On Tuesday, the Big 12 at last released its long-awaited 2023 football schedule. The slate was long-awaited for two reasons: 1) the Big 12's was the last unveiled among the Power 5s, and 2) 2023 marks the debut season for newcomers BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston.
Those four schools accepted invitations to join the conference in September 2021, and last June all parties reached agreements with all involved parties to join in time for the 2023 season. So, Tuesday's announcement was the first time life in the Big 12 became real for the four newcomers.
For everyone else involved with the University of Houston, Tuesday was a day of celebration. For head coach Dana Holgorsen, it was a day of... mixed feelings.
"From the University of Houston's perspective, it's awesome to be a part of it. But you look at it and you go, 'Woo, that's going to be pretty challenging.' So, let's get to work. We've got a lot to do," he said during his post-signing day media availability on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old is a 16-year veteran of the conference. He spent eight seasons as an assistant on Mike Leach's Texas Tech staff, one as an offensive coordinator for Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State, and seven of his eight seasons as West Virginia's head coach in the league.
So, while Cougar fans spent Tuesday marveling in the reality of TCU, West Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma State coming to TDECU Stadium and road trips to Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Baylor (UH also plays UCF and Cincinnati, but that's nothing new), Holgo was grappling with the fact that his fans expect their Cougars to compete with and beat those schools, despite having fewer resources.
In all, Holgorsen had the general aura of a dad of a family that was just gifted a golden retriever puppy. The kids are overjoyed to have a pet to play with, Mom is happy to see the kids so excited, while Dad is calculating all the time and energy it'll take to keep the new family member from completely wrecking the house.
In the first 10-ish minutes of Wednesday's availability, Holgorsen hardly went a breath without hammering the financial and facility gap between Houston and the rest of their new conference.
"We better be doing things institutionally to give us a chance. That's real," he said. "I know what football needs to look like and we're going to continue to improve it, continue to make progress when it comes to on-the-field product. Institutionally, we've got a lot of work to do.
Asked about signing 4-star wide receiver Mikal Harrison-Pilot, Holgorsen pivoted it into an answer about how Houston needs to continue to invest, or Harrison-Pilot will leave.
"A lot of things need to happen if we're going to be able to keep kids like (4-star wide receiver Mikal Harrison-Pilot) here. In this world that we live in, just because you won a recruiting battle doesn't mean it's over," he said. "You've got to now make their life good at the University of Houston if you want to be able to keep guys of that caliber."
Holgorsen's words may have been blunt, but they weren't wrong.
According to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, Houston was a distant last in fundraising in 2021. Below is an examination of the remaining Big 12 public institutions, plus the two fellow AAC newcomers. It's safe to assume the three private schools (Baylor, BYU, TCU) rank closer to the top than the bottom.
1. Kansas -- $21.9 million
2. Oklahoma State -- $21.2 million
3. Iowa State -- $17.1 million
4. Texas Tech -- $16.1 million
5. West Virginia -- $15.2 million
6. Kansas State -- $14 million
7. Cincinnati -- $10.1 million
8. UCF -- $7.7 million
9. Houston -- $3.8 million
Via the same database, here's a ranking of all money raised through sponsorship/licensing, donations and ticket sales in 2021:
1. Kansas -- $35.9 million
2. Texas Tech -- $35.6 million
3. Oklahoma State -- $30 million
4. West Virginia -- $22.8 million
5. Iowa State -- $22.4 million
6. Cincinnati -- $20.4 million
7. Kansas State -- $19.5 million
8. UCF -- $17.5 million
9. Houston -- $7.4 million
Houston's conference media payout will increase exponentially upon leaving the AAC for the Big 12... but UH will get the same check as everyone else in the league.
"Now we need everybody to kind of put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. We've been wanting this for a long time, so now's the time to step up," he said.
"What does stepping up look like? It can be as simple as getting your butts in the seat, be as simple as season tickets, be as simple as Cougar Pride, hopping on board. There's just so many things that need to be done. I don't think people realize what other people have and what we need. I'm not going to be shy when I say that, because I've been at three of those institutions and I know what they have and how much work that they put in over the last three decades. We've got some catching up to do."
Houston's administration is aware of the problem, of course. The athletics department launched the "Houston R12E" campaign last June to "provide the University of Houston the resources needed to compete, and win, in the Big 12 Conference while diversifying and growing the support base."
Houston claims it is "building towards one of the strongest fundraising years on record for the department"... but what does that really say when you raised half of the next-to-last school in your new conference?
"I'm well aware of what my job is and what we've got to have that thing look like, and I'm very comfortable saying that. What everything else needs to look like? We need support," Holgorsen said. "We're going to have to continue to improve it, day in and day out, week in and week out, and year in and year out."
Holgorsen was clear not to criticize the support the football program has received, he was just clear -- extremely clear -- that Houston simply needed more of it. UH opened $128 million TDECU Stadium in 2014. The $20 million indoor facility opened in 2017. The outdoor practice fields are "first class," Holgorsen said.
"It stops there," he explained. "We all know that there's a football ops building that's on the horizon. There's a lot we've got to do when it comes to that. Regardless of who the head football coach is here, okay, that has to happen. What we're dealing with now on a day-to-day basis is going to be dead last in the Big 12. That's just facts. We've got to progress when it comes to that. It takes time, and it also takes money. We're not quite there yet.
"Although I'm very proud of what the university has built to this point, it's been first class, quality stuff, the day-to-day? It ain't close. The day-to-day of what we're dealing with right now is not close to what everybody else has," he said.
As if the eight proceeding paragraphs didn't adequately explain the difference between Houston and the Big 12, Holgorsen added that all the above combine to flow into roster building.
"The biggest difference in what you're looking at in the American and what you're looking at in the Big 12 is what those second- and third-team guys look like. It's when you start having injuries, you plug people in and consistently be able to compete," he said. "We need more of (Harrison-Pilot) on the O- and D-line."
So, to summarize, other than fundraising, ticket sales, the lack of an ops building, and a depth chart stacked with Big 12-quality offensive and defensive linemen, Houston is primed to compete in its bigger, more competitive, more expensive conference immediately.
In the meantime, reining College Football Playoff runner-up TCU comes to TDECU Stadium for Houston's Big 12 opener in 226 days.