College football Way-Too-Early Top 25

https://www.thechestnutpost.com/college-football-way-too-early-top-25-usc-moves-all-the-way-to-no-4-19195.html

13. Houston Cougars

Previous ranking: 13
2021 record: 12-2 (8-0 AAC)
Returning starters: 7 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams
Key departures: G Keenan Murphy, WR Jake Herslow, C Kody Russey, OT Dennis Bardwell, DE David Anenih, LB Deontay Anderson, DB/KR Marcus Jones, DT Logan Hall
Key additions: WR Matthew Golden, QB Lucas Coley, OL Tyler Johnson, RB Brandon Campbell, OL Lance Robinson, WR Joseph Manjack IV, LB Jamal Morris, WR Brice Johnson
Spring update: As the Cougars prepare for what might be their final season in the AAC before potentially moving to the Big 12 in 2023, coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff have been very active in the transfer portal. They recently added Robinson, who started 12 games at Middle Tennessee State last season, and Tyler Johnson, a former ESPN 300 recruit who played sparingly the past three seasons at Texas, to help shore up losses on the offensive line. Coley, an Arkansas transfer, might be Houston’s quarterback of the future. The Cougars were dealt a big blow in the spring when starting tailback Alton McCaskill, who ran for 961 yards with 16 touchdowns in 2021, tore the ACL in his left knee on April 1. He is expected to miss the 2022 season. Ta’Zhawn Henry, who ran for 513 yards with seven scores last season, and Campbell, a Southern California transfer, might split carries in his absence.

8 Likes

Sounds about right……

It will be nice to not have to win 3 or 4 games before entering “ others receiving votes”.

10 Likes

Us starting at 24-25 is fair

Whether we start in the teens or twenties - if we lose just one of the first two games we are out of the rankings.

If we win the first couple of games, get ready for a fun ride!

4 Likes

Why so low? We finished ranked #17 last year and have made many improvements.

4 Likes

Great to see this and all, but when the first AP and Coaches polls come out we will be ranked in the 20’s because we do not get the respect we deserve.

Obligatory too much time on my hand post. Previous 11 seasons UH was ranked heading into a season, courtesy of AP Poll archive

Year

  1. 1969 - 7
  2. 1970 - 13
  3. 1973 - 18
  4. 1974 - 11
  5. 1977 - 14
  6. 1979 - 16
  7. 1980 - 8
  8. 1989 - 21
  9. 1990 - 24
  10. 1991 - 12
  11. 2016 - 15

Appearances By Decade
'60s - 1
'70s - 5
'80s - 2
'90s - 2
'00s - 0
'10s - 1

Looks UH was a consistent challenger in the Nixon, Ford, Carter era

3 Likes