How Houston stacks up against the old BCS Busters
Houston is attempting to accomplish something that hasn’t been done since 1984 - win the national championship as a member of a Group of Five conference. BYU’s controversial title 32 years ago, featured a ranked-win over Pitt (who finished 3-7-1) and a seven-point bowl victory over a 6-5 Michigan team. That’s it.
The Cougars' road to the College Football Playoff will undoubtedly be more difficult and it begins this week against Oklahoma at NRG Stadium in downtown Houston. Can they become America’s new darlings? To answer that question, it’s helpful to compare the ‘16 Coogs to some previous BCS Busters.
Hawaii 2007 (12-1, Lost In Sugar Bowl To Georgia)
Colt Brennan led a cutthroat Hawaii attack that averaged 43.4 points per game in ‘07, tops nationally. Brennan accounted for 50 total touchdowns, a figure that was down 13 from his junior campaign when he set the NCAA record with 63 TDs. That record still stands today. Greg Ward Jr. accounted for 38 total touchdowns last season, despite producing goose eggs against Memphis and UConn due to leg injuries. He’s twice the runner that Brennan ever was, but he needs to improve as a passer if he hopes to gain an invitation to New York for the Heisman presentation as Brennan did nine years ago.
Much like the Rainbow Warriors, Houston’s defense allowed opposing offenses to gobble up yardage last season by gambling with blitzes in the hopes of creating havoc. Where Hawaii failed to create turnovers (21), Houston succeeded (35). If the Cougars can quickly patch up their secondary and pressure teams as they did in 2015, they’ll have a chance to do something Hawaii failed to do nearly a decade ago: run the table.
Boise State 2009 (13-0, Fiesta Bowl Champions)
The ‘09 Boise State Broncos were quite possibly the greatest team in school history. They had the highest-scoring offense in the nation at 42.2 points per game and limited opponents to just 17.1 points per contest. Their turnover margin was plus-1.7, which is tied for the second highest margin in the last ten years. Chris Peterson’s signal caller, Kellen Moore, set the FBS TD:INT ratio record at 13:1. They steamrolled their competition, complete with a Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU, and finished fourth in both the AP and Coaches polls.
Coach Pete took home the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award, making him the only two-time winner. The 2009 regular season, if repeated, would be a nightmare scenario for Houston. Boise State finished undefeated, but four other programs finished without a loss, leaving the Broncos on the outside looking in. Hopefully for the Cougars, their non-conference schedule that includes the Sooners and Louisville, will be enough to impress the committee should they post a perfect regular season this fall.
Utah 2008 (13-0, Sugar Bowl Champions)
Utah’s ‘08 season went a long way in proving that the program belonged in a Power 5 conference. The Utes' defense was suffocating, surrendering just 285 yards and 17.2 points per game. They rode their defense to upset wins over four ranked teams (Michigan, TCU, BYU, Alabama). Their offense, by current-day standards, was nothing special. Brian Johnson accounted for 3,100 yards and 28 total touchdowns.
The secret to the Utes' success was their efficiency. They turned the ball over only 18 times all season, and just five times in their four wins over ranked opponents. The Cougars gave the ball away four times in their lone loss last season to UConn. If they want to crash the CFP party this season, Houston will need to protect the football just like Utah did eight seasons ago during its magical run all the way to No. 2 in the final AP Poll.