Houston Cougars Finish Near Top of Final Big 12 Standings
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Can’t complain, Coogs nation.
The Houston Cougars are trending in the right direction after wrapping up the regular season, which will build a ton of momentum heading into next year with a higher ceiling.
Defeating the Baylor Bears meant finishing the road schedule undefeated, which is an accomplishment given the level of competition in the Big 12 conference. This is what the standings looked like after the final week of teams battling to have bragging rights:
Reviewing Big 12 Records
It wasn’t the year the Cougars clung to one of the two top spots in the conference, but sticking through the thick and thin of the schedule kept them relevant throughout the season, and there were a couple of times it made it into the Top 25 with respect given from great performances.
Two programs that were given their flowers and got recognition were the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the BYU Cougars, who are both competing for the Big 12 title in Arlington, Texas, at Jerry World. Wrapping up their regular seasons, both had enough fuel to post an 8-1 conference record and earned the opportunity to play in a rematch. College GameDay visited Lubbock, Texas, and showcased the impressive rosters.
Another team that didn’t take care of business in the conference and didn't make it to the conference championship is the Utah Utes. Interestingly, there is a slight chance the Utes find themselves in the college football playoff conversation, depending on whether everything goes their way. Still, it appears that they will need to cross their fingers that they will value the resume work.
Then, there’s Houston, the Arizona Wildcats, and Arizona State Sun Devils, who all share a 6-3 conference record and are hungry to go on a revenge tour next season, so making it into the mix extends their season.
Four teams were in the middle of the 16 teams, who concluded with a 5-4 record, including the Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas State Wildcats, TCU Horned Frogs, and Cincinnati Bearcats, who at different points were thought to be among the favorites to go the distance. Goals fell short.
Baylor and the Kansas Jayhawks posted 3-6 records in conference play, and will not reach a bowl game. The same goes for the 2-7 UCF Knights and West Virginia Mountaineers. Don’t forget about the 1-8 Colorado Buffaloes and winless Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Schools like Houston, which reached the six-win mark, will find out in the next couple of weeks what bowl games it will participate in.
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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