The season marked the first for the Cougars as a member of the American Athletic Conference.

Due to construction of the new TDECU Stadium during the 2013 season, the team played its home games at other locations in Houston.

The season featured the Cougars’ continued Bayou Bucket Classic rivalry with the Rice Owls.

The game again became a non-conference battle due to the departure from Conference USA for the Cougars following the 2012 season.

The previous time the two teams met as non-conference foes was during the 2004 season when the Rice Owls was a member of the Western Athletic Conference.