The Houston Cougars, in the midst of transitioning from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12, seemed to find their footing at the dawn of October. Houston opened the month downing West Virginia on a walk-off Hail Mary to secure its first-ever conference win since the move this summer. One week later, the Cougars took a top 10 Texas team down to the last possession, falling 10 yards short of the tying, or potential game-winning touchdown.
All of that progress was seemingly eradicated when Houston left the state of Texas for the first time in the 2023 season.