University of Houston Athletics
2010 Non-Conference Slate Set For Cougar Football
1/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 4, 2010
Houston, Texas - The University of Houston football program released its 2010 non-conference schedule, a slate headlined by three BCS Automatic Qualifying schools.
Fresh off a 10-4 campaign in 2009 that included three wins over three BCS AQ schools, the Cougars take road trips to UCLA on Sept. 18 and Texas Tech on Nov. 27. Houston will play host to Mississippi State on Oct. 9, and will open up the season by squaring off against Texas State, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team on Sept. 4.
"Our non-conference schedule is reflective of how competitive our conference has become as well as how competitive our program has become," UH head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "We are now playing good teams in other leagues from different parts of the country. We have expanded our non-conference games from the Big 12 and SEC to the Pac 10."
UH Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades feels this non-conference slate will be welcomed by the Cougar faithful.
"This is a very competitive non-conference schedule for us," Rhoades added. "For the second straight year we have three BCS AQ schools on our schedule, as we feel the best way to keep this program in the national spotlight is to continue to play nationally-recognized football programs.
"Then, we added a very competitive, Texas-based team in Texas State to balance out the non-conference schedule. Fans from both schools should be pleased with this state-of-Texas matchup, and will be a great way to kick off the season.
"Our fans should enjoy another exciting and entertaining season in 2010."
The early season trip to the Rose Bowl to face the Bruins marks the first meeting between UH and UCLA in 12 years, and the first visit to the Rose Bowl since the 1997 season. UCLA finished 7-6 this past season, including a 30-21 win over Temple in the EagleBank Bowl last month.
The Cougars are 2-2 all-time versus the Bruins.
Houston gets return matches against Mississippi State and Texas Tech after having knocked off both squads in 2009. The Bulldogs play at Robertson Stadium for the first time since 2003, and the Cougars will look to win their fourth straight over Mississippi State after knocking off the Bulldogs, 31-24, this past season.
The Bulldogs finished 5-7 in Dan Mullen's first year as head coach; however, three of their five victories were against teams that reached bowl games at the end of the 2009 campaign (Middle Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss.)
As for the Red Raiders, the Cougars make their first trip to Lubbock since 1992, in a late-season affair that matches two of the nation's top offenses. Last season, Houston won a thrilling 29-28 contest over Texas Tech at Robertson Stadium in the first meeting in 14 years between the former Southwest Conference rivals.
Texas Tech finished the year at 9-4 and knocked off Michigan State, 41-31, in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Finally, for the third consecutive season Houston will open the year by hosting an FCS opponent, when the Bobcats of Texas State make their first visit to Houston since 1947. As a matter of fact, Texas State and Houston have not played one another in 62 years, having last met in San Marcos on Nov. 20, 1948.
The Conference USA portion of the Cougars' schedule will be released in the upcoming weeks.
