I’ve been following UH sports since the mid-60s and I do not believe we have a rival.
UT and A&M do not consider us as a rival. It’s like the girl who you value very highly, but she doesn’t feel the same way.
Our series with Rice is more off than on. How can that type of series be considered as a rivalry?
Tulsa and SMU don’t like us because of 100-6 and 95-21, but I don’t believe the series has graduated to rival status that would match UT vs OU, BAMA vs Auburn, ARMY vs NAVY or Ohio State vs Michigan. True rivalries like those fill-up stadiums. Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Memphis, Tulane, etc. do not fill up TDECU.
CUSA did not generate a rival. The AAC has done little to generate a true rival. The SWC is ancient history. Today’s young fans do not consider former SWC members to be rivals. They are more regional foes.
We’re in a unique place with regards to rivalries. It would be nice to identify a team as a true rival, but it isn’t necessary.
I hear you. If SMU has an actaul mustang mascot, we could steal it and that would help get things going. Memphis has a tiger. I think it lives in the zoo up there so we’d have to steal it during a night game when it’s at the stadium. PM me if anyone wants in on it!
Apparently, Tulsa and SMU fans view us as their top rivalries. Memphis does not think about at us at all. Their fans are still in the mindset that Tennessee is their rival and Tennessee doesn’t know their name.
I agree that we played Rice in what was to be a practice game. Then the snake Jess Neely set it up with coverage by local newspapers to put us in our place.
HOWEVER, if you think the UH football was “ created” just to play Rice in a scrimmage, then you would be way off base.
Read Jerry Whizig’s book to understand what really happened.
You will understand that Rice has been pulling this crap going back to the 1940’s.
If it were up to me, I would only play them at TDECU and the FC.
Agreed…I don’t like anything about Rice.
Under Jess Nealy, they were all that.
Now ?
(Wannabe) Eggheads and Panty Waists.
Their Athletic students resemble literally nothing like the gen pop on campus.
So There.
I respectfully disagree. When we play Rice at Rice Stadium it’s like another Cougar home game because UH fans always vastly outnumber Rice’s fans. And yet, it counts as a road game. Plus, if you are a guy, you get to use some ancient plumbing in the Rice Stadium men’s rooms, which is sort of like doing time travel while you urinate.
But, to have a rivalry, both sideshave to think of it as such. UT and aTm do not consider us rivals, heck we haven’t played UT since 2002 or aTm since 1995. I don’t consider them a rivalry at all. I do consider our biggest rivals Tulsa, SMU, and Memphis.
That’s not quite true. Opponents of UH were given the option to play at the Astrodome or Rice Stadium on their first visit to Houston. Arky, agi and uta were the only ones who opted for Rice Stadium since it was larger than the Dome to accommodate more of their fans. All of the others played Coogs in the Dome. And, it spanned the first two years in the conference since we didn’t play these 3 at home in the same year.
I agree with the idea that we really don’t have a rival right now. I’m in the group that thinks a rivalry has to be on both sides, equal venom, and we just don’t have that right now. The closest, I think, is SMU, but it’s pretty tame compared to the real hated rivalries out there.
For me personally, SMU is the only team we play that I really dislike, and that has to do with their culture, their city, etc. In so many ways they are the opposite of us.
Rice, Tulsa, and SMU I suppose would be the closest thing we have to “rivals,” but I think that those other teams probably get more fired up to play us than vice versa.
None of those opponents really get us fired up.
UT and aTm were our rivals when I was growing up and probably still should be…but alas.
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