UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Bryant at FIU (ESPN3) 6 pm
LA Tech at Missouri (ESPNU) 7 pm
Alabama A&M at UAB (CBSSN) 7 pm
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
William & Mary at Charlotte (ESPN3) 6 pm
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
No. 24 Houston at UTSA (CBSSN) 2:30 pm
UTEP at No. 9 Oklahoma (FOX) 2:30 pm
Florida Atlantic at Ohio (ESPN+) 5 pm
Middle Tennessee at James Madison (ESPN+) 5 pm
Rice at No. 14 USC (Pac-12 Network) 5 pm
SMU at North Texas (CBSSN) 6:30 pm
WKU at Hawai’i (Spectrum Sports PPV) 11 pm
QUICK HITTERS
A LOOK AT WEEK 1
All 11 Conference USA teams are in action in Week 1, including six who will take the field for the first time in 2022.
The first of a trio of games on Thursday night kicks off as FIU and new head coach Mike MacIntyre hosts FCS foe Bryant at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3. The Panthers are looking to bounce back from a frustrating 2021 campaign that saw them drop 11 straight to close the season.
Another coaching debut is in the cards for Louisiana Tech, as the Sonny Cumbie era begins at 7 p.m. CT as the Bulldogs travel to Columbia to take on SEC foe Missouri on ESPNU. The Bulldogs finished 2021 at 4-8, while Mizzou finished 6-7 after falling in the Armed Forces Bowl to Army West Point.
The final game on the Thursday menu is guess what? A coaching debut! Interim head coach Bryant Vincent makes his debut in charge for UAB as they host FCS foe Alabama A&M from Protective Stadium at 7 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. The Blazers finished 2021 at 9-4 after its Independence Bowl win over No. 13 BYU.
The lone Friday night contest features Charlotte (0-1, 0-1 C-USA), who looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss at Florida Atlantic in Week 0. The 49ers host FCS opponent William & Mary at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3. The 49ers fell 43-13 in Boca Raton last week despite a strong performance by WR Grant DuBose, who caught four passes for 89 yards and two scores on his way to first team national honors from profootballnetwork.com.
A seven-game Saturday slate kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT with defending C-USA Champion UTSA hosting No. 24 Houston at the Alamodome live on CBS
Sports Network. The Roadrunners boast C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year QB Frank Harris and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year S Rashad Wisdom, as the pair lead a team coming off a 12-2 season. Houston has high hopes entering 2022 following its own 12-2 campaign a year ago. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor is 12-1 during his career in the Alamodome.
Also at 2:30 p.m. CT, UTEP (0-1, 0-1 C-USA) makes the trip to Norman, Oklahoma, to battle the No. 9 Sooners and their new head coach Will Venables live on Fox. The Miners fell 31-13 to North Texas on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd in El Paso, the first sellout for UTEP at the Sun Bowl since 2008. WR Tyrin Smith led the way for the Miners with seven catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. OU is coming off an 11-2 season in 2021, but they have a lot of new faces, including on the sidelines and at quarterback.
Florida Atlantic (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) looks to continue its strong start to 2022 as they travel to take on Ohio at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The Owls defeated Charlotte 43-13 in Week 0 at home, thanks largely in part to RB Larry McCammon III, who ran for 118 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Defensively, FAU held the 49ers to just 279 yards of total offense. Ohio is coming off a 3-9 season as head coach Tim Albin begins his second season at the helm for the Bobcats.
Also kicking off at 5 p.m. CT, Middle Tennessee makes its 2022 season debut on ESPN+ when they travel to take on Sun Belt foe James Madison. The Blue Raiders finished 2021 at 7-6 following a Bahamas Bowl win over Toledo, while James Madison makes its FBS debut following a 12-2 season that concluded with an FCS semifinal loss to North Dakota State in Fargo. Rice makes the trip to Los Angeles to take on No. 14 USC at 5 p.m. CT live on the Pac-12 Network in Trojans’ head coach Lincoln Riley’s debut. Both Rice and USC each finished 4-8 in 2021 and the pair are looking to bounce back in 2022. Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren named QB Wiley Green the team’s starter. Green returns after suffering a season-ending injury in the middle of the season in 2021.
North Texas (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) returns to Denton to host DFW rival SMU on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. QB Austin Aune, this week’s C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, completed 16-29 passes for 236 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win at UTEP last week, while the defense held the Miners to just 13 points. SMU finished 8-4 in 2021 and has a new head coach in Rhett Lashlee. SMU has won three straight and three of the last four in the series.
WKU (1-0) is in search of its second win of 2022 as the Hilltoppers make the long 4,352 mile journey to take on Hawai’i (0-1). The game kicks off at 11 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on Spectrum Sports PPV. WKU knocked off Austin Peay 38-27 at home last week, thanks to its defense forcing four turnovers and WR Malachi Corley’s three-touchdown performance. Hawai’i fell 63-10 at home last week to Vanderbilt.
