After a seemingly endless period of speculation, the University of Houston fired Major Applewhite on Sunday. Not only that, but before the firing was even complete, rumors were already abounding with former UH coordinators like Dana Holgorsen and Kliff Kingsbury being mentioned as possible replacements. So with our last episode of 2018 we're breaking everything down, from the timing of the move, to who the best replacement candidates are.

Also, in case you haven't noticed, the Cougar men's basketball team just keeps on winning. Most recently they cruised past NJIT to finish non-conference play undefeated for the first time in school history. So as the calendar turns to 2019, and to AAC play, we broke down the conference race, and where the Cougars are likely to find themselves come March.

We also touched on UH baseball being picked 2nd in the AAC pre-season poll, and took several listener questions across a variety of subjects!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Giving up 70 points and losing by the most points in bowl game history makes liars out of us and we talk a bunch about an Armed Forces Bowl that was pretty dang bad.

Kendal Briles (and probably Randy Clements) shockingly leave for other jobs and we talk about that in the context of what's looking like a shockingly uncertain future for Major Applewhite.

But hey we have some positive things to talk about with the 2019 signing class and winning weeks for Cougar men's basketball and women's basketball.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was a dramatic week on the hardwood, with the Cougars rallying past LSU in a frenzied Fertitta Center, and winning a rock fight in the closing seconds against St. Louis. We cover it all, as well as Thursday's match-up against a sneaky good Utah State team.

Plus, the Armed Forces Bowl is upon us. Sal Interdonato joins us to break down the match-up between Army and what's left of Major Applewhite's squad.

Throw in a little women's hoops, an awkward "Merry Christmas", and a cameo by Pawdcast CEO Rudy, and you've got yourself a big, fun episode.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a seemingly interminable 8 days away from spitting hot takes on the microphone, the guys return to discuss a big week for Cougar basketball which saw a 63-53 road win over Oklahoma State and a return to the top 25!

There's also coordinators a moving in Cougar football as the guys discuss the seemingly impending Kendal Briles departure and a new name connected to the defensive coordinator opening.

Plus we talked Cougar women's hoops grand opening at the Fertitta Center and Track & Field opening up their indoor season in aggie land.

After an extremely eventful week of Houston Cougar sports, the now 100% strep throat free Pawdcast tackles a game effort but tough regular-season ending loss to Memphis. The game itself is discussed along with the now-concluded regular season. Staying with football, we also discuss the dismissal of Mark D'Onofrio and the long term prospects of the Cougar defense.

But there's some positive news! Cougar men's basketball received their first test in the form of the BYU Cougars in Provo and passed with flying colors to improve to 4-0. Not only do we revel in a statement road win, but WE FINALLY HAVE A NEW BASKETBALL ARENA and a big game with Oregon to preview at that arena.

But wait, we also discuss a 1-1 week for Cougar women's basketball and the conclusion of Cougar Volleyball season with Kaddie Platt's 200th win.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's a Dustin solo episode (feel better soon Sam) and it's the last game of the Cougar football regular season, with everything coming down to one game for the AAC West. In Houston's way stand the smack-talking Memphis Tigers. With D'Eriq out, and Ed returning, what are the odds the Cougars pull one out?

On the hardwood, Kelvin Sampson's squad is 3-0, and getting its first big test of the year with a roadtrip to BYU to face the other Cougars. And on the women's side, UH looks to bounce back from its 2-3 start.

Plus, which program just earned itself a #13 national rankings? You'll have to listen to find out! Unless you saw it on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or UHCougars.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a game that left us scrambling to look up the definition of a Pyrrhic victory, the Cougars came out with an A-effort on both sides of the ball, and kept their AAC West title hopes alive with a blowout win over Tulane. But unfortunately, Thursday's game also saw D'Eriq King tear his meniscus, meaning he's out for the rest of the year. We're here to break it all down, including what to expect from a Clayton Tune-led offense going forward. And of course we didn't forget your #FourWordReviews.

