The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Eddie Nunez Joins Before UH vs Texas Tech Matchup

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Eddie Nunez Joins Before UH vs Texas Tech Matchup 

1232. It is a Matt Thomas show with Ross. We take this program until 2 o'clock. Coming up Saturday night, 6 o'clock, T-D-E-CU Stadium, our cougars, your cougars, America's Cougars, are going to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders and for a few minutes on the hopefully exciting celebration that will happen on the campus. Eddie Nunez, Athletic Director of University of Houston, joining us here on the show. Eddie, good afternoon. Just how we wanted it. 4-0 versus 4-0 ESPN 6 o'clock, good national stage for two pretty good college football teams. That's a great opportunity that's in front of us right now for us to continue to show America who the coogs are. And so, no, you couldn't ask for anymore. This is a great setup for a great weekend. Do you ever get any editorial say-so in times of starts? I know when games are not on linear when they're on the plus. app you get a little bit of an opportunity to kind of pick and choose.

But does the league basically say, we'll give you the time and you'll be ready to play it? Only chance we ever have is typically before the season, if it's one of the networks reached out saying, hey, listen, we like to put you on this time. Would you be interested or would you want to stay where we have you? And so some of that plays out. This time of year, no. When it comes to ESPN and Fox, we don't, is whatever. we are given that time slot.

TNT is a little bit different when we're on TBS, TNT, with that new partnership, we have a little bit of flexibility, but it's still not perfectly in our hands. You know what, though, I'll take this 6 o'clock kickoff for sure. And look, we're hopefully have a lot of Houston fans there, Texas Tech fans, aren't high in the fact they're going to be at this game. What's it been like talking with the athletic officials about all the Red Raiders that may be in the building on Saturday night? We anticipate it.

We know that they have a strong following here in Houston. And some of our fans are our dual fans. We know that. And so we're going to see probably more Texas Tech fans than what typically travel for them here at our place. It's just a fact. And it's not because of any other reason, just because there's a strong fan base of theirs here. So we anticipate having more than a usual visiting team fan base that attends our games. But we're doing our part.

This is this is all about what we can do for our experience, for our fans. They'll be there. And, you know, we look forward to having them be in the venue. But we're looking at a sellout right now. Everything is trending. Hopefully by today, if not first in the morning, everything will get to that point. So everything is moving in the right direction. I can't thank our fans enough with their commitment to going out, getting tickets.

Our students are coming in droves, which has been. phenomenal to see over the last several weeks at our home game. So right now, we're excited where it's going, and we're just trying to alleviate all the concerns and the congestions now before the weekend. You had an opportunity to have Colorado in a few weeks ago, and look, the school is going through some construction things. So as people approach this game,

what are some bits of advice you would give to anybody beyond the obligatory get there as early as you can? Yeah, I would tell you tell them, We've been working with the, so what people need to understand is as much as it is our event, we work with a lot of different agencies when it comes to traffic, when it comes to parking, when it comes to security. A lot of that falls within the purview of universities, police department. We work with them, and that's part of this for the last couple weeks.

We've been working with them, working with the city, with Metro, trying to make sure we do everything we can to help the situation. The fact goes back to our infrastructure is what it is. we're not adding an express lane all the way to the interstate if we could heck and we would have done that by now so the couple things that i'll tell our fans is in any fan buy your ticket for parking pass your parking pass tickets or your parking passes excuse me buy them today buy them tomorrow try to get them beforehand on game day most of our lots if not every one of them will be just passes only So we are trending right now to have every one of our typical parking lots

that people would have the ability to buy game day parking to be sold out from a, so we have other lots. So we urge everybody right now to buy those parking passes today, try to get them in advance, understand the ins and outs of how to get to those lots if it's a different lot than you've been used to. And then the second part is simple. We always say come early. You're right.

Come early. But just like anything else, when you go to the airport, you know you've got to come two hours. before. That's the kind of standard people always tell you. But what does that mean for us? I tell my wife, I tell our fans, what would that mean? Well, come earlier than what you would typically would come. Why? Because traffic's going to be a lot more challenging. We're going to expect the sold-out crowd. Everybody wants to get here at the last minute and want them to get in the stadium at the last minute. So, you know, if you can get here a couple hours in advance, do so, come

tailgate, come enjoy the experience because we're going to have a lot of things happening in and around the stadium so people can have a great time. So, you know, Again, don't come 30 minutes in advance because you usually come 10 minutes and thinking 30 minutes will be better. Understand, give yourself as much time as possible. We are going to be doing everything we can't help you get in the stadium. But it will be a challenging day just because this is a lot of people in a confined space. But we're going to make it work and we're going to make it the best experience we can. A few more minutes here with Eddie Nunez, a athletic director at the University of Houston.

So the SEC recently, Eddie, went to this annual opponent. thing for a three or four year stretch. Look, selfishly, and I have been a Cougar student, alum for a long time. I didn't like Conference USA because Southern Mist didn't bring people. East Carolina didn't bring people when they were in the American. I don't mind Baylor and Texas Tech and TCU and all the regionals coming in. So the more the merrier for me at TDCU Stadium. But let me ask you about, is there been any conversation about the Big 12 going to this annual opponent format?

