Though the Cougars’ first Big 12 season ended back in November without a bowl berth, there’s still time to look back at one of UH football’s crowning achievements as members of the Southwest Conference: the 1977 Cotton Bowl.
When it was announced UH would enter the Southwest Conference, Hall of Fame head coach Bill Yeoman immediately began building a conference champion in year one. By the end of the 1976 regular season, Yeoman’s Cougars had done just that.
A disastrous 2-8 season in 1975 — Houston’s first losing season in a decade — made it seem like big-time SWC football was going to be far too much for the formerly independent school.