West Virginia’s Latest Disaster Gives Houston an Opportunity to Bounce Back
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The Houston Cougars are sure to fall in the CFP rankings and in the AP Top 25 after embarrassing themselves on Friday night.
The Cougars need to bounce back against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, who suffered a disaster on Saturday.
West Virginia Is Coming Off a Disaster Against Kansas
The 5-4 Mountaineers haven't exactly had the best season in 2026, but they've been pretty decent. West Virginia started 3-0 and even got a ranked win over the No. 25 Virginia Cavaliers. The defense has been the downfall of this team, mostly.
The Mountaineers have allowed over 40 points five times this season and haven't played consistently at all. Yesterday, West Virginia got an opportunity to earn bowl eligibility against the 3-6 Kansas Jayhawks. Well, that didn't happen.
West Virginia has consistently leaned on the running game, averaging over 260 yards on the ground coming into the contest, led by stars like running back Cam Cook and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The game started with a nice Kansas drive and a field goal. Then, just two plays into the Mountaineers' first drive, Hawkins threw a pass that was intercepted.
This led to a quick 10-0 deficit, which West Virginia cut to 10-7 with an efficient drive to regain some momentum. Unfortunately, the terrible defense couldn't get the Jayhawks off the field, and they put up 30 points in the first half. They didn't punt once.
The second half featured more points and better defense, but the teams eventually traded touchdowns in the final quarter as the Jayhawks won 37-14. The Mountaineers finished with 35 rushing yards on 37 rushes. Hawkins couldn't do enough through the air to make up for the lack of a running game, as the Mountaineers were just stunned by Kansas.
Houston Needs to Bounce Back After a Disaster of Its Own
The Cougars suffered an embarrassing loss against Colorado. There is no other way to put it. If Colorado was in the Big Ten, that team would barely even win a game, as evidenced by that team getting bullied by the Northwestern Wildcats 42-7 in the early season.
Do the Buffaloes have talent? Yes. But that doesn't change the fact that Houston got run out of their own stadium by a 3-6 team that clearly has flaws. This Houston team should be competing for a College Football Playoff spot, but that now feels far too distant.
Houston's defense couldn't get off the field while the offense turned the ball over twice. Colorado ran up and down the field while Houston couldn't establish a good offensive attack, especially in the third quarter.
The Cougars, for the third time this season, blew a multi-score lead. They led 10-0 and 20-7 early, then Colorado scored 28 unanswered points. Houston needs to salvage what it can from the 2026 season and start by at least looking like it belongs in the rankings against West Virginia.
Now, it's disappointing to see all CFP hopes fade, but a 9-3 season is still within reach. A good bowl game is still within reach, too. Houston needs to be back on the right track and start by taking advantage of a West Virginia team that isn't in a good position.
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Born in Utah, raised in Nebraska, and now living in the Northeast, Tyler Crum is a lifelong sports fan with a passion for college football, college basketball, Major League Baseball, and hockey. He attends the University of New Hampshire, where he is majoring in history. His work has appeared with Last Word on Sports, Utah on Ice, and Sports Illustrated. When he is not writing or watching sports, Tyler can usually be found reading a book on military history.
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