No real surprise here that we are ranked tops in the conference.
1. Houston: Did you expect anyone else? Ed Oliver is one of the best players in the country, and will demand double teams after producing 56.5 tackles and 22.5 tackles for loss in 2016. Jerard Carter returns as Oliver’s backup, and does a good job of producing in limited reps. Nick Thurman has one of the defensive end positions locked up, but someone will have to take the other side. Incoming freshman Bryan Jones is expected to make an impact and could start opposite of Thurman. The Cougars also added Texas A&M transfer Reggie Chavis, who is a former four star linebacker who made the switch to defensive line while in College Station.