Conference USA is so predictable nowadays.

Last week, I used the lede "Another week, another poor showing by Conference USA." This can pretty much be used for every week.

Things got a little better this week now that four teams have winning records compared to two last week.

But there's still a rather large divide between five or six teams and the rest. In fact, CBS Sports does a weekly piece on the 25 worst teams in the country called the Bottom 25. This week, seven C-USA teams made an appearance with UTSA, Marshall, UTEP, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Rice and Charlotte. The seven teams have a combined record of 6-27.

There are a few minor changes with this week's power rankings. Old Dominion continues to move up, and it's finally time to move Marshall down following a 1-3 start.

CONFERENCE USA POWER RANKINGS

1. Western Kentucky

Record: 3-2 (1-0)
Previous rank: 1
Last week: 50-10 win vs. Houston Baptist
Up next: at Louisiana Tech
Explanation: Western Kentucky essentially had an open date before this week's showdown with Louisiana Tech. WKU blew away FCS Houston Baptist. As Tech coach Skip Holtz said earlier this week, WKU holds the title belt in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers will be here until further notice.

2. Middle Tennessee

Record: 4-1 (2-0)
Previous rank: 2
Last week: 30-13 win at North Texas
Up next: Open date
Explanation: Predictably, Middle Tennessee almost had a massive letdown after a close win against Tech. North Texas is improved, but MTSU's latest win was a close call until the Blue Raiders were able to pull away.

3. Southern Miss

Record: 4-1 (2-0)
Previous rank: 3
Last week: 44-28 win at UTEP
Up next: at UTSA
Explanation: Southern Miss' passing game struggled against UTEP with less than 200 yards. Leave it to Rice to get the confidence flowing again. Southern Miss piled up more than 700 total yards and 500 yards passing in the win.

4. Louisiana Tech

Record: 2-3 (1-1)
Previous rank: 4
Last week: 28-7 win vs. UTEP
Up next: vs. Western Kentucky
Explanation: The jury is still out on this group. A win can put Conference USA on notice. A loss puts the Bulldogs behind the 8-ball in the C-USA West Division race. Thursday is important

5. Old Dominion

Record: 3-2 (2-0)
Previous rank: 6
Last week: 52-17 win at Charlotte
Up next: vs. UMass
Explanation: Perhaps the only thing that can slow Old Dominion's momentum is Hurricane Matthew. The super storm has forced Saturday's game in Virginia up to Friday. ODU should get to four wins. Who would have thought in the preseason the Monarchs could be on the path to bowl eligibility this fast?

6. Marshall

Record: 1-3 (0-0)
Previous rank: 5
Last week: 43-27 loss at Pittsburgh
Up next: at North Texas
Explanation: Arguably the surprise in C-USA so far, and not in a good way. A loss to Louisville was expected, but most expected Marshall to be more competitive against Akron and Pittsburgh. In most conference, 1-3 would equal a place at the bottom. Luckily for Marshall, C-USA is so bad the Herd remain in the middle.

7. North Texas

Record: 2-3 (1-1)
Previous rank: 7
Last week: 30-13 loss vs. Middle Tennessee
Up next: vs. Marshall
Explanation: North Texas almost pulled off another upset by playing MTSU competitive for most of the game. It wouldn't surprise anyone if North Texas beats Marshall at home. It's not a stretch to say UNT may be the third-best team in the West behind Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech.

8. UTSA

Record: 1-3 (0-1)
Previous rank: 8
Last week: Open date
Up next: vs. Southern Miss
Explanation: This could be a sneaky win opportunity for UTSA. The Roadrunners play well at home, and this is a game played at 11 a.m. Southern Miss could be on upset alert.

9. UTEP

Record: 1-4 (0-2)
Previous rank: 9
Last week: 28-7 loss at Louisiana Tech
Up next: vs. Florida International
Explanation: UTEP's offense did the team no favors with the inability to finish drives against Tech. The main takeaway was the Miners may have found a passing game with QB Ryan Metz if he can stay healthy. He's out this weekend with a concussion.

10. Florida International

Record: 1-4 (1-0)
Previous rank: 11
Last week: 33-31 win vs. Florida Atlantic
Up next: at UTEP
Explanation: Hooray! FIU is finally in the win column. What an epic Bourbon Bowl in South Florida. I'm sure all 100 of the fans at FIU's stadium celebrated the victory.

11. Florida Atlantic

Record: 1-4 (0-1)
Previous rank: 10
Last week: 33-31 loss at Florida International
Up next: vs. Charlotte
Explanation: It's apparent your seasons isn't going well when you lose to a team that came in 0-4 and just fired their coach. FAU was supposed to be a surprise this year. Instead, the Owls are surprisingly bad.

12. Rice 

Record: 0-5 (0-3)
Previous rank: 12
Last week: 44-28 loss vs. Southern Miss
Up next: Open date
Explanation: Not much to say here. There is good news this week, though. Rice can't lose because the Owls are on a bye.

13. Charlotte

Record: 1-4 (0-1)
Previous rank: 13
Last week: 52-17 loss vs. Old Dominion
Up next: at Florida Atlantic
Explanation: Another potential Bourbon Bowl matchup this week with Charlotte and FAU set to battle. These might be two of the worst teams in the country.