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Houston vs. Louisiana

Houston and Louisiana first met in 1949 and have played 8 times; Houston leads the series 7–⁠1. Over the last 8 meetings it’s Houston 7–⁠1.

Houston wins
7
Louisiana wins
1
Ties
0
First meeting
1949
Longest streak
6 Houston
Current streak
1 Houston
Last 10 meetings
Houston 7–⁠1
Most recent
2022

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1940s1–⁠0
1990s3–⁠0
2000s2–⁠1
2020s1–⁠0
Average margin
20.6 points; 4 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Houston
3–⁠1 Houston’s record at home
At Louisiana
0–⁠3 Louisiana’s record at home
Neutral sites
1–⁠0 Houston first
Shutouts
1

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Games that tell the story

  1. Houston’s biggest win1992: Houston 63, Louisiana 7by 56 points
  2. Louisiana’s biggest win2006: Louisiana 31, Houston 28by 3 points
  3. Upset1996: Houston 31, Louisiana 24Houston had a 27% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset2006: Louisiana 31, Houston 28Louisiana had a 33% chance, by our ratings before kickoff

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Houston and Louisiana, 1949 on13001500170019501960197019801990200020102020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Kevin Kolb Houston24 of 31, 367 yards, 2 TD2006 Passing

Named most valuable

Clayton Tune Houston2022
Art Green Houston2022

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on). Most valuable: as the games’ Wikipedia articles name them (CC BY-SA).

Photos

  • The field at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football game. Pride of Acadiana Marching Band on left.
    The field at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football game. Pride of Acadiana Marching Band on left.Photo: Reddit user strakerak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2022 game
  • The south end of Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football game
    The south end of Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football gamePhoto: Reddit user gandalf45435, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2022 game
  • The field and press boxes at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football game
    The field and press boxes at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the 2022 Independence Bowl college football gamePhoto: Reddit user gandalf45435, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2022 game
  • A band exiting the field at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during halftime of the 2022 Independence Bowl college football game
    A band exiting the field at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, during halftime of the 2022 Independence Bowl college football gamePhoto: Reddit user gandalf45435, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2022 game

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).

Every game

Dec 23, 2022Houston 23, Louisiana 16Independence StadiumIndependence Bowl
Oct 7, 2006Louisiana 31, Houston 28at Houston
Sep 13, 2003Houston 21, Louisiana 14at Louisiana
Sep 14, 2002Houston 36, Louisiana 17at Houston
Sep 18, 1999Houston 45, Louisiana 0at Houston
Oct 5, 1996Houston 31, Louisiana 24at Louisiana
Oct 3, 1992Houston 63, Louisiana 7at Houston
Oct 8, 1949Houston 28, Louisiana 7at Louisiana

Every game is listed as played on the field.