It’s hard to blame Houston football fans for being excited about the 2014 season.
Last year, the Cougars went 8-5, which was a big rebound from 5-7 in 2012, but still a far cry from the amazing 13-1 campaign they put on in 2011. Some would argue that Houston caught a few lucky breaks last year, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that it led the nation in creating turnovers.
Plus, four of last year’s five losses were in the regular season and were by a combined 20 points. They came against the cream of the conference crop (UCF, Louisville, and Cincinnati) and a nail-biting one-point loss to BYU. We just won’t mention the Compass Bowl debacle against Vanderbilt.
Houston is right where it needs to be heading into 2014; a returning quarterback with a good chunk of his (at times) high-scoring offense back with him and defense built to stop the run. The schedule is also kind to the Cougs, who get to avoid East Carolina in AAC play.
So when it’s all said and done could the Cougars be conference champs? Let’s break it down game by game.
8/29 – vs. UTSA: WIN
Houston begins the season under the Friday night lights at its brand new stadium. Texas-San Antonio is an upstart program that could eventually make some noise under former Miami (Fla.) coach Larry Coker, but these Roadrunners will have to use a lot of Acme explosives to get by these wily Cougars. (Wow I hope someone gets that reference.)
9/6 – vs. Grambling State: WIN
Speaking of blowouts, welcome Grambling State into the shiny new TDECU Stadium. Grambling State used to be one of the crown jewels of the south. Now the only thing to get excited about is the marching band. This one won’t be close. At all.
9/11 – at BYU: LOSS
The battle of the Cougars, and a very quick turnaround for Houston. Last year this game was an all-around fun game to watch, with BYU coming out on top 47-46. Now the battle moves to Provo, where BYU is always tough to beat. These Cougars also have a returning quarterback. Taysom Hill shredded Houston’s defense last year and could do similar damage if UH can’t figure out how to stop at least part of this dual-threat attack. Problem is UH doesn’t face a lot of offenses like this, so look for a similar outcome with the score a bit more lopsided.
9/20 – vs. UNLV: WIN
UNLV was a Jekyll and Hyde team last season, and this program has a history of giving good teams fits at home. Good think for the Cougars this one isn’t being played in Sin City. The Rebels are a team with questions at quarterback and they love to run the ball. That should play perfectly into Houston’s hand.
10/2 – vs. Central Florida: LOSS
Another problem when you don’t play in a “Power 5” conference? You have to play on Thursday nights to get national TV exposure. This is another short turnaround for the Cougars, and it comes against another tough opponent. UCF was the darling of the BCS last year, going 12-1 while beating Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. They did it with Blake Bortles behind center. Blake will be playing on Sundays this year. The Knights, however, do not ride a one-trick pony. Their defense is good. Forget giving up 42 to Baylor, the 1985 Chicago Bears may have had problems keeping BU out of the end zone. This is an absolute must-win for Houston if it wants to contend for a conference championship, and will certainly be used as a measuring stick to see how far the Cougars have come.
10/11 – at Memphis: WIN
Memphis returns 18 starters from a year ago, including eight on defense and will be very stout against the run. If it hasn’t happened by this point, John O’Korn needs to carry the Cougars on his back to push Houston ahead in what will likely be a defensive battle.
10/17 – vs. Temple: WIN
Hey, look, it’s another dual-threat quarterback for the Houston defense to deal with. Temple’s P.J. Walker is impressive, but the Owls are no BYU. This shouldn’t be a concern unless the defense is completely handcuffed.
11/1 – at South Florida: WIN
It doesn’t seem that long ago South Florida was making some noise on the national stage. Sure, you can talk about the Bulls 16 returning starters and highly-touted recruiting class; but this is a team that went 2-10 last year and isn’t going to make that big of a stride by the time Houston comes to Tampa. O’Korn had his way with the USF defense last year to the tune of 22-of-27 for 263 yards and three touchdowns. His arm will be sore after doing much of the same this season.
11/8 – vs. Tulane: WIN
Tulane has a monster of a defense featuring All-American cornerback Lorenzo Doss. They come at you from just about every point of attack. O’Korn didn’t have a chance to face the apply-named Green Wave a year ago, so this could get ugly if he doesn’t handle the pressure well. So what about Tulane’s offense? There’s a reason we talk so much about the defense. O’Korn figures it out and gets Houston a homecoming ‘W’.
11/22 – vs. Tulsa: WIN
Tulsa was picked dead last in the AAC in the preseason media poll. There are good reasons for that; it has a hard time defending the pass and a hard time completing them. That is not a formula for success, and Houston gets the Golden Hurricane after a bye week.
11/28 – at SMU: WIN
Remember that measuring stick I talked about for the UCF game? Bring it back out for this in-state showdown. Yes, I know the Mustangs went 5-7 last year and they have nothing that resembles the Pony Express. But what SMU does have is Coach June Jones, who has never had back-to-back losing seasons in his college coaching career. Watch out for SMU wide receiver Darius Joseph who caught a whopping 108 balls last year. At the end of the day Houston gets the win, but it won’t be the 34-0 trouncing we saw a year ago.
12/6 – at Cincinnati: LOSS
There is a good reason Cincinnati is being picked at the top of almost everyone’s AAC ballot in 2014. The offense returns starters at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and key spots on the offensive line. The defense features veterans all over the field, including one of the best names in football: Silverberry Mouhon. He has the game to go along with the name, racking up 9.5 sacks last year. Houston is improving, but isn’t ready for this yet.
Projected Record: 9-4 (6-2)
So that would mean 9-4 for the Cougars; an improvement from last year and another bowl game. Hopefully Houston won’t have to rely so heavily on creating turnovers to be successful this season and O’Korn can build on his freshman season where he threw for 28 touchdowns. The media picked UH to finish third in the AAC. I think that sounds about right, and it sounds like an impressive 2014 campaign.
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