CONFERENCE USA
Game of the week
Southern Miss. at Louisiana Tech: Louisiana Tech hosts Southern Miss. in a showdown for the West division crown and a spot in the Conference USA championship game. Both teams come in hot as Southern Miss. has won five straight games and six out of seven, while Louisiana Tech has won four straight and seven out of eight. With a win, the Bulldogs would get a second chance against East division champion Western Kentucky, having dropped a 41-38 contest on the road in the second week of the season.
Around Conference USA
FAU at Old Dominion: A week after giving the Florida Gators all they could handle, two-win Florida Atlantic heads to Virginia with nothing more than pride on the line. Meanwhile, Old Dominion looks to bounce back from a loss to Southern Miss. and earn bowl eligibility with a third win in four games.
Middle Tennessee at UTSA: A week after becoming bowl eligible, Middle Tennessee looks to continue the momentum of a three-game winning streak as they head to San Antonio to take on UTSA. The Roadrunners are riding a two-game winning streak themselves as they look to close out the season with some positive momentum for 2016.
Charlotte at Rice: As Charlotte heads to Texas to take on Rice, the 49ers look to snap a nine-game losing streak and avoid finishing winless in conference play. The Owls are looking to snap a skid themselves, having lost four straight games and six out of eight.
UTEP at North Texas: After back-to-back losses to Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech, UTEP will fall short of bowl eligibility, leaving pride all that’s left to play for as they head to Denton to take on North Texas. Meanwhile, the Mean Green look to snap a three-game losing streak, pick up a second win for the season and end the season on a positive note.