Group of Five: 2017 college football preseason power rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Last year, Houston seemed poised to not just get back to a New Year’s Six game but to break all the way into the College Football Playoff bracket. But wins over Big 12 champion Oklahoma and ACC powerhouse Louisville ultimately meant little. That was because the Cougars dropped three conference games to fall entirely out of the Group of Five running. In the process, Tom Herman left for Austin.
The new Longhorns coach guided Houston to American Athletic Conference domination in his first season, but couldn’t replicate the feat. Now it falls to last year’s offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, to maintain the momentum Herman built at UH. But the Cougars lost multi-year starter Greg Ward Jr. at quarterback. While Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen should be just fine as the new starter, there will be an adjustment period on offense.
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At least the defense should be as strong as ever. The Cougars have consistently been among the best teams at generating turnovers over the past decade, and last year’s low marks should prove an aberration. Up front, tackle Ed Oliver leads a ferocious front seven that was among the best in the nation at getting into the backfield.
Houston came oh-so-close last season to repeating as the Group of Five champion. If they can shore up things on defense and integrate new players quickly on offense, the Cougars will contend once again for the AAC and the automatic bid.