SMU can secure a bowl berth with a win in either of its two remaining games, but neither will be easy.
On Saturday, the Mustangs (5-5, 4-2 in C-USA) play at Rice, where SMU has won just once since 1986. The Owls (4-6, 2-4) are also in the hunt for a bowl berth but, unlike SMU, has no margin for error.
If SMU doesn't win Saturday, it will have to beat Tulsa at home next weekend. Tulsa is merely 6-0 in C-USA and 8-3 overall.
Obviously, SMU would rather not have to beat a surging Tulsa to secure a record fourth-straight bowl berth.
"We have to win on the road," SMU coach June Jones said. "In this conference, you have to win at home and steal some on the road. We've already lost one on the road this year at Tulane, so we have to win this week."
SMU is 1-3 on the road this season, with the lone win coming at 2-8 UTEP.
History says playing Rice will be a struggle for SMU. The Mustangs lost 10 straight games in Houston until Jones' 2010 squad broke the steak with a 42-31 win at Rice Stadium.
The Owls are coming off a bye week, meaning they've had two weeks to prepare for the Mustangs. With a win over SMU and UTEP, the Owls will go bowling for the first time since 2008.
After enduring a four-game losing streak, including an 0-3 start in C-USA play, the Owls still have plenty to play for.
"It's a tribute to this football team," Rice coach David Bailiff said. "They've endured the hard times and kept working. That's what we're continuing to do. We're going to keep working and we need to play well against SMU. They're 4-2 in conference and are playing well right now."
The Mustangs are playing so well, having won three of their last four, they could secure the C-USA West division title if they win out and Tulsa loses to UCF.
SMU's improvement is the result of an opportunistic defense and special teams. The Mustangs are tied for the national lead in total takeaways with 30 and interceptions returned for touchdowns with six.
Offensively, the running game has become an even bigger part of the Run and Shoot with the emergence of quarterback Garrett Gilbert as a running threat. Gilbert ran for touchdowns of 36 and 19 yards in last week's 34-6 win over Southern Miss, giving him four rushing TDs in his last two games.
In fact, Gilbert's 94 rushing yards against Southern Miss eclipsed running back Zach Line's 92 yards. Line still managed to top 1,000 yards for the third season in a row.
"We still need to throw the ball more efficiently," Jones said. "One of the reasons for (our passing trouble) is that the protections has not been as good as it could have been, and we haven't been accurate with the football. But I think Garrett competes and he is doing a lot of things to help us win, and that's what a quarterback is supposed to do."
The running game has also been a path to success for Rice. The Owls have had four players rush for 100 yards in a game – one of only five Football Bowl Subdivision teams who can make that claim.
One of those 100-yard rushers, quarterback Taylor McHargue, leads Rice in both passing (1,674 yards, 9 TDs) and rushing (573 yards, 10 TDs).
"Their quarterback has been pretty efficient, and I think that they could have won three other games," Jones said. "They are doing what David (Bailiff) wants them to do on both sides of the ball and it will be a tough game for us. We will have to play perfect to win."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