Yeah, I think we're still all trying to figure out what those annual opponents would be, who best fits us. We're looking at it at all sports. As we look at maximizing schedules for basketball and football, really, those two are the ones that people see them the most. We have to find some of those common opponents, as people like to call them. And, you know, just to say we're going to be playing everybody that's going to be around Rob. And there's some good to that. But there's also we want our fan base to expect to see some teams consistently. And the other side of it is I don't want to go play some team

and then never have the opportunity to come host them here. So I was in the SEC when the first conversation started years ago when Texas A&M and Missouri came in the league and everybody started figuring out, okay, we got to have some opponents. Those conversations have been continual, they've been having them for years and they've changed and they've adapted a little bit. So there's a good reason for doing it.

Does it change some of the dynamics of your fan base and seeing who comes in, absolutely. We're having them in the Big 12. I would tell you today there's no end in sight as far as like we're going to have something done by next month or something. I think it's just conversation that we need to have so that if and when the time comes, we're better informed and better able to make decisions that are necessary.

Parlet's your run. Let's go back to last week, Oregon State. Did you find a different spot to stand or sit, maybe like mid-fourth quarter? because that was, I'll be honest with you, Eddie, and I wanted to make the trip, but I had family obligations, and I fell asleep. And when I woke up, I was so happy because I had DVR it. But my gosh, the team coming back the way that it did.

And then I got to ask you, too, on top of it, how was it landing at Hobby Airport 815 the following morning? So a couple things. First of all, I'm not going to give you as much leeway than our fan base fall asleep. Come on now. You've got to stay awake and watch it through and through. I'm a fraud. I fly out admitted.

That's why I'm so excited. I'm going to Oklahoma State next week. The game's at 11 o'clock. I'll be in bed by 8.30. I'll be just fine. But that's... Yeah, you're going to be coming on now. No, we had...

I did find a spot, and it started... It came to the fourth quarter. Like, people know me, sometimes I find a spot, and that spot worked. Dave, my senior deputy walked up to me at the end of the game and said, overtime was moving to the other side of the field. He goes, hey, let's walk down the other side. I said, not a chance. See you later.

I'm staying right here. So needless to say, I'm not saying I had anything to do with it, but I liked where all standing. It worked. I didn't move. And then coming home, God, it was such a hard flight. It was great that we won, but to know that you're basically landing at 8.30 in the morning. And then by the time everybody gets home, it's going to be 9 a.m. 9.15 in the morning. Nobody really sleeps great on a plane.

So the four and a half hour flight back felt like an eternity. I might have slept maybe 45 minutes to an hour somehow on that plane, right? But it was a tough Saturday. My daughters had homecoming dances. And so it wasn't, I didn't have the chance to just plop down and say, I'm going to take a power nap. It was, oh, we got to keep going. I got events to go with them. And so it didn't stop.

It was great. But you and I will hopefully get to enjoy a better time next week when we come back from Oklahoma State and it's not, you know, the next morning. Yeah, I don't, I don't mind these 11 o'clock kicks. I'll be brutally honest with you. But, yeah, I can certainly imagine, Andy, you going to your wife and saying, hey, I need to sleep all day. And she says, here, take this violin with us as we go watch our daughters as their

dances, my guess, right? Well, the best part was, she's like, well, I'm going to go with one of my, one of our daughters, and you're going to go with the other. And I'll see you later on tonight. I'm thinking, well, what time does this thing over? That's 10 o'clock, 11. I'm thinking, wow, I've been, I need to show. Needless, when I was.

went to bed, I was out. I conked out. It was a long, but it was a great day. Hey, to come back from the way we did and to win on the road, it's never easy to win the road. You know this. So any W you could get, especially on the road, is a great one. Well, my family is divided. I've got a

Texas Tech son. Myself is the University of Houston grad. My wife is a University Houston grad. So I'll just say selfishly. I know the regional scheduling is not always in play, but if I can play Texas Tech every year, whether it's in Lubbock or in Houston. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere on Saturday. I hope a lot of folks get out there and, like I said, get there early because you don't want to be stuck a kickoff still trying to find your parking spot.

It's going to be electric. But that's what makes the Big 12 so great if we have these opportunities to play at the Baylor, the TCUs, the Texas Tech. Why? Because we're all in the same state. We're all fighting for the same kids. And the reality is this is where you're going to get the best football in this state. And so why not? Why not have these electric? games that people can see and our fan base is going to get energized. So, again, I look forward to see everybody there. Come early.

Enjoy yourselves. Let's have a great time. Understand it. Please be patient with us. There's going to be a lot of people out there. We're going to do everything we can to get you in and get you out of the stadium. Hopefully after a great win. Eddie, thanks for the visit.

We'll see you on Saturday and best of luck this week. Sounds great. Have a great one. You got it. Eddie Nunez, Vice President Intercollegiate Athletics.