5 Non-Power 5 teams that could make the College Football Playoff
By Zach Bigalke
Houston didn’t get a chance to play in their season opener against UTSA in the Alamodome due to Hurricane Harvey. The Cougars are now due to play at Arizona in their season opener. Right off the bat, Major Applewhite will get a Power Five test in his first game as a full-time head coach. It should determine where Houston sits in the pecking order for the College Football Playoff race.
The Cougars are not unfamiliar with drawing hype as a possible Playoff participant from outside the Power Five. Last year Houston opened with a win over eventual Big 12 champion Oklahoma. That victory, coupled with the success of another Power Five opponent in Louisville, bolstered Houston’s case for the College Football Playoff.
Of course, Tom Herman‘s team shot itself in the foot with three losses in American Athletic Conference play. Now Herman has left for the tough task of trying to rebuild Texas, and Applewhite has taken over in Houston. Just two years ago this team was in the Peach Bowl, and many of the players from that squad remain with the program.
They will need to hope that Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen steps in seamless at quarterback, but otherwise Houston has all the parts to contend once again. If they can take the American Athletic Conference and get big wins over Arizona and Texas Tech, Houston will have a case if they win the league with even one loss.