Dana Holgorsen on UH's gauntlet: 'This schedule sucked'

Cougar Football
1

JD focuses mainly on the possible 6 ranked teams we’ll face this year, but I think CDH is more upset about the 4 games in 19 days aspect of the schedule (and possibly the “home game” at NRG).

“The schedule did not set up very well for us this year,” Holgorsen said. “Hopefully that changes next year. I can assure you I’m going to do a lot of complaining in our meeting. (Athletic director Chris Pezman) has heard it from me a good bit. This schedule sucked.

“We need to make sure we put our guys in a favorable position moving forward. I’m going to be complaining a lot and doing whatever I can to make sure our schedule sets up better. There’s going to be certain years where there’s nothing you can do about it.”

7 Likes
2

I am with you on this. Dana is used to playing ranked teams – only two from OOC were ranked. Surely he would not complain about having to play 4 ranked opponents in AAC play. That is no different than the Big XII and he has to want the AAC to have good teams. It has to be that 4 games in 19 days.

3 Likes
3

The schedule sucked for the fans too

5 Likes
4

Yes but we complain every season…

4 Likes
5

Agree. Having only one OOC game at TDECU is really tough. 2008 was the last time we didn’t have at least 2 games in our home stadium and that was due to Hurricane Ike. The last time we had control and did it was back when we had 11 game regular season schedules.

2 Likes
6

I think this schedule was tough if you didn’t have the team to compete. I expect the coaching staff to recruit a team that would win 9 games with this schedule. I am chalking it up to rebuilding and the impact of previous staff’s not redshirting kids and not recruiting various positions. We won’t play OU every year at their place so I think they are an outlier.

3 Likes
7

I’m all for a challenging schedule, otherwise how can you claim that you are a top team? This year just happen to catch us in a very down year for more than one reason. It’s just like Herman’s first year two years were caught with a very good team with minimal injuries for him, while having 3 top ranked programs to play while he was a coach here.

But, I’m not in favor of a powder puff schedule any year. Maybe CDH is referring more to the number of games during a 19 day span. He certainly had to bye weeks nicely spaced.

1 Like
8

Even though the schedule has been a challenge, I don’t like the head coach talking about it like that. It lets everyone off the hook for underperforming.

This is a conversation for the AD and head coach to have, IMO.

3 Likes
9

Does anyone recall when the 2019 schedule was finalized? Was Hunter still the AD?

1 Like
10

Can’t blame the schedule for the quality of this year’s team. That’s why we pay him $4 Million a year. I think he’ll turn it around but it’s been nothing but excuses and deflection thus far.

11

I agree with this. Sounds like whining.

1 Like
12

Dana said in his press conference, “My big thing is, whatever everyone else in our conference is doing, that’s what we should do.” That doesn’t mean not playing P5 teams. What others in our conference are doing is playing P5 and G5 teams OOC. We will do that same. However, we will not load up on top P5 teams, though we will play an OU or the like when we can.

I would like to see us play a couple of P5 teams, with one good one, and a couple of G5 teams, preferably ones in Texas or Louisiana. I would like home and home with all OOC teams. No more TSU, PVAM, etc. or any FCS teams ever again.

Our schedules over the next several years reflect what we should be doing (although I don’t like playing Rice).

Houston Football Future Non-Conference Schedules
2020
Sept. 5, 2020…Rice at Houston, Houston leads, 30-11
Sept. 12, 2020…Houston at Washington State, Washington State leads, 3-1
Sept. 26, 2020…North Texas at Houston, Houston leads, 8-7
Oct. 17, 2020…Houston at BYU, BYU leads, 2-0

2021
Sept. 4, 2021…TBD — (Boise State game moved to 2025)
Sept. 11, 2021…Houston at Rice, Houston leads, 30-11
Sept. 18, 2021…Texas Tech at Houston, Houston leads, 18-12-1
Oct. 2, 2021…Houston at Vanderbilt, Series tied, 1-1

2022
Sept. 3, 2022…Houston at UTSA, Series tied, 1-1
Sept. 10, 2022…Houston at Texas Tech, Houston leads, 18-12-1
Sept. 17, 2022…Kansas at Houston, Kansas leads, 3-0
Sept. 24, 2022…Rice at Houston, Houston leads, 30-11

2023
Sept. 2, 2023…UTSA at Houston, Series tied, 1-1
Sept. 9, 2023…Houston at Rice, Houston leads, 30-11
Sept. 16, 2023…Houston at Kansas, Kansas leads, 3-0
Oct. 7, 2023…BYU at Houston, BYU leads, 2-0

2024
Aug. 31, 2024…Houston at UTSA, Series tied, 1-1
Sept. 7, 2024…Houston at Boise State, No previous meetings
TBA – --
TBA – --

2025
Aug. 30, 2025…UTSA at Houston, Series tied, 1-1
Sept. 6, 2025…Colorado at Houston, Colorado leads, 1-0
Sept. 20, 2025…Boise State at Houston (moved from 2021), No previous meetings
TBA – --

2026
Sept. 5, 2026…Utah at Houston, Houston leads, 4-0
Sept. 12, 2026…Houston at Colorado, Colorado leads, 1-0
Sept. 26, 2026…Houston at Georgia Southern, No previous meetings
TBA – --

2027
Sept. 11, 2027…Houston at Utah, Houston leads, 4-0
Sept. 18, 2027…Georgia Southern at Houston, No previous meetings

1 Like
13

No, it was finalized earlier this year.

  • OU series was done under Rhoades.

  • PVA&M happened because our last two ADs didn’t prioritize getting another OOC home game for this season (or last) far enough out. By the time Pezman came on, it was too late to put something together.

  • Wazzu was a Yurachek series. Pezman had the game moved to NRG to get more money.

  • North Texas was also a Yurachek series

  • As far as conference, that’s set by the league with some input from the schools. Problem was that Thursday Tulane game after the opening schedule we had. When Herman was here, he also complained about some of the scheduling by the conference and said that it often doesn’t put some teams in position to succeed. Pac12 tends to complain about how they schedule in conference at times as well.

2 Likes
14

I wish our conference had a scheduling strategy. Supposedly, the conference recommends to not take buy-games, but about half the conference does it. Then, you have some that play weak OOC. Then you have us, UCF, Memphis, Navy, and Cincy that try to schedule like a supposed power conference would.

15

Finally we have a coach who can match our own complaining here on Coogfans. This is a perfect synergy I never believed I’d see in my lifetime.

6 Likes
16

The future schedules look perfectly acceptable.

1 Like
17

Thanks Patrick. So the only game Pezman scheduled was PV because prior AD’s dropped the ball. Moving to NRG for more money I was OK with.

2 Likes
18

I am OK with moving a game in August or September to NRG to make more money. UH benefits and it’s a whole lot more comfortable.

1 Like
19

My take was not the opponents, but the actual schedule of date and times.

7 Likes
20

I think that’s what CDH was complaining about as well, the concentration of early games with the week day games. Hard to get into rythem doing that and also makes recouping tough.

2 Likes