Conference USA Football

Florida International University senior tight end Jonnu Smith was ruled out for the remainder of the 2016 season Thursday after his girlfriend doused him with boiling water in his dorm room.

According to David J. Neal of the Miami Herald (h/t the Bradenton Herald), the arrest affidavit said Mary Gaspar admitted to the act, which resulted in Smith's suffering severe burns on his head, neck, back, a shoulder and an arm.

Gaspar is five months pregnant with Smith's child.

She was charged with aggravated battery and released on a pre-trial release order.

Smith is an Ocala, Florida, native who has been the Golden Panthers' top offensive weapon for much of his tenure with the school.

Over four seasons, he racked up 175 receptions for 1,936 yards and 17 touchdowns. That includes 39 grabs for 441 yards and two scores this year, making him the team's No. 2 receiver behind wideout Thomas Owens.

Smith's most productive season came in 2014 when he set career highs with 61 catches for 710 yards and eight touchdowns.

The loss of Smith is a significant one for FIU as it enters the latter part of its season, but with a 3-7 record, bowl eligibility was already out of the question.

Smith's collegiate career is over, but due to his athleticism and impressive production during his four-year career, an NFL stint is possible provided he recovers in the near future.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, Marshall's football team will be playing for more than just a victory against Middle Tennessee.

In remembrance of those who died in a horrific plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970, that killed 75 people on board, including 37 Marshall football players and nine coaches, the Thundering Herd will place a special decal on their helmets against the Blue Raiders.

As Anthony Chiusano of NCAA.com detailed, "The aftermath of the plane crash shook the Huntington, West Virginia, community and almost led to the discontinuity of the football program." No matter your college football allegiance, Marshall deserves credit for honoring those who died that day.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs head football coach Skip Holtz announced Monday that sophomore running back Jaqwis Dancy has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma, according to Sean Isabella of the News Star.

Isabella provided Holtz's comments:

What they're going through is traumatic. It is hard to deal with. I've sat in those meetings when you hear that c (cancer) word and how has that is to deal with especially when you're a 19-year-old sophomore in college athletics who is fit and healthy with what he's battling. Jaqwis is in a different battle right now.

Dancy was primarily a return man in his freshman season, averaging 17.4 yards per return on 17 attempts. He also carried the ball twice for two yards in 13 games.

On Oct. 13, Holtz announced he planned to redshirt Dancy after an ankle injury kept him out of action to start the 2016 season.

A press release on the team's official website announced Dancy was alerted of his diagnosis Oct. 7 and will start a treatment plan at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner returned to the field this season after announcing he had been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2015. Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry also returned to his team this season less than a year after his cancer diagnosis.

The hardest hit during Friday night's Baylor vs. Rice contest may not have taken place between players.

In a halftime performance that somewhat strayed from conventional football game entertainment, the Marching Owl Band made reference to the rival Texas team's recent sexual assault scandal, forming an "IX" representing Title IX and a star symbolizing the university's former president, Ken Starr.

Among those in the visitors' section, where the band displayed the images, was former head coach Art Briles—fired in relation to the incident.

According to SB Nation's Jason Kirk, the Bears fans didn't receive the message well, booing in response.                 

[Twitter, h/t SB Nation]

When he's not shielding his quarterback's blind side, Rice left tackle Calvin Anderson is a Rubik's Cube expert.

CBS Sports' Jay Feely filmed the sophomore as he completed the puzzle in less than a minute—with the cube behind his back.

This isn't a new skill for Anderson, who performed the same feat last year in a Rice Athletics video:

Last November, he talked to Sean Keeler of American Sports Network about first picking it up in seventh grade. He now uses the Rubik's Cube as a pregame routine.

"I'll solve [one] a couple of times before the game, just because it helps me focus my mind toward the game," Anderson said. "Also, it's a brain-teaser. So it's all those things."

He still has a way to go before breaking the world record, which teenager Lucas Etter set at 4.90 seconds last November. Looking at it might help.

[Jay Feely]

Western Kentucky players were a bit too fired up for Thursday's regular-season opener against Rice. 

One WKU player tripped and fell while running onto the field before the contest, and this set into motion a domino effect that resulted in several of his teammates taking spills. 

While it was an embarrassing moment, this didn't prevent Western Kentucky from jumping out to a 30-7 lead over Rice in the first half. 

[Twitter]

UAB running back Greg Bryant Jr. died as a result of gunshot wounds suffered in his car on Interstate 95 on Saturday morning, his family confirmed to CBS' Lynda Figueredo. 

"The UAB Football Family's prayers are with [Bryant] and his family this morning," UAB head coach Bill Clark said in a statement on Saturday, per Drew Champlin of AL.com. "He was injured in a shooting last night in Miami and is receiving medical care, surrounded by his family. We are working to get more information and to support Greg and his family in this difficult time."

Maurice Grover, 25, was also in the vehicle and suffered minor injuries in the incident, according to Hannah Winston of the Palm Beach Post, who also reported that West Palm Beach Police have not named any suspects in the case.

Bryant, 21, spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Notre Dame, rushing for 303 yards and three touchdowns before transferring to ASA College Miami in August 2015 and then to UAB in November. He had been suspended in June 2015 for the first four games of the season for violating team rules, and he was ruled academically ineligible for the entire campaign in August.

