This is part 2 of our first-ever mailbag for GoCoogs.com. We receive questions via email, twitter, and the Veer message board. Each week, dos Coogs will respond in-depth to a question or two.
Here we go!
A Reader Asks: That game was hard to stomach this weekend. I think we can still win the conference just need some things to go our way. Where do you think we go from here?
For part 1 (Monceaux’s response), please click here.
Brad Towns played baseball for the Cougars in the mid-90’s:
What happened on Saturday was brutal. UH got pushed around and beat-up by SMU. We all know what happened and we’re pretty sure of why it happened. When I look at what it means, I realize I’m thinking something that is completely against my nature as a fan.
As I sit here today, that loss means absolutely nothing for the Coogs. UH still leads the division and still has a manageable path to win the division and play for the AAC title.
Going into Saturday it felt like we finally had things rolling again. We were back into the top 25 and media folks were starting to pay attention. Thanks to the success on the field, people were starting to see this team as more than just Ed Oliver and his supporting cast.
The division title was pretty much on-lock and the title match-up with UCF was looking winnable. A win there and a 12-1 record would put us in perfect position to get the NY6 berth.
As I watched our face-plant on the Hilltop Saturday night, it brought back all the questions we had last year. It shook every thought I had and my hopes for a conference title and a potential NY6 bid. It suddenly made the idea of even winning the division questionable. If this team could lose to SMU and look so bad in doing it, they could lose to Temple, Tulane and Memphis, too.
After cooling off for a few days I have to ask myself, “what does this loss really mean?” I know what it could mean, but what does it mean in the here and now? My honest answer is it doesn’t really mean anything.
The only thing that matters is winning the division. That is still well within play and we have a full game lead with just 3 to play. After that, all you can do is win the conference title. We would assume that UCF will be there, although Cinci could surprise us all, but both scenarios are irrelevant.
Everything that we can control is still there for the taking. UH fans shouldn’t worry about the polls because we can’t control that vote. We shouldn’t worry about the NY6 because we can’t control the CFP vote and we certainly can’t control what other teams are going to do.
I don’t feel any better about the loss to SMU and I am still leery about what lies ahead. But, reality is, we still find ourselves in a great spot. And this Cougar team has more talent than every team left on our schedule. We will find out soon enough if that translates into wins and achieving the goals set for the season.
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Read Part 1:
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