Conference USA was dealt a big blow this weekend, by itself.  UTEP’s shocking defeat of Houston blew the Cougars right out of the polls, the national picture, and any chance of getting into the BCS money.  Out of conference was a 50-50 split, with Tulane upsetting Army and SMU falling to TCU after keeping things close in the early going.

In conference play, Tulsa handled Rice, East Carolina dispatched Marshall is a close game, UCF scored 23 unanswered to drop Memphis to 0-2 in the league, and of course UTEP brought Houston to 4-1 but 0-1 in the conference.

Conference USA Standings

What We Learned This Week

Houston has a problem, and it’s the defense.  Even in CUSA, it’s tough to score 41 and still lose by 17 points.  UTEP’s running back went off, leaving any running back with a pulse giddy about seeing Houston on their schedule.

East Carolina is building momentum after a bad out of conference start, and has the inside track in the East.  With every other East team already sitting on a loss, ECU has a major jump start in the race to the conference game.

Tulsa is back in the driver’s seat as the team to beat.  They’ll get a chance to surprise Boise State next week, then their November 7 game gets a big red circle, when Houston comes to town.

Memphis is famous for bad starts and big comebacks, but they’re digging a hole that’s probably too big to dig out of now.  Seven games to go, three losses away from sitting out the postseason, and they have a brutal schedule- UTEP, Southern Miss, ECU, Tennessee, Houston, and Tulsa all on the list- I don’t see Memphis making the turnaround this year, and they could wind up with three wins or less.

Conference USA Power Rankings

1. Tulsa
2. East Carolina
3. Houston
4. UTEP
5. UAB
6. SMU
7. Southern Mississippi
8. Marshall
9. UCF
10. Tulane
11. Memphis
12. Rice