Could the Houston Cougars make the CFP this season?

Thanks to Cincinnati, Group of 5 teams have to be truly considered for the College Football Playoff now. Could the Houston Cougars be the next ones to break through?

Last season, the Cincinnati Bearcats became the first Group of 5 team to ever make the CFP bracket, and they even managed to not look like the worst team in it. Because of such an admirable accomplishment, ignoring the promising “little guy” programs is no longer as easy of a task.

With that said, the question of which Group of 5 power could be next to break the barrier has to be asked, and it’s hard to debate the answer: the 2022 Houston Cougars.

Houston could be next Group of Five team to make College Football Playoff

Houston was obviously a strong team last season, making the AAC title game and downing Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl to finish with a 12-2 record. But even if the Cougars had gone unbeaten, the strength of their schedule may have been a tad too lackluster for them to have gotten any true playoff hype. However, could their upcoming slate be enough to make an impact?

In 2021, the biggest name that the Houston Cougars saw in their out-of-conference stretch was Texas Tech—an average opponent that they met on a neutral field. Beyond that, all they had was a home battle against Grambling State and road trips to Rice and UConn. But, they have a much deeper bunch on the calendar for this time around.

This Fall will have the Cougs visiting both UTSA and the aforementioned Texas Tech before hosting Kansas and Rice. That means that 2022 certainly has the tougher end of the deal, especially when it comes to them facing a second Power 5 foe instead of an FCS one.

As for Houston’s league play, it also has a few notable, yet beatable opponents. The three biggest names on the American side of the schedule are SMU, East Carolina, and Memphis—all coming off of bowl seasons (despite their bowls being canceled), with the Cougars having to face each of them on the road.

Combining all of that with a potential AAC title game appearance that is bound to involve another powerful program, Houston’s résumé could look a lot worse by the time the CFP teams are selected.

Now the chances of another Group of 5 school making the playoff bracket anytime soon are very slim, as even the Cincinnati Bearcats had to have the stars around them align to break through (such as Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma all strangely falling out of contention).

Not to mention how that was with Cincy getting a convincing win over an elite Notre Dame squad in South Bend—a victory prettier than any that Houston could possibly grab during this approaching regular season.

The point here is that the Cougars have a 2022 path that is weak enough to go unbeaten with, yet tough enough to turn some heads for the playoff discussion, and that conjures up a chance of them being the next Group of 5 team to shatter its glass ceiling—assuming that the Bearcats don’t run it back first.