Houston Football: Preseason game-by-game predictions for 2017 season
By Zach Bigalke
A trip to Tampa could prove Houston’s downfall. South Florida is the favorite to win the American Athletic Conference this season after coming close last year. The Bulls lost head coach Willie Taggart, who took over at Oregon. But they quickly filled the position with terminated Texas coach Charlie Strong, and should be at least as good as they were last season.
That’s because dual-threat quarterback Quinton Flowers is back to pilot the supercharged South Florida offense in 2017. Both the offense and the defense are loaded, giving Strong a ready-made contender in his first season at the helm.
Last year the Cougars and Bulls avoided one another in the regular season. Houston won both of their last two meetings in 2012 and 2013, but the all-time series stands at two victories apiece. This time around, the visitors are simply going to be overwhelmed by Flowers and an offense that Houston’s defense just won’t be able to stop.
The Bulls are going to make life miserable for their guests. Though the Cougars might score some points, they are not going to be able to find the extra gear necessary to take down the AAC front-runners. This second loss could be the nail in Houston’s conference title dreams and hopes of making another New Year’s Six bowl game.