Plus the Cougar basketball programs continued their seasons, with the men's team picking up a comfortable-if-underwhelming victory over the hated Rice Owls, while the women's team suffered a frustrating come-from-ahead defeat.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Well, it's come to this: with 2 regular season games left any hope of a division title and resulting glory rides on a Thursday night showdown with the Tulane Green Wave and we brought on our good friend JP Gooderham of FearTheWave.com for a SIXTH time to discuss the Tulane Green Wave. In addition, the guys lean fully into the existential dread of Cougar Football at the moment and the remaining season such as it is.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The bad news is we have to talk about a Cougar football loss that featured a frighteningly familiar slow start on offense and a nonexistent defense, this week to the surging Temple Owls. But the good news is we not only discuss the football game (+your Four Word Reviews) but we get the happier task of discussing the opening game(s) for Cougar men's and women's basketball.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's D'Eriq King's world, and we're all just living in it. We're back to bask in the glow of an offensive performance for the ages from Houston's dynamic QB, leading the Coogs to ruin USF's perfect season for the 2nd year in a row. We trot out all the superlatives we can think of for #4, as well as give the defense credit for responding in a game without Ed Oliver against a high-powered offense.

Of course we read the best of your #FourWordReviews, as well as taking a quick look at results from around the conference (the entire AAC is conspiring to clinch the West division for us as quickly as possible) and around the state (apparently some Austin-based school wearing a puke-y shade of orange choked as a big favorite?)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's USF game week, so we're previewing Houston's first conference game against a team with a detectable pulse. As the undefeated Bulls make their way to TDECY Stadium, we check in with our friends from The Daily Stampede/The Bulluminati Podcast for the lowdown on why that undefeated record may be deceiving, how the match-ups will shake out on Saturday, and why a school in the central part of Florida came to be called South Florida.

Plus, Case Keenum and the Broncos pick up a big win, Damyean Dotson's 2nd NBA season is off to a strong start, Cougar Soccer has its most important game in years coming up on Friday, and Volleyball finally wins a conference match.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In as instant a react as can be managed, the boys are back to discuss a decisive win in the former 'house of horrors' that was Annapolis. In addition, your Four Word Reviews are read and we even manage to find some time to discuss week 8 on the whole.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the third straight week, it's a conference game against a team that's struggling. In this case it's Navy, so of course we spoke to Michael James of TheMidReport.com for the lowdown on why that option offense just isn't optioning right.

We also hit the big AAC East showdown of the coming week, Case Keenum hearing boos in Denver, Cougar soccer having a critical week against top competition, and much more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did you miss Houston's 42-20 win over ECU on Saturday because you were watching the Astros? You're not alone. And that's why we're here. Dustin and Sam flew all the way out to East Carolina (fun fact: East Carolina is not a state) to watch the Cougars flip the script and dominate the Pirates with a strong defensive performance, while the offense sputtered. We're breaking down how Ed Oliver and company got things righted, and what the offense (and the team as a whole) needs to improve on as we get further into conference play. And of course, it wouldn't be a game recap without your #FourWordReviews

We also take a look around the American Athletic Conference as a whole, where wacky finishes were on the menu for a trio of East Division contenders.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's ECU game week, which means that Sam and Dustin are asking the question, are we going to see the version of the Pirates that knocked off UNC, or the one that just got obliterated by Temple? We're talking to 5-time guest Clip Brock of Pirate Radio 1250 about East Carolina's odds of pulling an upset on the suddenly AAC West-leading Cougars.

We also took the pulse of the AAC (including a huge UCF-Memphis showdown this coming week), discussed the latest results from Cougar soccer (who was sending its seniors out in style), and checked in on how the Olympic sports are faring in their fall pseudo-preseason.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eschewing temporarily their twice-a-week schedule, the boys return to look back on whatever meaning can be squeezed from a 70-14 Cougar football win over Texas Southern, including your Four Word Reviews. There's a new basketball commitment, which the guys discuss Marcus Sasser and the big picture roster building strategy of Cougar hoops. Not to be missed, the guys also discuss Cougars in the NFL and the opening weekends of Volleyball and Soccer (+ a look ahead at their weeks to come).

