5* Houston -3 I know all about the coaching situation with Houston. I'm glad Herman left 2 weeks ago, and the Cougars have nearly a month before they play their bowl game. They also have become a coveted spot for interviewing new HCs. Les Miles, Lane Kiffin, Art Briles would have been a good hire if not for the baggage..and he wanted the job. But it sounds like Oklahoma OC, Lincoln Riley, knocked it out of the ballpark in the interview process, and I'm betting he gets the job within the next few days. The Cougar players have to be somewhat impressed that they have so many well-known coaches wanting to be their next HC. Riley would be a nice catch and definitely excite the offensive players. I also think, based on my observations over the last many years, that bowl teams usually tank during a coaching change is overstated and often not the case. Houston retains its OC and DC, and 4-5 other coaches. I think the hiring of Riley will encourage the younger players that their team and football future will be in good hands.
I also think their opponent, SD State, really faded toward the end of the season. They lost their last 2 out of 3, and barely squeaked by Wyoming in their last game. They might be as disappointed as Houston(maybe more) on their Las Vegas Bowl game. SD State played an even more cream puff schedule than New Mexico. They never played Boise, lost to South Alabama, and should have lost their Cal game if not for turnovers. A big part of this play is that SD State's defense is overrated. I don't care what the stats say. Beating up on Fresno, Nevada, New Hampshire, UNLV, San Jose, Hawaii, etc. doesn't make a defense formidable. More telling is how porous their D was vs. Wyoming, Colorado State, South Alabama, and Cal. Houston is at least as good as those teams offensively.
Houston is quite an enigma. Beat up on Oklahoma and Louisville, and I mean beat up. Creamed UConn as their revenge game for last year's only loss. But they also laid some eggs losing to SMU and Memphis. I like them here in this one isolated game, like their one game season in last year's bowl vs. FSU. Their 14 point victory really wasn't that close. Houston has the 2nd ranked rushing defense in the nation and will load up to stop Pumphrey and the Aztec running game, daring QB Christian Chapman to beat them. Chapman fared so-so vs. the crummy Mt. West pass defenses- and had a number of poor outings. This SD State team also lost enough starters and depth(10) to drop the talent level a notch or two. I'll take the much better QB and the better defense, off a tougher schedule- especially if Riley or another prominent coach gets hired soon.
