The Houston Cougars won a New Year’s Six bowl two seasons ago. Tom Herman was the hottest coach on the market in college football. Houston was linked to the College Football Playoff at the start of the 2016 season. The Cougars beat both Oklahoma and Louisville. The Sooners won a conference championship and a Sugar Bowl, while Louisville fielded the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson. Houston was good enough to convincingly beat both teams, so in that sense, the Cougars showed their power a year ago…
However, the team also stubbed its toe by collapsing on defense in multiple situations. The Cougars missed out on a chance to make the playoff, and Herman left for the University of Texas.
Everything looked so promising for Houston two years ago, but now the program doesn’t know how good it is, or how good it is going to be. The Houston Cougars have to regain their winning edge… and hope that their new leader will be able to come through and deliver under pressure.
How Did They End 2016
Houston had two horrible defensive games on the road last season, losses at Navy and Memphis in which the offense did its job but the defense simply could not get an important stop. Those two losses in games Houston easily could have won were part of the disappointment for the Cougars under Herman a year ago. UH also played a stinker – a no-show blowout loss at SMU – in which Herman completely lost hold of his team on one Saturday. Houston played like a team playing under the strain of media attention and national scrutiny. The Cougars did not trust themselves or enjoy the experience of being a national story last year.
Offseason Changes
The changes at Houston are huge ones. Tom Herman is gone. When it became clear that he would go, speculation surrounded his two coordinators, offensive coordinator Major Applewhite and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. Applewhite was chosen for the head coaching job, while Orlando went to Texas to join Herman. Applewhite is a young head coach who must immediately bear all of the responsibility for his program’s welfare. He is a fixture in college football, but only now is he an FBS head coach. His abilities will be tested very soon.
Team X-Factor
Kyle Allen, the transfer from Texas A&M, replaces elite quarterback Greg Ward. Allen has the athletic skill set, but his mental game and his football IQ are points of uncertainty. Applewhite immediately gets a promising talent to tutor and develop. If Applewhite gets one player to play well, this is the one he’ll want to transform in 2017.
What To Expect From The Cougars This Year
Houston could be a 10-win team if Allen puts it all together, but one has to realize that Allen transferred from Texas A&M at a time when the Aggies were not all that successful. It is doubtful that Allen will be everything Houston wants him to be, and if that is the case, Houston very likely won’t improve upon last season. It might not even repeat last year’s 9-3 record through 12 games.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 9-4
2015: 13-1
2014: 8-5
2013: 8-5
2012: 5-7
Schedule & Outlook
The Cougars schedule has a couple of tough tests in the first month that will truly determine the direction of this program. They were 13-1 two years ago but fading to 9-4 last year. If they’re going to continue to fade, they’ll be no better than 2-2 after their first four games. They should win at UTSA to start but a road trip to Arizona will challenge them. Then they’ll very likely beat Rice before getting another stiff test when Texas Tech visits. From there, things ease up. If they can go 3-1 in their first four games, they are likely to go over. However, there are a lot of question marks with this team right now, so we’ll put them down for 2-2.
Maybe Applewhite will put it all together, but it’s more likely than not that he will need to struggle in one season. An 8-4 record seems properly calibrated for the Cougars.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Under 8
Click here to bet on the college football futures for the 2017 college football season right now. DSI will have all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this year’s action!
