A couple of days before the Bayou Bucket, the annual rivalry game between the University of Houston and Rice University, I stopped by Academy to pick up some new UH shirts for me and my daughters to wear to the game. There, in the college gear section, I could have bought University of Texas pajamas, a Texas A&M sweatshirt, an LSU hoodie, a Baylor koozie, a Texas Tech hat and an entire collegiate outfit for the dog I don’t own.

Tucked in the corner were some UH T-shirts for men and on a shelf I found some kinda cute kid’s shirts. After digging through the rounder of UT and A&M shirts, I found one, one UH women’s T-shirt. I picked it up because I wasn’t alone in the hunt. There was a whole group of us, pawing through the limited wares, bound by the sense of solidarity that longtime Cougar fans know.

Even as the football team was climbing in the BCS rankings, quarterback Case Keenum was breaking all kinds of NCAA records and UH just happened to be one of the few undefeated teams in the country, Cougar fans were relegated to a small area of poorly organized T-shirts and yet, they were the hottest thing going that afternoon. We were just happy to have some choice, even if it wasn’t as broad or as exciting as all the other schools. We were going to represent, no matter what.

After all, we are UH fans. It’s what we do.

That’s why this season is so magical for so many of us. Why this Saturday afternoon's Conference USA Championship Game at Robertson Stadium against Southern Mississippi, a game that will be broadcast on ABC (yes, network TV for the Coogs!), means so much.

The last time a University of Houston team really ascended to big-time sports grandeur was during the Phi Slama Jama era in the early 1980s. From coach Guy V. Lewis, who was legendary in so many ways, to the future NBA Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, it was easy and fun to be a UH fan.

Something Bigger

There have been other sports successes too over the years, but this season feels different, it IS different. The minute you get on campus and walk closer to Robertson Stadium aka “The Rob,” the excitement is palpable. There are no closeted Cougar fans at these games. They are wearing their pride on their backs, on their cheeks and most importantly, in their seats, filling the stadium to capacity.

Don’t get me wrong. As much as I am a serious homer, I’m also a realist. I get the strength-of-schedule argument made against Houston so often this year. I wish we had played LSU, Oregon or perhaps one of our former Southwest Conference turned Big 12 foes. I also get that this schedule was likely planned two years ago when perhaps the expectation was that a freshman quarterback would be calling the shots, not a sixth year veteran.

But you can only argue that point for so long. Twelve consecutive Ws aren’t easy, no matter what team you are.

In my experience, being a UH fan meant hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. You and the other 2,999 fans in Robertson or worse, the Astrodome, went into a game knowing that while a win would be great, your real job was just to be there, supporting a team that most everybody else already gave up on. And those situations bring nice little joys too.

No matter what your ticket said, you could pretty much sit where you wanted and you always had a great band of faithful Coog fans to sit and commiserate or cheer with.

My dad, a 1974 graduate of the College of Pharmacy, has been a season ticket holder for years and always stays until the very end, no matter what the score. This is a season he’s dreamed of and he says, will likely never happen again in his lifetime. Watching him, and so many faithful fans get to experience this near-perfect season is what sports should be about.

Perseverance, skill, dedication, loyalty and yes, winning.

My hope is when Keenum is hopefully in the NFL (if Tim Tebow can transition, Keenum certainly can) and we may not have coach Kevin Sumlin and the Cougars are playing in Reliant Stadium because a new on-campus stadium is under construction and we may or may not be in an automatic qualifer conference, the fans who have climbed aboard the 2011 bandwagon stick around and support.

Between the leadership of Houston president Dr. Renu Khator and athletic director Mack Rhoades, the program, much like the university itself, is on an upward trajectory. Improved facilities, stronger recruiting classes and a more competitive conference are within reach and a thriving alumni fan base is just as important.

And I’m betting there will be plenty of “UH 2011 Sugar Bowl Champions” T-shirts available too.