Best Case/Worst Case in 2016: Houston Cougars

[caption id="attachment_18939" align="alignnone" width="800"]Photo by Diana Porter Photo by Diana Porter[/caption] Will this season be a dream or a nightmare for your favorite FBS program in the state of Texas? In this series, we take a look at the best and worst case scenarios for all 12 teams. Houston 2015 Record: 13-1Best Case The Cougars are poised to make history and become the first non-P5 program to make a claim at the College Football Playoff. In his first year at the helm, Tom Herman led his Cougars to a near-perfect season. Houston finished 13-1, losing to UConn by three points in a game that quarterback Greg Ward was sidelined for the vast majority of minutes. A win over Florida State in the Chcik-fil-A Peach Bowl solidified the season and put the map on notice. Houston can carry over the momentum and reputation it built last season with a similar road towards perfection in 2016. The glaring difference is a season-opening showdown with defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma. A victory over the Sooners propels Houston towards national title contention and sets up a path for perfection. Beating Oklahoma would make Houston the favorite in every game remaining on the regular season schedule. An undefeated season isn’t a pipe dream, but a reality Houston can achieve with an upset over Oklahoma and consistency throughout the rest of the schedule. If everything tilts the Coogs' way, they crash the party and earn a ticket to the College Football Playoff. Worst Case Houston climbed up the ranks fast. Regression would only be natural, even if disappointing. The Cougars won close games in 2015. That can sometimes be a function of luck, and not having it this season could result in three-to-five losses for the Cougars. In a worst case scenario, Houston is blown out to start the season by Oklahoma. This relegates Houston to competing for a conference title and a decent bowl game, which would feel like a disappointment after an offseason full of hype. A crushing loss in a national showcase game is known to disrupt a team’s season. The Cougars could feel the season is lost before it gets started and drop games to Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn. Add in two upset losses and the Cougars are on the cusp of losing bowl eligibility and the momentum built in the #HTownTakeover.

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