Houston Football: Major Applewhite must show improvement in Year 2
Schedule and predictions
| Week | Date | H/A | Opponent |
| 1 | Sep. 1 | @ | Rice |
| 2 | Sep. 8 | vs. | Arizona |
| 3 | Sep. 15 | @ | Texas Tech |
| 4 | Sep. 22 | vs. | Texas Southern |
| 5 | BYE | ||
| 6 | Oct. 4 | vs. | Tulsa |
| 7 | Oct. 13 | @ | East Carolina |
| 8 | Oct. 20 | @ | Navy |
| 9 | Oct. 27 | vs. | USF |
| 10 | Nov. 3 | @ | SMU |
| 11 | Nov. 10 | vs. | Temple |
| 12 | Nov. 15 | vs. | Tulane |
| 13 | Nov. 23 | @ | Memphis |
The Cougar’s schedule mostly works out in their favor. They play two strong conference teams at home: South Florida and Temple. Furthermore, they play a weaker Tulane team at home only five days after the Temple game. However, they have some challenges, in addition to a strong non-conference schedule.
Season Starters
First game, right down the street against Rice, should be a nice warm-up game for Houston. The only negative to come from this game is the potential for injury. There is not much opportunity for anything else to go wrong. The Cougars then host a strong Pac-12 team, Arizona. However, if anyone has ever been to TDECU Stadium, they will tell you that it is incredibly loud and difficult to play with a wild sea of red surrounding you. The 12th man will be alive in the home debut for the Cougars, helping them to a 2-0 start to the season.
The first real test of the season will be having to travel to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders. This will be a test, not because Texas Tech is particularly a better team, but simply due to the under-acknowledged rivalry between all Texas programs. However, look for the Cougars to come out on top. The team then faces Texas Southern at home, followed by a bye week. After the bye week, Houston hosts Tulsa. Look for Houston to win easily against both teams, bringing their record to 5-0.
Road Worries
The team heads on the road to take on East Carolina and Navy. Look for the Cougars to drop one of these two games. With an undefeated record, and two easy home games prior to these two tough away games, it will be likely that the team gains a bit of arrogance. Furthermore, Houston lost to Navy in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in 2016 when the Cougars were undefeated and ranked No. 6 at the time. Navy protects their home field well and many teams struggle to defend the triple option. Regardless, Houston will finish week 8 with a 6-1 record.
Related Story: Navy Football: 2018 Preview and Predictions
The team then plays a talented South Florida team. This will be a test of defenses since both teams have high-powered offenses. Look for Houston to defend their home turf against USF; however, the following week, the team will struggle in Dallas against SMU on a short week. Recovering well, the Cougars will win back-to-back games at home against Temple and Tulane.
Entering the last regular season week with a record of 9-2, the Cougars travel to Memphis. Both teams will be fighting for a spot in the AAC championship game. And Houston will pull out the victory in a tight game against the Tigers. Ultimately, Houston will cap off the regular season at 10-2.
Next: Building the best college football super team
The Cougars will find themselves in a position to win the AAC if all goes well. However, if all does not go well, Coach Applewhite and his staff may be looking for new jobs come 2019.