Two weeks ago, the University of Houston was ranked in the national polls, in the driver's seat in the American Athletic Conference West Division and a legitimate challenger for a New Year's Six bowl.

Today, the Cougars are on a two-game losing streak, in a three-way tie for the division lead and closer to the Frisco Bowl than the Fiesta Bowl.

After a one-game out of body experience, the UH offense bounced back, even in Saturday's 59-49 loss to Temple. Forty-nine points should be enough to win any game. Somehow UH has managed to lose twice this season when scoring seven touchdowns.

Defensively, the Cougars have suffered from a season-long identity crisis that has reached historically bad levels, putting second-year defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio on the hot seat. If he has not already, coach Major Applewhite should be considering options for wholesale changes as the Cougars prepare to begin the (gulp) post-Ed Oliver era next season.

At the time of Applewhite's hiring, school president Renu Khator, joking or not, defined winning at UH as "10 and 2."

"We'll fire coaches at 8 and 4," she said in late 2016.

So what's the penalty for being the worst defense in the nation?

A year ago, Applewhite was quick to pull the plug on offensive coordinator Brian Johnson after one season when the Cougars struggled to 10-year lows. Whether it's the roster, scheme, coaching, technique, injuries, missed tackles, lack of pressure, inability to force turnovers - the list can go on and on – the Cougars have underperformed on defense that it now appears Applewhite will need to make another coordinator change.

In the latest Football Bowl Subdivision rankings – a group that consists of 129 schools – the Cougars are dead last against the pass (314.1 yards per game), 121st in total defense (489.3 yards), 106th in scoring defense (34.4 points), 116th on third-down defense (44.6 percent opponent conversion rate), 124th in red-zone defense (opponents have scored on 42 of 45 trips) and 78th against the run (175.2). The first two categories are on pace to be the worst in program's 73-year history.

In back-to-back losses to SMU and Temple, the Cougars have given up 104 points and 1,051 yards.

The latest embarrassment came Saturday, when Temple running back Ryquell Armstead ran for 210 yards and an AAC single-game record six touchdowns.

"The holes were just ridiculous," said Armstead, who averaged seven yards per carry against UH's banged-up defensive front. "I couldn't believe I went in untouched about half the time."

A week earlier, SMU quarterback Ben Hicks, who had been benched earlier this season, threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns. And who can forget Texas Tech freshman Alan Bowman? In his second career start, Bowman threw for 605 yards (704 yards total offense) in a 63-49 win in Week 3.

Didn't the Cougars devote two hires in the offseason to the secondary?

There were some promising moments, mostly by the first-team defense, during a five-game winning streak that skyrocketed the Cougars to No. 17 in the two major polls. Since then, Oliver, UH's All-America defensive tackle, has missed three straight games with a bruised knee and there's no reason to believe he will return – or even should – with millions waiting as a top-5 pick in the NFL Draft.

With Oliver roaming the field, the Cougars were able to mask some of the flaws. (When the defense struggled in recent weeks, TV cameras zoomed in on Oliver wearing street clothes on the sideline). But the Cougars' problems are beyond one player being out. Safety Garrett Davis, defensive ends Jerard Carter and Isaiah Chambers are all out for the season. Linebacker Darrion Owens missed six weeks. Together, the group will combine to miss nearly 30 regular season games. Already thin, that has put players that otherwise would not be on the field in meaningful situations.

There is no time for the Cougars to mope with a short week to prepare for Thursday's nationally televised game against Tulane and road game against Memphis to end the regular season.

A 9-3 regular-season and shot to still win the West? Or 8-4? Even worse, 7-5?

"We have no idea which way this league is going to go, but you can't sit there and be depressed about it," Applewhite said. "You have to fight back from it."