Houston Cougars, you are now officially on the clock.
Houston-area lawmakers have written to make a push for the University of Houston to join the Big 12 conference, which currently stands at ten teams.
Steve Campbell of the Chronicle has more.
Texas representatives Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) and Bill Callegari (R-Katy) co-authored a letter asking Big 12 officials to consider UH for a spot in the 10-team conference. The letter will be sent to the Big 12 school presidents and the league office on Thursday. The delegation also sent copies of the letter championing the cause of UH’s admission into a Bowl Championship Series conference to Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus.
"For years, UH has served as the academic cornerstone of a burgeoning metropolis known for its nexus to state, national, and global commerce and culture," the letter said. "UH is the third largest university in Texas, and is on track to rank among the top research universities in this state. Despite UH’s local and statewide prominence, the university does not belong to a strong BCS conference such as the Big 12. The Cougars, the City of Houston, and the State of Texas deserve better."
While UH hasn’t been on the national athletic radar for quite some time, things are looking up in Cougarville. The football team extended head coach Kevin Sumlin’s contract and is expected to compete for a BCS bowl game this season and in future years. The basketball program has made small improvements in recent years and managed to win the C-USA tournament over ranked schools such as UTEP and Memphis. And the baseball team has always competed for a shot at Omaha – they simply run into the best schools in the area in Texas and Rice.
It might be a long shot, but there won’t be a better chance for UH to move up than now.