Saturday’s matchup between the No. 11-ranked Cougars and the SMU Mustangs is one of the highest anticipated football games in recent history.
Part of the hype is that UH will welcome ESPN and its cameras to campus for College GameDay on Friday and Saturday.
It is hard to believe that a decade ago the Cougars had an 0-11 season. This inaugural GameDay visit marks how far the UH Athletics Department has come in a short time.
Senior quarterback Case Keenum has led the Cougars to the top of Conference USA as well as the national rankings — and for the first time in school history, a Bowl Championship Series is a legitimate possibility.
GameDay starts on Friday when ESPN starts taking live hits from campus. On Saturday at 4 a.m., Cullen Circle opens to the public, and at 6 a.m. fans will be screened for entrance into the 300-person GameDay pit. Signs are not allowed in the pit, but are encouraged everywhere else.
This is what the Athletics Department has been working for since that dismal season in 2001. The Cougars have gone from the bottom of the barrel to a top 10 powerhouse, and now the University is deservingly receiving national attention.
It is imperative that every student at GameDay showcases exactly what UH is made of. Wear red and be loud, but do not forget how hard it has been to get here. Fans have to show sportsmanship — you can still be a classy fan while representing Cougar Nation.
Keep that in mind at the game, too; SMU needs to be shown what it means to play at Robertson Stadium against a great team, but being rude is not part of that. Let Patrick Edwards and Sammy Brown make SMU look like fools — it is not a fan’s job to be offensive.
If the Cougars continue on this streak of success, the BCS will be the icing on the best season in program history. But that won’t be possible if UH doesn’t handle SMU on Saturday.
The ride could get even more exciting, but no opponent can be overlooked.