Houston Football: Will the Cougars be “back” in 2021?

How will Houston football fare in 2021?

Houston comes into 2021 with expectations of its first winning season since 2018. This is a program that craves some big wins and craves the will to get back into conference contention. The Cougars do not want to completely reload their coaching staff, but this has not been a solid start to Dana Holgorsen’s career at Houston.

The Cougars have talent on both sides of the ball, and they believe the players returning from last season and transfers this offseason have established themselves as the starters.

This season, the Cougars have a non-conference schedule where they can find themselves 3-1 or a perfect 4-0. They are also lucky this season as they will not have to play two of the top projected teams in the AAC in Cincinnati and UCF. They have a great chance to secure a bowl bid and potentially play for an AAC title, but they will need to show more consistency on both sides of the ball.

• Game 1: Texas Tech (NRG Stadium) (L) – The Red Raiders return some stellar players on the offensive side of the ball as they look to step up in Big 12 play.
• Game 2: at Rice (W) – The Cougars get their first win of the season against an Owls team that has developed efficiently on offense.
• Game 3: Grambling State (W) – In a limited 2020 season, Grambling State went 0-4 in the regular season.
• Game 4: Navy (W) – Houston takes advantage of a Navy team that replacing seven of their offensive starters from last season.
• Game 5: at Tulsa (L) – The Golden Hurricanes will have too many experienced playmakers returning this season for the Cougars to score consistently.
• Game 6: at Tulane (W) – Last season, the Cougars took down the Green Wave by 18 points. They will be more experienced this season.
• Game 7: East Carolina (W) – This could be a potential trap game for the Cougars against a Pirates team that is returning 20 starters from last season.
• Game 8: SMU (W) – This game will be a deciding factor for the Cougars’ potential success of AAC conference title contention this season as Houston will have the edge in the passing game.
• Game 9: at South Florida (W) – South Florida went 1-8 last season so they are a long way off from AAC title contention.
• Game 10: at Temple (W) – The Owls will be back to their 2019 style of play, but last season was a hard hit on the team’s progression.
• Game 11: Memphis (L) – There are many doubts about the potential of the Tigers this season, but they have several key transfers that will make them difficult to beat.
• Game 12: at UConn (W) – The Cougars finish their season against a UConn team that hasn’t played since 2019.

Prediction: 9-3, 7-2 AAC

There are clear reasons to believe that the Houston Cougars will be back to their 2018 form of playing in a bowl game and contending for the conference title. They will have their first nine-win season since the 2016 season. They will do this by playing a relatively easy AAC conference schedule without having to face Cincinnati or UCF.

They will, however, face Texas Tech with hopes of an upset.

The Cougars will use this season to gain confidence on both sides of the ball. There are also using it as a big stepping stone to a more efficient level of recruiting for the 2022 class. Offensively, there are players like quarterback Clayton Tune and wide receiver Nathaniel Dell who are ready to become elite. They are looking to establish the Cougars as a top-25 offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, each of the units looks solid with experience and potential high-caliber players. They will need to play more efficient football and play to their roles if they want to become better than average or, at least, climb out of the below-average rankings. This will be a big season for Dana Holgorsen and his coaching staff. If they cannot get to a six or seven-win season as they are projected to by other media outlets, they could be gone.