With the move to the Big 12, Coogs ready to put years of preparation into practice

Houston was sentenced to college football purgatory when the Southwest Conference dissolved after the 1995 season. The resurrection back into the national spotlight as new members of the Big 12 required stops in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference while familiar foes such as Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor enjoyed life as Power Five members. 

The Cougars are back in the big leagues for the 2023 campaign in a crowded Big 12 that still includes the Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners. They must maneuver these new waters without recent stars such as quarterback Clayton Tune, wide receiver Tank Dell, and safety Gervarrius Owens.

Dana Holgorsen was hired away from Big 12 member West Virginia by the Houston brass prior to the 2019 season to prepare the program for this exact moment. He helped the Mountaineers transition from the Big East to the Big 12 over a decade ago. Holgorsen holds a 27-20 record in four seasons at the helm of the Third Ward, including a 20-7 mark over the past two seasons. 

“We’ve put this place on a solid foundation over the last four years to prepare ourselves for this moment,” Holgorsen said. “We’ve won 20 games in two years and back-to-back bowl games for one of the only times in the history of this program. We’re a more talented team than when I took over and there are a lot of dudes in this building that are only here because we’re moving to the Big 12.” 

Holgorsen is the first to admit that his Cougars underachieved during an eight-win season in 2022. They entered the year with conference championship aspirations following a 12-win campaign in 2021. Houston lost three conference games and both of its matchups with Big 12 programs last season, including a double-overtime thriller at Texas Tech. Kansas beat the Cougars the following week by 18. 

“We didn’t handle the expectations well last year,” Holgorsen said. “We got kicked down a little bit. I hope that chip (on our shoulder) comes back as a program like we had going into 2021. We need that edge because where we’re going, we’re not going to have it as good as most of the other programs.”

Consequences exist after a three-decade long timeout from major college football. Houston is working on plans for new facilities and an improved NIL structure. Season ticket sales are soaring. Attention in a crowded city is growing. A schedule that includes home games against TCU and Texas should help. But everyone involved knows that success on the field is the only way to pack the stands consistently and grow the athletic budget. And winning in 2023 won’t be easy. 

Week 1 includes a matchup against a UTSA program that took the Cougars to three overtimes to start 2022. An improved Rice squad gave Houston all it could handle last year, as well. The Big 12 schedule begins with a home game against national runner-up TCU and a road game two weeks later against a Texas Tech squad that finished over .500 in the Big 12 in 2022 for the first time since Holgorsen’s mentor, Mike Leach, roamed the sidelines back in 2009. 

“We know what we’re up against,” Holgorsen admitted. “I know our team is better top to bottom, but we’ll be finding out quickly if that is enough for us to hang in the Big 12.” 

DCTF'S TAKE

Transition is never easy. Every game in the Big 12 feels like a coin flip and the Cougars could finish anywhere from eight to four wins without surprise. They’re facing a higher level of competition while breaking in a new quarterback and multiple fresh faces on the defensive side of the football. Holgorsen knows the Big 12 and was hired to put the Cougars in position to compete in Year 1. That’s a tough task given the conference’s depth heading into 2023.