← All Teams
HOU
Houston
CougarsBalancedBig 12 Conference3-5#38 (+3.57)
Grades
Percentile grades against every FBS team this season — 99 is best. Curved so an average team reads C, not F.
70· BOverall
Offense
59· CRating
53· CPer play
57· CConsistency
58· CBig plays
Defense
59· CRating
43· CPer play
80· BConsistency
Situational
78· BRed-zone O
54· CRed-zone D
29· D3rd down O
63· C3rd down D
Analytical Fingerprint
SS-native team profile — opponent-adjusted and garbage-filtered EPA, success, and explosiveness.
Opp-Adj Offense
+0.005
Opp-Adj Defense
+0.001
higher = better
Offensive EPA/play
+0.021
Defensive EPA/play
+0.042
lower = better
Off Success Rate
47.3%
Def Success Rate
44.6%
allowed · lower = better
Explosive Rate
24.7%
pass EPA > 1.0 · rush > 0.8
Explosive Allowed
23.6%
lower = better
Net EPA/play
-0.021
net · higher = better
Recent EPA Trend
-0.063
last 3 weeks
Points / Drive
2.19
Special Teams
Opponent-adjusted special-teams component of the Final Rating, in expected points per game — positive = better. The four units sum to the net.
Net ST Rating
+2.39
expected pts/game
Kicking
+0.36
own kicking game
Kick Defense
+0.98
vs opponent kicks
Returns
+1.65
own return game
Return Defense
-0.59
vs opponent returns
Performance vs Perception
Our opponent-adjusted model rank vs. how others rate this team. Descriptive — where the model and the consensus disagree.
Model Rank
#38
opponent-adjusted strength
AP Poll
NR
—
Market (Vegas)
#39
model 1 higher
Recruiting Rank
—
no recruiting profile
Peer Context
Where Houston ranks among all FBS teams in 2020 (percentile).
Opp-adjusted offense57th
Opp-adjusted defense53th
Offensive EPA/play53th
Defensive EPA/play44th
Offensive success rate53th
Explosiveness58th
Defensive havoc74th
Points per drive52th
Historical Fingerprint
Most statistically similar team-seasons, 2017–2025, by the same 44-feature profile The Archive uses. Descriptive context, not a forecast.
1North Carolina2024OA -0.010 / -0.021similar: rushing offense, takeaway rate, defensive EPA3462Marshall2017OA -0.030 / +0.016similar: takeaway rate, havoc rate, defensive success rate3453UTSA2023OA -0.019 / -0.006similar: defensive success rate, turnover rate, run defense3454Ole Miss2026OA +0.002 / -0.042similar: turnover rate, offensive EPA, TD drive rate3445Purdue2022OA +0.107 / -0.006similar: offensive EPA, defensive EPA, rushing offense338
2020 Schedule & Results
8 games
| Wk | Opponent | Score | W/L | Spread | ATS | Total | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | vs Tulane | 49-31 | W | +5.0 | L | 62.5 | O |
| 7 | vs BYU | 26-43 | L | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | @ Navy | 37-21 | W | -14.5 | W | 55.5 | O |
| 9 | vs UCF | 21-44 | L | +2.5 | L | 82.5 | U |
| 10 | @ Cincinnati | 10-38 | L | +13.5 | L | 55 | U |
| 11 | vs South Florida | 56-21 | W | -14.5 | W | 58.5 | O |
| 15 | @ Memphis | 27-30 | L | -5.0 | L | 63.5 | U |
| 17 | vs Hawai'i | 14-28 | L | - | - | - | - |
Betting Profile
ATS Record
3-5
37.5%
O/U Record
4-4
50.0%
Straight Up
3-5
37.5%
Home ATS2-3
Away ATS1-2
Favorite ATS3-2
Underdog ATS0-3
Last 5 ATS
LLWLL
Graded against consensus market lines (median across multiple sportsbooks). Games the market never lined — mostly early-season non-FBS matchups — are excluded from ATS and O/U records; individual games may grade differently than closing-line sources.
