The 1979 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.[1] The Cougars were led by 18th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. They competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing as co-champions with Arkansas. This was Houston's second consecutive conference championship, and their third overall in their first four years as members of the conference.
The Cougars finished the season with a record of 11-1, their only loss was at home to the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns 21-13. Houston was invited to the 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic, played on New Years' Day, where they defeated seventh-ranked Nebraska. Houston finished ranked fifth in both major final polls.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result |
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| September 8 | at UCLA* | No. 16 | | W 24–16 |
| September 15 | Florida* | No. 13 | | W 14–10 |
| September 29 | West Texas State* | No. 8 | | W 49–10 |
| October 6 | Baylor | No. 6 | | W 13–10 |
| October 13 | at Texas A&M | No. 7 | | W 17–14 |
| October 20 | SMU | No. 5 | | W 37–10 |
| October 27 | at No. 4 Arkansas | No. 6 | | W 13–10 |
| November 3 | at TCU | No. 4 | | W 21–10 |
| November 10 | No. 8 Texas | No. 5 | | L 13–21 |
| November 24 | Texas Tech | No. 9 | | W 14–10 |
| December 1 | at Rice | No. 10 | | W 63–0 |
| January 1 | vs. No. 7 Nebraska* | No. 8 | | W 17–14 |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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Roster
| 1979 Houston Cougars football team roster |
| Players |
Coaches |
| Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
 Injured Redshirt
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References
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| Venues | |
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| Bowls and rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | |
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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National championships in bold |
