The start of the highly anticipated 2026 Houston Cougars football season is just under four months away. Houston begins the season at home and will face the Southern Jaguars in the second game of the season on September 12. While this game is expected to be a very favorable non-conference matchup for the Cougars, Southern is going through a complete transition and new look for the 2026 season led by new head coach Marshall Faulk, who is one of the greatest running backs of all time. With a balanced return of starters and new transfer talent, Houston is truly poised to be in the running for the Big 12 title. Southern was tied for the worst record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) last season at 2-10. It doesn't seem like this would be a competitive game, and it very well might not be. However, Southern could still make a surprise early in the season with a team that won't have much film for Houston to look at. The Jaguars will play different from last year and had a high level of turnover.…