| Year: | 2013 |
| Team: | Houston Cougars |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | American Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | The American |
| Record: | 8–5 |
| Conf Record: | 5–3 |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Def Scheme: | Multiple |
| Stadium: | Reliant Stadium (5 games) BBVA Compass Stadium (2 games) |
| Bowl Result: | L 24–41 |
The 2013 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 68th year of season play for Houston. The season marked the first for the Cougars as a member of the American Athletic Conference. Due to construction of the new TDECU Stadium during the 2013 season, the team played its home games at other locations in Houston.
The season featured the Cougars’ continued Bayou Bucket Classic rivalry with the Rice Owls. The game again became a battle due to the departure from Conference USA for the Cougars following the 2012 season. The previous time the two teams met as non-conference foes was during the 2004 season when the Rice Owls was a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The 2013 Bayou Bucket Classic was played at Reliant Stadium.
They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in American Athletic play to finish in fourth place. They were invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl where they were defeated by Vanderbilt.
For the 2013 recruiting class, Houston attained its highest overall class ranking since 2010, and its second-highest ranking ever by Rivals.com. However, Scout.com only gave Houston its seventh-best overall ranking.
| Name | Position | Alma mater (Year) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (1995) | |||
| Oklahoma State (1987) | |||
| Colorado (1990) | |||
| Jamie Christian | Special teams coordinator/Inside receivers/Tight ends | Central Washington (1999) | |
| Glen Elarbee | Middle Tennessee (2002) | ||
| Ricky Logo | North Carolina State (1992) | ||
| Vernon Hargreaves | Linebackers | Connecticut (1986) | |
| Outside receivers | Houston (2004) | ||
| Zac Spavital | Defensive backs | Murray State (2004) | |
| Co-director of sports performance | Southeastern Oklahoma State (2004) |
See also: UTSA Roadrunners football and 2013 UTSA Roadrunners football team. Source:[3]
----See also: BYU Cougars football and 2013 BYU Cougars football team. Sources:
See also: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.