Fred Faour: 5 observations on the weekend including the Texans, NFL, UH basketball and TCU football

Draft position. Playoff position. A setup for what could be a fun National Championship Game. Here are five observations from another compelling weekend in sports:

5) The Texans are so incompetent, they can’t even lose properly. If you like exciting endings, they pulled off a 32-31 victory over the Colts. If you like giving up a chance at their pick of a franchise quarterback, then celebrate. The Texans will now have the No. 2 pick in the draft. Sunday’s win vaulted the Chicago Bears past them to the top spot. Before you say Chicago already has a young, high-pick quarterback, that No. 1 overall will have massive trade value for a team looking to jump the QB-needy Texans in the draft. It’s hard to blame the players and coaches for trying to win, and no one would fault them. But most of these guys will be long gone by the time the Texans are good again. It is not momentum for next year. It’s just a game that might have set them back another season. However, it won’t be with Lovie Smith, who was fired Sunday night.

4) The Jaguars pulled off a one-year turnaround. Can the Texans? We know the answer already, don’t we? It is amazing what the right coach can do, especially when you have a budding franchise quarterback. Sure, the Jags were only 9-8 and needed a Titans collapse, but for a team with the No. 1 pick last year, it was a nice turnaround. For the Texans to go from last to first next year would be a miracle of Biblical proportions. The AFC South is a mess, but Jacksonville has two things Houston does not – a coach and a quarterback. The Texans might have blown their shot at the quarterback. And GM Nick Caserio is 0-for-2 on coach hires in two years. And there are no Doug Pedersons out there, at least any that would want to coach this mess. So the real question is Caserio the right man to find a coach and QB? He never had to do either in New England.

3) After what the Bengals and Bills went through on Monday night, it was good to see both win on Sunday. Life interrupted football in a big way, and even with Damar Hamlin’s recovery, it had to be hard on both teams and fan bases to focus. They did, and while they will have to go through KC in the playoffs, both are legit Super Bowl contenders.

2) UH basketball keeps on rolling. The Cougars went into Cincinnati and treated the Bearcats like just another speed bump on the road to the tourney, winning 72-59. Forget the stupid graphic ESPN posted at halftime, where both “experts” had them out of the top five in their personal “rankings,” this Cougars team will likely get back to No. 1 after Purdue’s loss, although you could see a scenario where they get jumped by Kansas. Regardless, this team is a legit Final Four contender. Freshman Jarace Walker continues to develop into a star, and the Cougars have so much depth and balance they overwhelm you. They get after you on defense, crash the boards and dive for every loose ball. They are 16-1 on the season, while Cincy falls to 11-5.

1) Win or lose, unless you are a Georgia fan, how can you not love the TCU story? Max Duggan. Sonny Dykes. They have had an amazing run. This should be must-watch TV. The bad boy bullies from the SEC against the upstart, high-flying offense of the Frogs. But rest assured, TCU can play physical football – just ask Michigan (and Texas earlier this year). Let’s embrace the Frogs.