College Football Week 5 Rankings - Conference USA Power Poll

Conference USA bettors haven’t had a great start to the 2009 NCAA football betting season, but there are still a few teams that are lighting it up on the scoreboard. Find out who those teams are with this week’s BetUS.com power poll…

1: Houston Cougars (2-0 ATS, 3-0 SU) (LW: 1) - Were the Houston faithful celebrating a late victory over Texas Tech a bit too hard? After all, they were only short underdogs in the game and they were the ranked team in the match. These next three games are all on the road, and they're all potential landmines that can destroy the Cougars' BCS dreams.

Up Next: Away @ UTEP (-16)

2: UCF Knights (3-0 ATS, 2-2 SU) (LW: 2) - UCF's offense is still finding its way, but the defense is finding ways to keep the Knights in games and cover spreads. The unit held East Carolina to just 19 points last week, and though the end result was a five-point defeat, it was enough to keep the Knights in front of the CFB betting line. With an offense that only averages 280.8 yards and 21.0 points per game, it's hard to justify them laying 7.5-points to anyone in the country right now.

Up Next: Home vs. Memphis (-7.5)

3: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-1 ATS, 3-1 SU) (LW: 3) - Now this is the Tulsa offense that sports betting fans fell in love with last season! The Golden Hurricane dropped 516 yards and 56 points on a hapless Sam Houston State squad on Saturday, making up for laying the goose egg against Oklahoma two weeks ago. There's no excuse not to light up the scoreboard again this week against an Owls defense that has been lousy so far this year.

Up Next: Away @ Rice (-14)

4: Marshall Thundering Herd (2-1 ATS, 3-1 SU) (LW: 5) - Could the Thundering Herd find a way to win C-USA this season? Without a doubt, they're in the easier half of the conference. They dodge Houston on the schedule and get both East Carolina and Southern Miss at home. Last week's 27-16 victory at Memphis could be the start of something big if Marshall can spring another minor upset this weekend.

Up Next: Home vs. East Carolina (+2.5)

5: SMU Mustangs (1-1 ATS, 2-1 SU) (LW: 4) - The Mustangs may be a game over .500 on the season, but the fun and games are over this week. Not only does this next game pose a nearly impossible task of winning in Fort Worth, but the four games after that find the Mustangs matched up against East Carolina, Navy, Houston, and Tulsa. A 2-6 record or better heading into November would be a triumph for HC June Jones’ kids.

Up Next: Away @ TCU (+27.5)

6: Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (1-2 ATS, 3-1 SU) (LW: 10) - The Golden Eagles really had a chance to boost Conference USA with an upset of the Jayhawks in Lawrence, but they just weren't quite good enough to get the job done. Still, there was never really much doubt as to whether they'd cover the spread or not, and a convincing cover against a Big XII team should give SMS fans plenty to smile about heading into C-USA play.

Up Next: Away @ UAB (OTB)

And the rest…

7: UAB Blazers (1-3 ATS, 1-3 SU) (LW: 6)

8: Memphis Tigers (1-3 ATS, 1-3 SU) (LW: 7)

9: UTEP Miners (1-3 ATS, 1-3 SU) (LW: 8)

10: Tulane Green Wave (1-2 ATS, 1-2 SU) (LW: 12)

11: Rice Owls (1-3 ATS, 0-4 SU) (LW: 9)

12: East Carolina Pirates (0-3 ATS, 2-2 SU) (LW: 11)