Looking ahead at OOC schedules going forward and those for other Big 12 teams. A lot of schools are in the same pickle. Plus, a bit of current UH football and trivia from the old days.

A big thanks to our friends at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers, the official personal injury law firm for University of Houston Athletics, for helping make this possible. Trust Guss!
 

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Trivia. With the season opener now just 23 days away, did you know that a UH quarterback has thrown for five or more TDs in a season opener six times? Four different players have done it.

David Klingler threw nine TDs in 1991 vs. LaTech (and five vs. UNLV a year earlier), Andre Ware also did it vs. UNLV in 1989, and Case Keenum did it in 2008 (Southern) and 2010 (Texas State).

Who was the 4th guy to do it? Answer at the bottom of the column.
 

Today After Practice. The media is getting our first chance in a while to talk with Brian Early today. Early will hold court at lunchtime along with OL coach/run game coordinator Eman Naghavi, followed by DB A.J. Haulcy, DL Nelson Ceaser, OL Tank Jenkins, and DL Chidozie Nwankwo.

FYI: Haulcy goes by A.J. He was called Adari by ESPN and 247 during the recruiting process but went by A.J. at UNM. It’s updated on the roster and UHCougars.com.
 

Scheduling Mess. UH worked hard to get an international game in week 0 for 2024. They got down the road pretty far with Michigan State for a game in Dublin, but it did not work out. Instead, Florida State and Georgia Tech will play that week 0 game in Ireland.

Because Dublin didn’t work out, UH still needs a 2024 out-of-conference (OOC) game. Specifically, the Coogs need a P5 game, as required by the Big 12 scheduling model (UH has an exemption this season). The Coogs play UNLV at home to start the 2024 season and at Boise State on 9/21.

UH will also need OOC P5 games in 2025 and 2026 due to Colorado and Utah joining the conference. But I’m curious to see if the Big 12 will sanction playing conference teams in OOC games, similar to how Kansas and UH will play in a non-conference game in basketball in Mexico in 2024.

Because it’s not just UH. From the time the Pac-12 schools enter the Big 12 in 2024 until 2030, there are 17 OOC games scheduled between teams in the league. Meaning you need to find 34 new games for the participants.

Here are all Big 12 members’ P5 OOC games currently scheduled through 2030 (for the benefit of mobile users, we broke it up into two tables. Mobile users may still have to flip to landscape):

Iowa State has three holes to fill to get to 2030, but that’s just another extension with Iowa. Houston and Cincinnati each need three P5 games, while UCF needs two. But maybe UH doesn’t.
 

Breaking News? UH is closing in on a deal with Oklahoma for a two-year home-and-home series beginning in 2028. I’m told the agreement may be signed, but I don’t know if the UH “home” game is at TDECU or NRG.

That would mean LSU and OU in back-to-back years for the Cougars.
 

Trivia Answer. Ken Bailey threw five touchdowns in 1969 at Florida on just 13 completions. Unfortunately, Florida’s new QB, John Reaves, also threw for five touchdowns that day in a 59-34 romp over the #7 Cougars at Florida Field. Reaves replaced Steve Spurrier, who won the Heisman the year before. Spurrier’s center, Bill McGillis, was also replaced in 1969. Fella by the name of Kim Helton.

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