5 reasons Houston Cougars are national title contenders
By John Buhler
The No. 15 Houston Cougars upset the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners in Week 1. Here are five reasons that Houston is a legitimate National Championship contender.
The Houston Cougars find themselves in the top 10 of Week 2’s AP Top 25 Poll after handling the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners, 33-23. Houston is the Group of 5’s best shot at making the third annual College Football Playoff in 2016. Do the Cougars have what it takes to crash the Power 5’s holiday party?
It’s early in the 2016 college football season, but the 2016 Cougars look to be the best mid-major program in college football. It’s a great time to be a Houston football fan and here are a few reasons the Cougars can not only make the College Football Playoff, but win the National Championship.
5. Pac-12 is weak and Notre Dame already has one loss
For a Group of 5 team to gate crash the College Football Playoff three things need to happen:
1.) A Group of 5 team must beat a strong Power 5 team in the non-conference en route to a 12-0 regular season and a conference championship.
2.) Two of the five Power 5 conferences have to have down seasons.
3.) Independent Notre Dame can’t put together a 12-0 or 11-1 regular season.
It’s only Week 2, but things are already setting up very nicely for the Cougars. Houston has that signature win over an elite Power 5 program in Oklahoma. They could definitely add another one when the ACC power Louisville Cardinals come to town late in the season.
As for the Power 5, the Pac-12 looks to be on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff once again. Pac-12 South contenders UCLA and USC lost Week 1. The Pac-12 North has three strong teams in the Oregon Ducks, the Stanford Cardinal, and the Washington Huskies. The North teams could cannibalize and inevitably leave the Pac-12 out.
Beating Oklahoma helps Houston’s argument and only hurts the Big 12 (more on that in a bit). Should two Power 5 conferences struggle, independent Notre Dame can emerge as a legitimate playoff contender if the Fighting Irish go undefeated or 11-1. The problem for Notre Dame this season is that it lost an overtime thriller to the Texas Longhorns in Week 1.
Houston will need to take care of business and get some lucky breaks along the way to make the College Football Playoff. After flexing its muscles against a National Semifinalist from the year before in Oklahoma, Houston has the team to navigate the Playoff should it qualify.
Next: 4. Beating Oklahoma hamstrings Big 12