The 2010 Houston Cougars football team (also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH) represented the University of Houston in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 65th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by third-year head football coach Kevin Sumlin, and played its home games at Robertson Stadium—a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The program is a member of Conference USA in its West Division. Although ranked favorably early in the season, the team finished with a 5–7 record, (4–4 in C-USA play) after season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Case Keenum and other key players. Previous season The 2009 Houston Cougars team defeated the nationally ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in their first match-up. Following the victory, the Cougars were ranked by the AP Poll for the first time in more than twenty years. The Cougars played the Texas Tech Red Raiders in front of a record-breaking 32,114 sold-out crowd at Robertson Stadium. Pre-season Recruits Houston's 2010 recruiting class was highly rated relative to its previous seasons. Rated as the No. 45 best recruiting class in the nation ahead of TCU and behind Oregon State by Rivals.com, the 2010 class was Houston's highest-ever ranking by the site. Scout.com ranked Houston as #54, which was the highest Houston had been ranked since 2003, and the 3rd-highest-ever ranking by the site. This was also the highest-rated recruiting class in Conference USA by both sites for the season. In terms of position, Houston ranked No. 13 in the nation by Scout.com for best average ratings of quarterbacks recruited. This reinforced the team's depth in the position, as senior Case Keenum was scheduled to compete in his last season in 2010. Coaching staff Top 25 rankings During the pre-season, Houston was ranked in several notable top 25 polls. Sports Illustrated placed Houston at No. 21 in its power rankings list. Lindy's Sports ranked Houston as #23, and Phil Steele ranked the team as #24. Just outside the top 25, Sporting News ranked Houston as #26, and in the Coaches' Poll as #27. Awards & award watch lists Case Keenum Davey O'Brien Award watch list Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list Manning Award watch list Maxwell Award Walter Camp Award watch list Conference USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Conference USA Preseason offensive first team selection Jamal Robinson Conference USA Preseason defensive first