Southern University @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2008 ) Southern 3, Houston 55

The Houston Cougars begin what they hope will be a bounceback season in the new American Athletic Conference when they host Southern University in the opener for both teams Friday at Reliant Stadium. After a 13-1 record and a TicketCity Bowl win in 2011, Houston stumbled to a 5-7 mark last year in head coach Tony Levine's first full season. However, the Cougars return 10 starters from an offense that averaged 32.4 points.

Junior quarterback David Piland is back for a third year under center after producing 2,929 passing yards and 16 touchdowns last season, the program's last in Robertson Stadium. He will lead a squad that will play its home games at three different locations before moving into a new stadium in 2014. Southern, which has not had a winning campaign since 2009, is entering its first full season under head coach Dawson Odums, who served on an interim basis for the final nine games in 2012.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com. LINE: None

ABOUT SOUTHERN (2012: 4-7, 3-6 SWAC): Like the Cougars, the Jaguars have an established signal-caller in All-SWAC junior Dray Joseph, who had 2,511 passing yards and 25 touchdowns last year. Joseph might hope for more support from the running game, which ranked last in the league with 79.5 yards per game and has not produced a 1,000-yard rusher since 2003. Eight starters return on defense, led by SWAC Preseason Team linebacker Anthony Balancier.

ABOUT HOUSTON (2012: 5-7, 4-4 C-USA): Behind Piland and a stable of experienced receivers, the Cougars figure to score plenty of points. The defense falls under the tutelage of first-year coordinator David Gibbs, who inherits a unit that gave up at least 30 points eight times last year and lost star defensive back D.J. Hayden to the NFL. Houston was picked to finish sixth in the preseason conference media poll.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Odums is one of just two coaches in Southern history to defeat rivals Grambling State, Jackson State and Florida A&M in his first season at the helm.

2. Sophomore RB Ryan Jackson is expected to lead the ground game for Houston. He had 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 2012 season finale against Tulane.

3. The Cougars will play five home games at Reliant Stadium, one at Rice Stadium and one at BBVA Compass Stadium - home of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.

PREDICTION: Houston 45, Southern 10