He would have been in his fifth year of eligibility in 2017, when the recently reinstated Blazers program begins playing games again. UAB shut down its football, rifle and bowling teams in December 2014 because of financial concerns but announced in July 2015 that it would revive the programs.

Frank Wilson, who has spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach with the LSU Tigers, was reportedly hired Thursday as the new head coach of the UTSA Roadrunners, per Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com.

UTSA finished 3-9 during the 2015 season, leading Larry Coker to step down after five years. The opening at coach was one of 26 among FBS schools this offseason, and Wilson became the fifth African-American to fill one of the spots, per David Ching of ESPN.com.

The hiring comes on the same day NCAA President Mark Emmert expressed "concern that women and minorities are not being given a fair shot to become coaches and administrators in college athletics," per Max Olson of ESPN.com.

LSU sophomore center Andy Dodd congratulated his former coach via Twitter:

If Wilson, who most recently served as running backs coach at LSU, is measured by the success of his former players, he is one of the nation's best. Ching noted Wilson is one of the top recruiters in college football, while three of his former players—Alfred Blue (Houston Texans), Spencer Ware (Kansas City Chiefs) and Jeremy Hill (Cincinnati Bengals)—led their respective teams in rushing in the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs.

Wilson now has a tougher task ahead of him: leading a program that has played football for only five seasons, four of which have been at the FBS level. The Roadrunners are 26-32 in their short history, with their best season coming in 2012—their first in the FBS—with an 8-4 record.

He won't have the likes of Blue, Ware, Hill and Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns this past year, knocking down the door to come play for him next year. However, if social media is any indication, his former players have great respect for him. Former LSU running back Jacob Hester also praised Wilson while possibly lobbying for his old job:

Wilson will become just the second head coach in school history.

Keenan Reynolds' record has fallen—for now.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs running back Kenneth Dixon became the FBS' all-time touchdown leader after notching the 86th of his career during the Bulldogs' matchup against the Arkansas State Red Wolves in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, per Dane Brugler of CBS Sports.

Dixon has had a stellar career since becoming the featured tailback at Louisiana Tech.

It all began in his freshman season, when he ran for 1,194 yards and 27 touchdowns. If not for a sophomore year that resulted in only five total touchdowns, his lead over Reynolds could have been greater, making the Navy signal-caller's game in hand irrelevant.

Not only did Dixon surpass Reynolds in the touchdown race, but he also set a New Orleans Bowl record with four scores against the Red Wolves.

RedditCFB provided a clip of Dixon's record-breaking score:

CBS Sports projects Dixon to land in the third or fourth round in the upcoming NFL draft. At 5'10" and 213 pounds, he has the build of someone such as Robert Turbin, with more speed. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports thinks you should be looking to add him to your fantasy team next year:

You should watch Kenneth Dixon cuz he’s gonna be the rookie RB you never heard of that you pick up off the waiver wire in fantasy next year.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 20, 2015

Dixon's career has been a successful one, to say the least. Louisiana Tech has had a winning record in three of Dixon's four years with the Bulldogs. The team's one losing season was his sophomore year, the five-touchdown year. As he enters the draft, he could be a highly touted running back and serve as a weapon out of the backfield at the next level.

Reynolds broke the record earlier this year, and he'll get a chance to get his record back Dec. 28 against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Military Bowl.

Southern Miss, playing under the radar this season, emerged as the best bet in college football, going 10-2 against the spread. The Golden Eagles, who won a total of four games over the previous three seasons, look to complete a remarkable turnaround when they take on Western Kentucky in the Conference USA Championship Game on the Hilltoppers' home field in Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon.

Point spread: The Hilltoppers opened as 7.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 43.2-43.2 Golden Eagles

Why the Southern Miss Golden Eagles can cover the spread

After going 4-32 over the last three seasons, the Eagles pulled off a nice surprise and won the C-USA West this season. Southern Miss started 3-3, with losses to Mississippi State and Nebraska, but has since won its last six games, including a 58-24 upset blowout at Louisiana Tech last week for the division title. The Eagles flew out to a 24-3 lead, let the Bulldogs pull to within 24-17 and then scored 27 straight points to put the game away.

For the day, Southern Miss piled up 555 yards of offense. Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns, and running back Ito Smith ran for 169 yards and scored three times. Meanwhile, the Eagles defense forced seven Tech turnovers.

Southern Miss has now scored 179 points over its last three games, going 3-0 ATS in the process.

Why the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers can cover the spread

WKU carries a four-game winning streak into this conference title game after completing a perfect C-USA season with a 49-28 victory over Marshall last week, covering 12 points. The Hilltoppers grabbed an early 21-0 lead and cruised from there, later leading by 28, picking up some easy cash.

Western Kentucky outgained the Herd 546-273. Quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 370 yards and five touchdowns, and running back Anthony Wales ran for 131 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard effort. Meanwhile, the defense held Marshall to just 31 yards on the ground.

The 'Toppers have now tallied 202 points over their last four games, going 4-0 SU and 2-1-1 ATS in the process.

Smart pick

By the numbers, Southern Miss owns short edges on offense, in the running game and on defense. And while numbers don't always tell the whole story, it's hard not to like the dog and the points in this spot.

Betting trends

• Western Kentucky is 11-0 straight up in its last 11 games against its conference.
• The total has gone over in six of Western Kentucky's last seven games.
• Southern Miss is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.