The Big 12 welcomes their four newest members today – BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
Houston, TX – After a five-year hiatus, former WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen is now a member of the Big 12 Conference once again.
Officially official. pic.twitter.com/JYB1L4lSYU
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 1, 2023
As of today, the Big 12 has welcomed four new members to the conference in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. Holgorsen, who previously coached at WVU from 2011 to 2018, helped navigate the Mountaineer Football program into the Wild, Wild, West all the way back in 2012.
Now, as the head man of the Houston Cougars, he will once again be tasked with the challenge of taking a program to new heights against stiffer competition. However, there will be some notable differences this time.
Holgorsen will not be transitioning a “Power Conference” team as he was with West Virginia. Houston has instead been one of the most successful Group of Five teams in recent memory. He will also be doing so on a much hotter seat than the one he was on in Morgantown.
When the Mountaineers made the move to the Big 12, they had just put together one of the most successful seasons in team history in 2011. A 10-3 record and a 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson had WVU fans eager for what the future would bring. With the Cougars, however, Holgorsen is squarely on the hot seat after compiling a 27-20 record in four seasons.
Having a much shorter leash with the Cougars may make Holgorsen’s latest stint in the Big 12 short lived if he cannot string together some wins. If the 2023 Cougars look anything like his 2019 or 2020 teams, the always unpredictable Holgorsen could be unemployed following the season.
Holgorsen will have a chance to compete against his former team on October 12th. West Virginia travels to Houston for a Thursday night matchup at 7:00 p.m. on FS1.
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
