Conference USA Week Twelve Preview
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Louisiana Tech has now won consecutive games for the first time this season. Week eleven brought the Bulldogs a 36-13 victory over winless Southern Miss. Week twelve will see the Bulldogs travel to Houston to take on the Rice Owls.
C-USA will be in the national spotlight Thursday night on Fox Sports 1 when Marshall travels to take on Tulsa. Louisiana Tech at Rice will be the only televised C-USA game on Saturday.
Here's a look at every game involving C-USA including 2014 league members Western Kentucky and Old Dominion plus Tech's non-conference opponents. Each game includes the Vegas line and my pick to win the game. My record currently stands at 66-24.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Florida Atlantic at Southern Miss - 11:30 p.m., Not Televised
THE BUZZ: FAU didn't suffer a loss in week eleven, but it was because the Owls didn't play this past weekend. FAU had its second bye week of the season while Southern Miss traveled to Ruston to take on the Bulldogs. The Golden Eagles were far from sharp against a LA Tech defense that limited the Eagles' offense to just 13 points. Southern Miss is still seeking that all elusive first victory.
THE LINE: FAU by 17
THE PICK: FAU
UAB at East Carolina - 12:00 p.m., Not Televised
THE BUZZ: Just one week removed from being narrowly defeated by Middle Tennessee, the Blazers were throttled by Marshall. The UAB offense was only able to muster 14 points while the defense allowed 56. ECU defeated Tulsa by a score of 58-24, a game which was completely dominated by the Pirates in the second half. The Pirates should have no trouble handling the Blazers of UAB.
THE LINE: ECU by 26.5
THE PICK: ECU
Campbell at Old Dominion - 12:00 p.m., Not Televisedw
THE BUZZ: Old Dominion got its seventh win of the season and its first against an FBS opponent. The Monarchs came out victorious over Idaho by a score of 59-38. The Old Dominion defense gave up 21 points in the first quarter but settled in after the opening stanza and the Monarchs' offense separated themselves from Idaho in the second half.
THE LINE: N/A
THE PICK: Old Dominion
Louisiana Tech at Rice - 6:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network
THE BUZZ: Louisiana Tech won its fourth game and second consecutive, defeating Southern Miss by a score of 36-13. The Bulldogs had success on the ground against Southern Miss; sophomore runningback Kenneth Dixon finished with over 200 yards rushing and LA Tech finished with over 300 yards rushing as a team. Rice will field a defense that is ranked ninth in the conference against the run giving up over 190 rushing yards per game; the Bulldogs are averaging 193 rushing yards per game. This game will match up LA Tech's strength against Rice's weakness.
THE LINE: Rice by 17
THE PICK: LA Tech
FIU at UTEP - 7:00 p.m., Not Televised
THE BUZZ: FIU was blanked by Middle Tennessee losing 48-0 and turning the ball over four times. The Miners didn't fare much better; UTEP was defeated by North Texas by a score of 41-7 in a game that was never close. The Miners, led by true freshman Mack Leftwich, was only able to muster 184 yards of offense. This could be a very close game between two teams who are 1-8 on the season and don't have much left to play for.
THE LINE: UTEP by 6
THE PICK: FIU