Houston is here and they are not going away any time soon.

The Cougars used a strong victory over a talented Oklahoma team (that many expected in the playoff picture) to announce their arrival to anyone who was unaware that they had gone 12-1 and then beaten Florida State in the Peach Bowl in the previous season. Behind the coaching of offensive guru Tom Herman (formerly of Ohio State), the Cougars have made themselves contenders in a short time and now boast one of the most talented teams in the nation. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and running back Duke Catalon make for a deadly combo in the spread-option offense. The secondary is full of ball-hawks and playmakers as evinced by the two pick-sixes in last week’s win against Cincinnati. This team is good enough to contend with anyone and make a serious playoff push.

But this season is about more than that.

The Big 12 is reportedly looking for another team to join the ranks and there are said to be about twelve schools remaining in consideration: Air Force, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado State, UConn, Houston, Rice, South Florida, SMU, Temple and Tulane. Eight of those teams are in the American Athletic Conference and the opportunity to jump to a power-5 conference is a big one. The committee will meet October 17th to make a decision regarding the expansion. Houston’s win over current Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma should do wonders to secure their bid for a spot in the conference. However, the Cougars bring more to the table than just a talented football team- they draw a very large market to the Big 12. When they played at NRG stadium in Houston they sold out the entire arena (71,795 capacity) and also posted television ratings of 12.8 in Houston.

Safe to say the Cougars are ready to play with the big boys with regard to football and marketing.

It will be imperative that Houston continues their dominant stretch, as they play many other applicants for the Big 12 during their conference schedule. The most important game will also be their most difficult game near the end of their schedule against and extremely talented Louisville team. The outcome of the game will surely determine the playoff fate of the Houston Cougars, but not necessarily the fate of their entry of the Big 12. It is easy to see that Houston is the best qualified of all of the remaining teams. Their dominance from the previous season, the signature win over Oklahoma, and presumed dominance this season (even if they sustain a loss to Louisville) should be enough to guarantee them entry into the Big 12.

Plus the Big 12 could always use a little more defense.