3 Big 12 Games Houston Cougars Fans Need to Set An Alarm For In Week 12
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The Houston Cougars got themselves right back on track with a conference win on the road against the UCF Knights in a narrow 30-27 affair.
The Cougars' win this past Friday night was much needed, especially after coming off the disastrous loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers the week prior. With the win out in Orlando, Florida, the Coogs improved their record to 8-2 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
The Coogs get to sit out this week and rest with their second bye week of the season, allowing the Cougars to get healthy as they prepare for the final two games of the season.
Houston is still within striking distance of making an appearance in the Big 12 title game, but it will need some help from around the league.
Here are three matchups that the Coogs should keep an eye on.
No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. UCF Knights
The Texas Tech Red Raiders seem like a lock for a spot in the Big 12 championship game with a 9-1 overall record and a 5-1 record in conference play, especially after defeating BYU convincingly last week, which visited Lubbock as the only undefeated team left in the Big 12 and left with the loss.
Matching up with the Red Raiders is the team the Coogs just played in the UCF Knights, who will take the trip out to Jones AT&T Stadium and take on Texas Tech. The Knights are now 4-5 on the season after a close loss to Houston last Friday. With the Red Raiders sitting on top of the Big 12 standings, the Coogs will have to root for the massive upset to increase their chances at a berth for the Big 12 title game.
No. 12 BYU Cougars vs. TCU Horned Frogs
In week 13, the matchup that many Houston fans have been waiting for is the home closer at TDECU Stadium against the TCU Horned Frogs. Currently, Houston will be a big fan of the Purple and White because BYU needs to fall to two losses. Since BYU is not playing Houston this season, there are no tiebreakers to determine the head-to-head, so being in the mix with programs that have two losses helps.
The Cougars will look for a bounce-back game after losing their first game of the season last week, as they host TCU. The Cougars sit at 8-1 on the season and are tied with Texas Tech and another Big 12 team with just a single loss in conference play.
Making the trip out west to Provo, Utah, is TCU, which rides in with a 6-3 record on the seaosn and 3-3 in conference play. While the Horned Frogs' chances at the Big 12 title game are likely out of the realm of possibility, TCU could still play spoiler with a road upset victory this weekend against BYU, and for Houston, they'll have to be cheering on their next week's opponent this weekend.
Under center, the Horned Frogs QB is Josh Hoover, who has an accurate arm and has thrown for 2,690 yards and piled up 23 touchdowns. One of his flaws is throwing interceptions, with eight this season; however, he responds effectively after making pivotal mistakes.
He faces a tough BYU defense, ranked No. 16 in scoring defense, which allows 18.33 points per game. One of the keys is going to be scoring early in this game to apply the pressure. BYU’s QB, Bear Bachmeier, is going to need to play his best game after a sloppy performance against Texas Tech last weekend.
No. 25 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Arizona Wildcats
Right now, Houston is on the verge of reclaiming third place in the Big 12, but to get there, Cincinnati needs to lose at home against a team led by quarterback Noah Fifita.
Currently, the Bearcats are 5-1 in the conference and need to lose another game to fall to two losses, where the Cougars are presently. Considering the likelihood, it probably won’t happen, but never count it out. It’s college football. Games have surprises. Cross your fingers and hope it works out for the Wildcats to secure a massive win on the road.
The Denton, Texas product, Brendan Sorsby, leads the Cincinnati offense and has brought the program back to relevance this year. His numbers pop off the charts with over 2,000 yards in the air with 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
He’s very disciplined with the ball and makes significant decisions during the game. If you are a Houston fan, you need him to make a few mistakes in the game and hope the Wildcats' defense has enough fuel in the tank.
If the Bearcats win this game, the path to the championship game is not out of sight, but it sets up another scenario where the Cougars will be pulling for whoever takes on Scott Satterfield’s program.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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