Houston Football: 3 takeaways from devastating loss to Tulane

1. Houston’s schedule set Cougars up for failure

Dana Holgorsen was heavily scrutinized by the West Virginia fans during his seven year tenure at the school. As his stay in the town of Houston is prolonged, this level of attention will only be increased. Within just three weeks of college football, Cougar fans were up in arms about their talented team starting 1-2. However, this struggle can be heavily attributed to their compressed schedule.

Houston has played four games in a span of 18 days. Their first game against the Oklahoma Sooners, in Norman, was on Sept. 1. After that loss, they played Prairie View at home on Sept. 7. Six more days later, the Cougars had to get back on the road and head up to face Washington State. Then, just five days later, Houston had to travel to New Orleans.

Playing two AP Top 25 teams and a high quality Group of Five team in just 18 days would be challenging for teams like Alabama and Clemson. Therefore, a 1-3 start to this Cougar team should not be looked as down upon as much as it will be.