Baylor–Houston football rivalry
| First meeting | September 30, 1950 Baylor 34, Houston 7 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 4, 2023 Houston 25, Baylor 24OT |
| Next meeting | November 23, 2024 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 29 |
| All-time series | Tied, 14–14–1[1] |
| Largest victory | Houston, 66–10 (1989) |
| Longest win streak | Houston, 4 (1976–1979) |
| Current win streak | Houston, 1 (2023–present) |
The Baylor–Houston football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Cougars from Houston and Bears from Baylor. The rivalry dates back to 1950 from the now-defunct Southwest Conference.[2]
Series history
[edit]After several matchups in the 1950s, the two teams played each other every year from 1976 to 1995, when both schools were part of the now-defunct Southwest Conference.[3] The rivalry was especially competitive from 1976 to 1986, when Hall of Fame coaches Grant Teaff (Baylor) and Bill Yeoman (Houston) were coaching against each other, with Yeoman holding a 6–4–1 edge over Teaff in the head-to-head.[4][5]
After the breakup of the Southwest Conference, the two teams would not play each other again until 2023, when Houston joined the Big 12 Conference.[6][7] Despite not playing each other in that time frame, the rivalry was still contentious, as Houston fans felt that Baylor had taken their spot in the creation of the Big 12 back in 1996 by leveraging their state political power at the time so as to not be left out of the conference.[8][9][10][11]
Notable games
[edit]September 11, 1976: In what was Houston's first game as a member of the Southwest Conference, the Cougars would come away with a 23–5 win over Baylor on their way to the conference title in their first year in the league.[12]
November 4, 2023: Playing each other for the first time since the breakup of the Southwest Conference, Houston defeated Baylor 25–24 in overtime thanks to a game-winning two-point conversion run from quarterback Donovan Smith.[13]
Game results
[edit]Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
| Baylor victories | Houston victories |
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Baylor Bears vs. Houston Cougars football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ "University of Houston will join Big 12 in 2023 after agreeing to exit fee with AAC". houstonchronicle.com. June 10, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Cole (May 16, 2022). "Which Incoming Big 12 Program Is Baylor's Biggest Rival?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Werner, John (September 15, 2020). "Grant Teaff excited for Baylor-Houston revival". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Werner, John (September 18, 2020). "Baylor vs. Houston: Grant Teaff recalls the history between Bears, Cougars". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Duarte, Joseph (November 3, 2023). "UH at Baylor: 5 things to watch in renewed rivalry". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Zach (October 31, 2023). "Three years after 'equipment truck-gate,' Baylor and Houston ready to renew rivalry". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ McNeely, Dave (June 28, 2010). "Texas politicians, led by Bob Bullock, helped shape Big 12 conference". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Watkins, Matthew (August 10, 2016). "Inside UH's Political Push to Join the Big 12". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Kahn Jr., Sam; Wilson, Dave (December 2, 2020). "'I don't wish either of them well': The demise of the Southwest Conference, 25 years later". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Svitek, Patrick; Watkins, Matthew (December 2, 2020). "Lawmakers concerned about UT leaving Big 12 conference make their case to Gov. Greg Abbott's office". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ "An Inauspicious Start". Texas Sports Hall of Fame. October 6, 2015.
- ^ Ramirez, DJ (November 4, 2023). "Long time coming: Cougars relish win over Baylor in start of possible new rivalry". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2024.