way, the remainder of the conference title race could be fascinating.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 9 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 9.

Team Week 9 Result Up Next
Charlotte at Rice W, 56-23 vs WKU
FAU vs UAB W, 24-17 — OFF —
FIU vs LA Tech W, 42-34 (OT) at North Texas
LA Tech at FIU L, 42-34 (OT) vs MTSU
MTSU at UTEP W, 24-13 at LA Tech
North Texas at WKU W, 40-13 vs FIU
Rice vs Charlotte L, 56-23 vs UTEP
UAB at FAU L, 24-17 vs UTSA
UTEP vs MTSU L, 24-13 at Rice
UTSA — OFF —  — at UAB
WKU vs North Texas L, 40-13 at Charlotte

Notable Week 9 results – Standings

Panthers punch back

It looked like FIU was going to be left for dead after back-to-back uncompetitive losses to UConn and UTSA. Not so fast. The Panthers have won two in a row and find themselves at .500 in league play.  People are officially looking up at the Panthers

Fried Rice

Meanwhile in Houston, Rice did not fair nearly as well against another team that entered the weekend near the bottom of the conference standings. The Owls allowed the Charlotte 49ers to score touchdowns on seven consecutive drives with an interim head coach at the helm. The loss drops Rice to 4-5 and puts bowl prep on hold.

End of the line for Blazers’ stand-in

Bryant Vincent stepped up as the interim head coach at UAB following the sudden retirement of Bill Clark. He was to be given a real chance to keep the job for good if his team produced on the field this season. Through eight games, it seems unlikely he’s met what is (admittedly) a high standard in Birmingham. At 4-4 it would take an improbable conference title run to even reopen the conversation.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Sort-of-heavyweight rematch

UTSA vs UAB was circled on everyone’s calendars earlier in the season, but the Blazers haven’t held up their end of the bargain. Even still, the talent on the UAB roster will give the Blazers a shot to pull out a big win at home. If they do, they’ll have new life and perhaps even more importantly, reopen the conference championship race for several schools who are nipping at the Roadrunner’s heels.

Crunch time

Both UTEP and Rice had a bowl game circled as proof of continued progress this season. Rice’s loss to Charlotte put pressure on the Owls to split their final four games, which finishes at WKU, vs UTSA and at North Texas after hosting the Miners. UTEP only has three contests left and needs to take two of three from Rice, FIU and UTSA. Sufficient to say, both teams need this one bad.

Race to the bottom

By virtue of Charlotte’s win over Rice, the 49ers are no longer the clear bottom team in the conference standings. Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee are back in the conversation for the league’s most woeful team. MTSU and Louisiana Tech get the privilege of deciding that on the field. Loser sits at the bottom of the standings.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 8 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 8.

Team Week 8 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs FIU L, 34-15 at Rice
FAU at UTEP L, 24-21 vs UAB
FIU at Charlotte W, 34-15 vs LA Tech
LA Tech vs Rice L, 42-41 (OT) at FIU
MTSU — OFF —  — at UTEP
North Texas at UTSA L, 31-27 at WKU
Rice at LA Tech W, 42-41 (OT) vs Charlotte
UAB at WKU L, 20-17 at FAU
UTEP vs FAU W, 24-21 vs MTSU
UTSA vs North Texas W, 31-27 — OFF —
WKU vs UAB W, 20-17 vs North Texas

Notable Week 8 results – Standings

And then there was one

A Frank Harris touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining lifted UTSA past North Texas, 37-21 in San Antonio. The win served as revenge from last season’s upset, but it also ensured the Roadrunners would be the lone unbeaten team remaining in conference play.

Falling back to earth

After a remarkable run under head coach Bill Clark, UAB hasn’t shown nearly the same level of consistency under interim man Bryant Vincent. The Blazers picked up their third loss of the season on Saturday, falling to WKU, and sit at 2-2 in conference play through four games. Barring a late-season run, it’s not looking like the Blazers will have a seat in the championship game this season.

Top heavy?

Following Saturday’s results, there are just four teams (out of 11) with winning records in conference play: UTSA, Western Kentucky, North Texas and Rice. The Owls kept pace with that upper tier with a heart-stopping overtime victory over Louisiana Tech in Ruston this weekend. Luke McCaffrey had more than 200 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Thinning out the top

North Texas had a chance to seize control of the conference title race on Saturday, but it’s possible the Mean Green will be out of the hunt by the time the month of October concludes if things go wrong next weekend. North Texas faces Western Kentucky, also 3-1 in conference play, with the loser picking up a second loss and without a tiebreaker against UTSA.

Danger zone

Meanwhile, below that tandem in the standings, UAB and FAU meet in Boca Raton. Both have challenging schedules down the stretch and have a lot riding on this game. If there’s any chance of sneaking into a conference title game, this is their last chance to make a move. If not, it sets up the potential for a late season slide for programs picked to finish much more highly in the preseason polls.

Rising Miners?

UTEP fell out of the spotlight with a rough 1-3 start, but has quietly been pretty good since. They dropped a road game against Louisiana Tech, but have still managed to win three of their last four. A win over MTSU — which is still winless in conference play — would put them one win from bowl eligibility with games still remaining against Rice and FIU.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 7 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 7.

Team Week 7 Result Up Next
Charlotte at UAB L, 34-20 vs FIU
FAU vs Rice W, 17-14 at UTEP
FIU vs UTSA L, 30-10 at Charlotte
LA Tech at North Texas L, 47-27 vs Rice
MTSU vs WKU L, 35-17 — OFF —
North Texas vs LA Tech W, 47-27 at UTSA
Rice at FAU L, 17-14 at LA Tech
UAB vs Charlotte W, 34-20 at WKU
UTEP — OFF —  — vs FAU
UTSA vs FIU W, 30-10 vs North Texas
WKU at MTSU W, 35-17 vs UAB

Notable Week 7 results – Standings

And then there were two

There are two unbeaten teams remaining in conference play: UTSA, which prognosticators tabbed as the favorite in the preseason, and North Texas, which has quietly climbed to 3-0. The Mean Green have yet to play the Roadrunners or fellow conference powers UAB or WKU, but they’ve won the games on their schedule, setting things up for an interesting second half in Denton.

Owl on Owl slugfest

Rice had a chance to remain in the unbeaten club, but allowed 17 unanswered points to FAU on the road, spoiling their return from a bye week. Credit to FAU, who didn’t turn the ball over and found a way to grind out a tough win.

Murky middle

Conference USA football always feels like a wide-open race and the 2022 season is no exception. Six teams sit with one game of .500 as the calendar moves into late October and that includes perennial favorite UAB, which survived a scare from Charlotte on Saturday. More answers will materialize in the weeks to come, but it’s safe to say that No. 3 through No. 8 is a mess right now.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Digging out of the bottom

Sitting comfortably outside the top competitors in the conference, FIU and Charlotte meet in Week 8 in a meaningful game for both teams. The winner climbs out of the basement in the conference standings and interrupts a tough skid with more challenging opponents looming. Loser remains in search of their first conference win as the season starts to wind down.

Proving time

Both Western Kentucky and UAB have a conference loss already. And while two losses won’t eliminate either from a conference title game spot, it would make the road much more difficult. Winning this coming Saturday would be the easiest way to get back into the race and catch up with the frontrunners.

Postseason progress point

Meanwhile, in the middle of the pack, Rice travels to Louisiana Tech in a game that seems critical for both squad’s bowl aspirations. Rice enters with three wins. Louisiana Tech has two. The math to get to six gets more challenging without a win in this game, with several games remaining against some of Conference USA’s best looming for each team down the stretch.

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