Comparing how Kevin Sumlin performed at Houston
Looking back at his four years at the University of Houston, Sumlin put together a record that would be the rival of most mid-major coaches.
| YEAR | TEAM | CONF | TTL W | TTL L | TTL PCT | LG W | LG L | LG PCT | STANDING |
| 2008 | Houston | C-USA | 8 | 5 | 0.615 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 3rd (West) |
| 2009 | Houston | C-USA | 10 | 4 | 0.714 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 1st (West) |
| 2010 | Houston | C-USA | 5 | 7 | 0.417 | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 3rd (West) |
| 2011 | Houston | C-USA | 12 | 1 | 0.923 | 8 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st (West) |
| 4 YRS | HOUSTON | C-USA | 35 | 17 | 0.673 | 24 | 8 | 0.750 | 2 DIV TITLES |
Other than the one down year in 2010, the Cougars excelled under Sumlin’s leadership for his four years at the helm. Winning three-quarters of his Conference USA games, Sumlin posted two 10-win seasons and played for two league titles. Both times, though, the Cougars fell in the title game against the C-USA East champ. In 2009, East Carolina hosted the championship game in Greenville and won 38-32.
Two years later, undefeated Houston had its BCS dreams thwarted by Southern Miss at former home Robertson Stadium. The Cougars entered the contest at No. 6 in the BCS rankings, and effectively had a guaranteed berth in a major bowl game waiting as long as they won against the Golden Eagles. Instead, Austin Davis outgunned Case Keenum as Southern Miss pulled off a 49-28 upset.
Other than failing to win a Conference USA title, Sumlin’s time in Houston pretty much matches up with the success rate of his predecessor in the position with the Cougars, Art Briles. Briles had one more year before moving on to a larger program. He was less successful than many try to remember, but he was also still a successful coach who won two-thirds of his games.
In both cases, the Cougars gave way to bigger jobs. That is the nature of working in the business, especially for mid-major programs. Houston got exactly what one might expect from a first-time head coach getting an opportunity to make his mark.
The real question marks about the coaching legacy fall at Sumlin’s next stop. Let’s look at the shift to a bigger school in the Lone Star State and what transpired during six years at Texas A&M.