One of the upsides of having a sports column is that when you are right, the proof is in writing for all to see. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of having a sports column is that when you are wrong, the proof is in writing for all to see.
Having said that, it is pretty safe to assume that Houston Cougars head football coach Kevin Sumlin is about to become one of the bigger coaching names in college football.
Sumlin, in his second year as head coach at UH, has wasted no time stocking his treasure chest of accomplishments. Last season, his first as a head coach, he led the Cougars to an 8-4 record which included not only two victories over nationally ranked programs (#23 East Carolina and #24 Tulsa), but also the school’s first bowl victory in 28 years; a 34-28 victory over Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. His Cougars, thanks in large part to star quarterback Case Keenum, also ranked second in the nation in both total offense (562.8 ypg) and passing yards (401.6 ypg).
Proving that last year was no fluke, Houston went on the road this past Saturday and knocked off then-fifth ranked Oklahoma State, 45-35. Though the Cougars do not play this weekend, they will get three more chances in the upcoming weeks to make a name for themselves with a game at home against Texas Tech followed by trips to UTEP and Mississippi State, respectively. Should they escape unscathed, a very real possibility, Houston would start the season 5-0 with three wins over BCS conference schools.
Such a mark would firmly entrench them in BCS bowl talks.
With each marquee victory that coach Sumlin’s program acquires, it will move him one step closer to an inevitable job at a larger school. Art Briles, the head man at Houston before Sumlin, left for the greener pastures of a Big 12 program (Baylor) and Sumlin could very well make a similar move.
Prior to taking over at Houston, Sumlin spent five seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma and another two at Texas A&M. His familiarity with the Big 12 and recruiting in the state of Texas make him a no-brainer to become the next head coach at Texas A&M.
While current A&M head coach Mike Sherman is in just his second year with the school, his seat is already getting warm. The Aggies went just 4-8 in 2008 and lost all four of their games against ranked opponents by a combined score of 214-90. To make matters worse, A&M, which figures to finish last this season in the Big 12 South, is a team in desperate need of an identity as they continue to lose both national interest and star recruits to their conference brethren.
Should Sherman’s 2009 season look anything like his 2008 campaign, there could very easily be a job opening in College Station with coach Kevin Sumlin’s name written all over it.
A name which you need to know.
