Sam Houston Bearkats 2026 Preview
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 138 college football team preview series with the Sam Houston Bearkats 2026 Season Preview. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) & Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) break down the 2026 Sam Houston Bearkats roster and what to expect in Conference USA this season. Was a 2-10 debut for Phil Longo as ugly as the record looked? Or did a 2-1 mark in one-score games keep the Bearkats closer than that? Can Longo cool off a 4-out-of-10 hot seat in year two?
Can offensive coordinator Zack Patterson lift a group that ranked 127th in scoring and 121st in total offense in 2025? Does 52 percent returning production give Sam Houston a real floor on offense? What does Wisconsin flip Landyn Locke bring to the quarterback room? Can defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay fix a unit that finished 136th in total defense and 133rd in scoring? Do portal pieces like NC State’s Elijah Groves and Boston College’s Jayden Fry rebuild the depth? How does a schedule that stacks Troy, Texas Tech and Liberty on the road set up? And where’s the betting value on the Sam Houston win total, Conference USA odds and College Football Playoff chances? We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Phil Longo And The Sam Houston Rebuild
The Sam Houston Bearkats 2026 preview opens on Phil Longo and a rough first year. First, Longo inherited a program that fell to 2-10 in 2025, so the rebuild starts from a low floor. Then the guys dig into the coaching hot seat, which the card pegs at 4 out of 10 for Longo. Because that number sits in the danger zone, year two carries real weight. Meanwhile the record was not as clean as it reads. Sam Houston went 2-1 in one-score games last fall, so a few plays swing that win total higher. From there the crew weighs whether Longo steadies the ship in Huntsville.
The bigger picture still gives Longo some cover. To begin, the Bearkats leaned on a thin roster all season, so the losses piled up fast. Next the guys break down how much of that falls on the coach versus the talent. Because Sam Houston owns a proud history with a 2021 national title on the wall, the standard stays high. Then they weigh the returning pieces against everything that has to be replaced this offseason. Also the close-game splits hint that better luck flips a couple of those results. From there the crew maps the exact games that tell you if this jump is real.
The Offense And Landyn Locke
The offense has plenty of room to climb in 2026. Last season Sam Houston ranked 127th in scoring and 121st in total offense, so the numbers were rough. First, coordinator Zack Patterson has to lift those rankings with a retooled group. Then the guys get into where the points actually come from this fall. Because the passing game sat 110th and the run game sat 97th, both areas need work. Meanwhile 52 percent of last year’s production returns, so Patterson does not start from scratch. From there they map how this unit takes a real step forward.
At quarterback the guys focus on Landyn Locke. Locke flipped his commitment from Wisconsin before signing with Sam Houston, so the staff clearly sees a long-term piece. First the crew weighs what he brings to a room that needed an answer. Then they look at the returning skill talent around him. Landan “Coco” Brown headlines the backfield, while Chris Reed and Tim Burns Jr. give the passing game familiar targets. Because those pieces return, Patterson has real continuity to build on. Next the guys debate whether the offense climbs enough to steal a few extra wins.
Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay’s Defensive Rebuild
The defense carries the bigger question mark on this roster. Sam Houston finished 136th in total defense and 133rd in scoring defense in 2025, so the floor sits about as low as it gets. First, coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay has to repair a unit that struggled against the run and the pass. Then the guys get into how heavy the rebuild really is up and down the depth chart. Because the Bearkats leaned hard on the transfer portal, plenty of new faces have to gel fast. From there the crew weighs whether this side of the ball improves enough to matter.
The portal math does not make it simple either. To begin, Sam Houston signed a big transfer haul but did not land a single addition graded above .85, so the talent bar stayed modest. First the guys break down what that means for the two-deep. Then they weigh the returning starters against all the churn. Elijah Groves arrives from NC State and Jayden Fry comes over from Boston College, so the Power Four names give the front some upside. Because Conference USA throws capable offenses at you week after week, this group has to show growth. Meanwhile the crew stresses that the defense has to hold up before Sam Houston steals close games.
The 2026 Conference USA Schedule And Win Total
The 2026 schedule has some real teeth to it. Sam Houston opens on the road at Troy before a home date with Tulsa, so the guys start there. Then comes a brutal middle stretch with trips to Texas Tech and Liberty in back-to-back weeks. From there the Conference USA grind takes over with Western Kentucky, New Mexico State and Kennesaw State on the home slate. Next the guys hit the road spots at Missouri State, Jacksonville State and FIU that could swing the season. Also a home game with Nicholls and a finale against Middle Tennessee round out the twelve.
Then they close it out where the betting value lives. The Sam Houston win total sits at just 3.5 games, so the guys dig into that low number hard. First they weigh a 2-10 team from a year ago against a front-loaded draw. Then they get into the Conference USA odds at +8000 and the +50000 College Football Playoff long shot. Because the schedule swings so much, they weigh a bounce-back push against another lean year. Also the one-score splits from 2025 keep the over in play. Finally they hand you the read they trust on the Bearkats heading into the fall.
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Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
02:03 Welcome To The Sam Houston Bearkats Preview
05:08 Reliving The Oregon State Miracle
08:58 2025 In Review: A Home Stadium In Exile
11:33 Phil Longo’s Hot Seat And A Proud Program
14:50 Zach Patterson And The Portal-Built Offense
21:35 A Historic Defensive Collapse
28:35 NIL Beer And The Renovated Bearkat Stadium
30:52 Program Legends And Get-To-A-Game
35:13 2026 Schedule: Troy, Tulsa & The Nicholls State Bout
44:19 Texas Tech, Liberty & Western Kentucky
48:02 New Mexico State And A Trip To Springfield
49:19 Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee & The Finale
51:48 Locking In The Win Total
52:51 Dream Schedule And Sign-Off