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Truly back on 'terra firma' and far away from Lubbock the boys return and discuss this week's Cougar football opponent: the Texas Southern University Tigers. We squeeze in a little week 4 CFB talk AND look back at the week that was for Cougar soccer and volleyball, plus the beginning of conference play for those two teams.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tech passed for a lot of yards, we drove up for it and bring ourselves to talk about it and how maybe all hope isn't lost.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cougars are renewing an old Southwest Conference rivalry this weekend as they square off with Texas Tech. We talked to Zach Mason from Viva the Matadors to get the inside scoop on all things Red Raiders, and broke down what looks to be a high-scoring affair.

Plus we took a look at what's going down this weekend in the rest of the AAC and the rest of Texas, and got caught up on how all of the Cougar alumni fared in week 1 of the NFL season.

Not to mention Cougar volleyball is leading the country in wins, and Cougar soccer remained undefeated at home!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the biggest statement game of Major Applewhite's young head coaching career, the Coogs embarrassed Kevin Sumlin on a national stage and effectively ended the Heisman candidacy of Khalil Tate. We're back and breaking down who impressed the most, and which areas the team can actually still improve upon after a 45-18 victory.

And the Coogs weren't the only AAC team knocking off P6 competition. We take a look at how the conference as a whole did a 180 from week one.

Plus you already know we read the best of your #FourWordReviews

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the Bayou Bucket in the rear view, we turn our attention to Houston's week 2 opponent: Arizona. With a familiar, unwelcome face at head coach, and an electric talent at QB, the Wildcats present an interesting challenge for the Cougars. To better get to know the enemy, we spoke with Gabe Encinas from AZDesertSwarm.com.

We also previewed the coming week in football elsewhere, including a match-up with huge AAC West Division implications.

Finally we checked in on Cougar women's sports, which was a mixed bag.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The wait is finally over...it's game week! The Cougars are taking on the rival Owls, so we caught up with Matthew from The Roost to get the lowdown on all things Rice football.

We also spoke with Marcus Oliver about the memorable moments from his career, the best Greg Ward play he ever saw (which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/cEli3uY_sJo?t=1640), his decision to come to UH in the first place, and of course, a certain brother of his.

Finally we catch you up on soccer & volleyball, who went a collective 5-0 this past week.

This week we talked with Cougar football alum, high school coach, and more-successful-than-us podcast host Rowdy Harper! He talked about the wins that put UH on the map for Oklahomans, Case Keenum chucking a ball at a showboating defender, and the overnight success of Run The Power.

We also broke down the offense position-by-position, from a more-experienced offensive line, to what to expect from D'Eriq King, to answering the age-old question: will this be the year of the Tight End?

And finally, in one of our most exasperated and cuss-word-heavy segments ever, we talked about the monumentally bad idea that was inviting a certain former Baylor football coach to practice. We put it at the very end to make it easy for you to skip if you're tired of hearing us talk about this crap.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Back for the 2nd time this off-season is Joseph Duarte, with whom we talked all things 2018 Cougar football. That was our jumping off point to do a unit-by-unit preview of the Cougar defense and special teams. Apparently this Oliver kid can play a little?

There was also good news on the professional Coogs front, as Rob Gray signed a 1-year contract with the Rockets.

And last but not least, #HTownSpeedCity and #TransferU intersected in a big way, as the Cougar track program added a 7-time all-American to the roster for 2018-19!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We ended our third year of pawdcasting in style with two of the biggest guests in pawdcast history. We talked to Kellen Sampson about the exciting crop of newcomers, that damn Jordan Poole shot, and the program-altering implications of avoiding last place in '14-'15.

We also spoke with 3-time NCAA champion Cameron Burrell. He talked about his Olympic hopes, made a bold prediction for next year's UH team, and told us who'd win a race between himself and his dad.

The past two weeks also saw Daniel Poncedeleon throw 7 no-hit innings (!!) in his major-league debut (!!!) and football make noise in recruiting.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.