Situational Profile
Situational EPA percentile across 8 phases (the larger the shape, the more dominant). Within-FBS ranks.
| Situation | OFF EPA | OFF Rank | DEF EPA | DEF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | -0.002 | 46th | +0.058 | 35th |
| Red Zone | +0.148 | 79th | -0.026 | 55th |
| Third Down | -0.040 | 30th | +0.012 | 63th |
| No Garbage Time | -0.001 | 49th | +0.039 | 47th |
| First Half | -0.095 | 22th | +0.075 | 34th |
| Second Half | +0.099 | 78th | +0.042 | 45th |
| Early Downs | +0.032 | 64th | +0.097 | 11th |
| Passing Downs | +0.014 | 45th | -0.091 | 84th |
| Standard Downs | -0.011 | 42th | +0.145 | 9th |
| Goal to Go | +0.172 | 69th | +0.015 | 55th |
Style & Tendencies
Pass 50.3%Rush 49.7%
Havoc/Game
14.8
Havoc Rate
20.7%
TO Margin
-1.3
Explosive/G
16.8
Yards/Game
408.9
Pts/Drive
2.19
3rd Down%
40.0%
3&Out%
14.3%
Team Statistics
2020 season totals across 8 games — Houston vs. the combined line of every opponent in those games.
| Stat | Houston | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring | ||
| Points | 240 | 256 |
| Points / Game | 30.0 | 32.0 |
| First Downs | ||
| Total | 183 | 166 |
| Rushing | 69 | 72 |
| Passing | 103 | 79 |
| Penalty | 11 | 15 |
| Rushing | ||
| Attempts | 293 | 314 |
| Yards | 1,145 | 1,340 |
| Yards / Carry | 3.9 | 4.3 |
| Yards / Game | 143.1 | 167.5 |
| Touchdowns | 12 | 12 |
| Passing | ||
| Attempts | 297 | 238 |
| Completions | 175 | 140 |
| Completion % | 58.9% | 58.8% |
| Yards | 2,126 | 1,848 |
| Yards / Attempt | 7.2 | 7.8 |
| Touchdowns | 15 | 16 |
| Interceptions | 10 | 3 |
| Passer Rating | 128.98 | 143.71 |
| Total Offense | ||
| Plays | 590 | 552 |
| Yards | 3,271 | 3,188 |
| Yards / Play | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Yards / Game | 408.9 | 398.5 |
| Punt Returns | ||
| Returns | 20 | 4 |
| Yards | 369 | -5 |
| Average | 18.4 | -1.3 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 0 |
| Kickoff Returns | ||
| Returns | 17 | 11 |
| Yards | 425 | 313 |
| Average | 25.0 | 28.5 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 1 |
| Punting | ||
| Punts | 38 | 45 |
| Yards | 1,583 | 1,946 |
| Average | 41.7 | 43.2 |
| Interception Returns | ||
| Returns | 3 | 10 |
| Yards | 22 | 159 |
| Touchdowns | 0 | 2 |
| Fumbles | ||
| Fumbles | 7 | 9 |
| Lost | 6 | 3 |
| Penalties | ||
| Penalties | 61 | 41 |
| Yards | 546 | 360 |
| Yards / Game | 68.3 | 45.0 |
| Time of Possession | ||
| Per Game | 31:18 | 28:43 |
| Third Downs | ||
| Attempts | 120 | 116 |
| Conversions | 48 | 44 |
| Conversion % | 40.0% | 37.9% |
| Fourth Downs | ||
| Attempts | 19 | 13 |
| Conversions | 14 | 7 |
| Conversion % | 73.7% | 53.8% |
| Red Zone | ||
| Trips | 26 | 31 |
| Scores (TD + FG) | 23 | 27 |
| Score % | 88.5% | 87.1% |
| Touchdowns | 18 | 21 |
| TD % | 69.2% | 67.7% |
| Field Goals | ||
| Attempts | 11 | 12 |
| Made | 8 | 8 |
| Pct | 72.7% | 66.7% |
| PAT Kicking | ||
| Attempts | 28 | 31 |
| Made | 28 | 30 |
| Pct | 100.0% | 96.8% |
| Two-Point Conversions | ||
| Attempts | 3 | 2 |
| Made | 1 | 2 |
Official-stats conventions: rushing includes sacks as negative attempts (NCAA), so Total Offense = rush + pass. Red-zone Score % counts touchdowns and field goals per trip.