In addition, Houston defeated two nationally ranked opponents, which the Cougars hadn't achieved since their 1984 season.

Due to Houston's head coach change, Sumlin's ability to recruit before National Signing Day was shorter than usual, as he was finishing his duties with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Former co-offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, Kevin Sumlin replaced Art Briles as head coach.

Sumlin became the first African-American head coach in Cougar history, and the eighth in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.

[8] Dana Holgorsen came to Houston from the Texas Tech Red Raiders, where he spent eight years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

[10] Prior to coaching for UCF, Skladany spent ten years with the Iowa State Cyclones.

A skydive by the U.S. Army Golden Knights to present the game ball was planned, but was canceled due to high winds.

[17] The team plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as a member of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

[18] In 2007, the Cougars finished their regular season by defeating another SWAC opponent, crosstown Texas Southern Tigers.

[21] The previous season, the Falcons finished with a 9–4 record, while losing to the California Golden Bears in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.

With a 3-0 all-time record against the Colorado State Rams, the Cougars faced them for the fourth time on the road at Hughes Stadium.

This game was the ninth meeting between the Cougars and fellow Conference USA team, the East Carolina Pirates.

[25] Last season, after defeating the Cougars 37-35, the Pirates went on to finish with an 8-5 record including a win against #24 Boise State in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl.

After beating the #17 Virginia Tech Hokies during their 2008 season opener, the Pirates gained national attention.

This continued in their next week of play, as they defeated the #8 West Virginia Mountaineers 24-3, and became ranked by the AP Poll as #14.

Despite an upset by the North Carolina State Wolfpack the week before, the Pirates were ranked at #23 by the AP Poll when the Cougars arrived in Greenville.

[29] This followed the departure of Watson Brown to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, and the appointment of former Georgia Bulldogs and Houston Cougars assistant Neil Callaway as head coach.

Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards suffered a gruesome broken leg when he collided with an equipment cart at the back of the end zone, though he would return the next season in a starting role.

In another conference game, the Tulane Green Wave traveled to Houston to play the Cougars for the fourteenth time.

The teams had competed against each other each consecutive season since 2002, although Tulane hadn't achieved a win against Houston since that same year.

Although not originally scheduled, the game was televised on CBS College Sports, presumably because Houston's TV appearance against Air Force earlier in the season was canceled.

[35] This marked Houston's homecoming game, and was one of the largest attendances for the regular season at Robertson Stadium.

[40] As Conference USA foes, the Cougars held a 2-3 all-time record against the Miners, whereas both wins came consecutively during the 2006 and 2007 meetings of the teams.