2015 Houston Cougars football team
The 2015 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 68th year of season play for Houston. The team was led by first-year head coach Tom Herman and played its home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Houston Cougars football team is a member of the American Athletic Conference in its West Division. They finished the season 13–1, 7–1 in American Athletic play to win a share of the West Division title. Due to their head-to-head win over Navy, they represented the West Division in the inaugural American Athletic Championship Game where they defeated Temple to become American Athletic Conference champions. As the highest ranked team from the "Group of five", they received an automatic bid to a New Year's Six bowl. They were invited to the Peach Bowl where they defeated Florida State.
2015 Houston Cougars football | |
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The American champion The American West Division co-champion Peach Bowl champion | |
The American Championship, W 24–13 vs. Temple | |
Peach Bowl, W 38–24 vs. Florida State | |
Conference | American Athletic Conference |
West Division | |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 8 |
AP | No. 8 |
Record | 13–1 (7–1 The American) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Major Applewhite (1st season) |
Offensive scheme | Spread |
Defensive coordinator | Todd Orlando (1st season) |
Base defense | 3–4 |
Home stadium | TDECU Stadium (Capacity: 40,000) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Florida | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UConn | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCF | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 8 Houston xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 18 Navy x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memphis | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: Houston 24, Temple 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll |
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Tennessee Tech* |
| ESPN3 | W 52–24 | 30,479 | |
September 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Louisville* |
| ACCRSN | W 34–31 | 50,019 | |
September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Texas State* |
| ESPN3 | W 59–14 | 35,257 | |
October 3 | 11:00 a.m. | at Tulsa |
| CBSSN | W 38–24 | 17,146 | |
October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | SMU |
| ESPN2 | W 49–28 | 25,204 | |
October 16 | 8:00 p.m. | at Tulane | No. 24 |
| ESPNU | W 42–7 | 21,522 |
October 24 | 11:00 a.m. | at UCF | No. 21 |
| ESPNews | W 59–10 | 28,350 |
October 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt* | No. 18 |
| ESPN2 | W 34–0 | 29,565 |
November 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | No. 25 |
| ESPN2 | W 33–30 | 32,889 |
November 14 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 21 Memphis | No. 24 |
| ESPN2 | W 35–34 | 42,159 |
November 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at UConn | No. 19 |
| ESPNU | L 17–20 | 26,879 |
November 27 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 15 Navy |
| ABC | W 52–31 | 40,562 | |
December 5 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 22 Temple | No. 19 |
| ABC | W 24–13 | 35,721 |
December 31 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 9 Florida State* | No. 18 |
| ESPN | W 38–24 | 71,007 |
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- Schedule Source:[1]
Game summaries
Tennessee Tech
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Eagles | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Cougars | 14 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
At Louisville
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cougars | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
Texas State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bobcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Cougars | 14 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 59 |
At Tulsa
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cougars | 7 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
Golden Hurricane | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
SMU
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mustangs | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Cougars | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
At Tulane
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#24 Cougars | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
Green Wave | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
At UCF
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#21 Cougars | 7 | 17 | 28 | 7 | 59 |
Knights | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Vanderbilt
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commodores | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
#18 Cougars | 7 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
Cincinnati
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bearcats | 0 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
#18 Cougars | 7 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 33 |
Memphis
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#25 Tigers | 3 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
#16 Cougars | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
At UConn
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#13 Cougars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
Huskies | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
Navy
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#16 Midshipmen | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
#21 Cougars | 14 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 52 |
Temple (The American Championship)
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#20 Owls | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
#17 Cougars | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Vs. Florida State (Peach Bowl)
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#14 Cougars | 7 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
#9 Seminoles | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
Rankings
Week | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
AP | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 8 |
Coaches | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 8 |
CFP | Not released | 25 | 24 | 19 | — | 19 | 18 | Not released |