Most Cougar football fans’ calendars have a huge circle around Sept. 26, but UH has at least eight other dates that are more important.
Some of the UH faithful say winning a game against a Big 12 squad such as Texas Tech would do wonders for the program. But if the Cougars view this game as many fans do, they could be setting themselves up for a major disappointment.
These fans and analysts have not fooled head coach Kevin Sumlin, who has repeatedly understated the Cougars’ non-conference schedule. Instead, his focus is on winning Conference USA’s West Division.
‘Whether we win or lose those games early in the year has no bearing on the conference,’ Sumlin said. ‘Our goals start with winning the West because after that, you don’t control anything.’
If UH defeated a team of the Red Raiders’ caliber in front of a national audience, recruiting would receive a nice boost.
This improvement would be destroyed, however, if the Cougars followed with three or four conference losses. Most four- and five-star recruits are not going to take their talent to an institution that frequently loses to mediocre teams.
C-USA domination still the goal
The Cougars’ impressive non-conference schedule illustrates how far this program has come. But, UH will never reach national prominence if it cannot dominate C-USA.
Ambition is nothing to fear, but Sumlin understands that his team must crawl before it walks.
‘Last year, we rode the wave a little too much. We were a top-25 team one week and a bottom-25 team the next week,’ Sumlin said. ‘We can’t do that. As you grow and mature as a team, there has to be a level of consistency for your program.’
For the Cougars, maturity means knowing a C-USA championship and a trip to the
Liberty Bowl is more important than defeating Texas Tech.
Quarterback Case Keenum has displayed this characteristic throughout the preseason, despite rumblings that he is a darkhorse for the Heisman Trophy.
‘I wouldn’t say I like it, but I’d say it’s better than people hating on you,’ Keenum said.
‘We take it in stride, and we know that our (impression) of ourselves is what’s important.’
In a perfect world, UH and its fans would take a C-USA title and wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State. In reality, the Cougars will probably have one loss before they play the Red Raiders, meaning a BCS bowl will be out of the question.
Although winning games against ranked opponents provides instant gratification, it does not develop a program that cannot win its conference. Last season, the Cougars defeated two ranked teams (East Carolina and Tulsa), but an 8-5 record landed them well outside the top 25.
Learning from past mistakes
Since moving to C-USA, UH has defeated Oklahoma State (2006) and LSU (1999). Those two wins did not mean anything in the long run, as UH has yet to find the formula for dominating this second-tier conference.
Even non-conference games can damage a program’s reputation. In 2006, the Cougars wasted a giant win over Oklahoma State when they suffered an embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Lafayette two weeks later.
On Sept. 26, the Cougars should give their best effort, but this effort should be more intense during conference matchups. If UH wants to enter a BCS conference, it has to accept that their most significant games are against teams like Tulsa.
Non-conference matchups have their own benefits, especially for fans, but they are the least important games of the season. Despite losing three non-conference contests last season, UH fell one conference win short of making their second appearance in the C-USA championship game.
The Cougars have earned a lot of respect since former head coach Art Briles took the reins in 2003, but they must focus on consistently winning in C-USA. Until UH achieves this goal, surprise victories will result only in temporary admiration.
‘
