Big 12 Breakdown and The Big Question For Each School : #5 Houston
By Cade Welty and Sean A Dillon
We’re breaking down the Big 12 as we get closer to the 2026 season. We’re breaking down each team getting closer and closer to #1. Today we look at Houston.
#16 – Iowa State #15 – Colorado #14 – Kansas #13 – cincinnati #12 – Oklahoma State #11 West Virginia #10 UCF #9 Baylor
#8 – TCU #7 – Arizona State #6 – Arizona #5 – Houston #4 – ???
Houston : Is this the stepping stone season?
Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars enter their third season with one another with the same goal in mind. Playing a Big 12 championship in December at AT&T Stadium. The 2025 Cougars were a pleasant surprise to the college football world with an outstanding 10-3 season that saw a bowl win in the Texas Bowl over LSU.
Which marked a 6 win turnaround from 2024 when they went 4-8 in Fritz’s first year. And this is not the first time Willie has done this. With Tulane it took a bit longer but he turned them from 2-10 to 12-2 in one season. So the head coach has a knack for building conference contenders with a winning all time record for every school he has been with. Fritz has also had three 10 or more win seasons in his last four tries and looks to continue that trend in 2026.
Fritz is a winner, can Houston do the same?
Well since they work in unison this is merely a figure of speech. The real question is this another flash in the pan for the program or are they finally building a program over in Houston. The Cougars are entering in a familiar situation with expectations of winning being put back onto them. Since joining the Big 12 like the other programs they joined with they have only seen one successful season. Back to back 4-8 seasons to start their Big 12 journey and it makes sense on how the underdog role has become the norm for them. Well in years past the pressure of contending has always been a downfall for the Cougars.
So let’s change the question, can you learn to be a contender and not an underdog. Well the first step in fixing the underdog role would be creating a lethal home environment and record for the Cougars. During their Big 12 tenure they have 9 wins in 19 total home games. A winning percentage of .474 which is not awful but compared to the top of the Big 12 it is just mediocre. BYU, who has been considered part of the top of the Big 12, has gone 16-3 (.842 W%) in the same span since joining the Big 12. Texas Tech who has had a quicker rise to glory in the Big 12 has had a 16-4 home record which is almost identical to BYU. Fixing the home win percentage could easily put Houston at the forefront of Big 12 title contention. But the Cougars extended their student section by two sections, so more of their students won’t show up.
Big 12 Media Days.
During Big 12 Media Days in an interview with Andrew Cherico, Fritz spoke of some ways they could help the home atmosphere for the team. And the idea of taking some notes from UCFs home game production.
“Thats one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in… I’m not too proud to say this but we’re copying a lot of what the do with game day production.”
The makeup of the 2026 Cougars on Offense.
This is where it can get exciting for Houston as you also return 12 total starters from 2025. Seven players will return on offense for the Cougars led by Senior QB Connor Weigman. Weigman threw for 2,705 yards with a TD-INT ratio of 25/9 and looks to be a top 3 QB in the Big 12 for 2026. They also gain the benefit of returning two veteran WRs in Amare Thomas and Harvey Broussard III, with Thomas coming off a standout season where he ranked top 30 in all three major receiving categories. The ability of keeping part of the O-line intact with two returners should create some familiarity across the offense. Moving onto some of the offensive transfers that they brought in with the 6th best class according to On3. Makhi Hughes at RB could be the quietest addition to a team in the entire Big 12. Hughes rushed for 2,779 yards across two seasons for Tulane (2023-24) with 22 TDs on 523 carries. Those two seasons for the Greenwave were under Willie Fritz and now he reunites with him in the Big 12 after a season at Oregon where he didn’t see much playing time.
On Defense.
For the defense they return a majority of their unit with 5 starters from last year coming back for 2026. The secondary will still be lethal with 3 returners and two standout transfers; it is their best position group. The issue for the Cougars is the front 7 is practically brand new and was already trending into it being just an average group. Losing Corey Platt Jr could end up being bigger than they anticipated.
The Houston Cougars have checked the boxes to be in win now mode. A 10 win season, returned a majority of talent and brought in some top talent. But until they make their home environment lethal then it will be a battle for 3rd in the Big 12 again.
Houston 2026 Football Schedule :
Conference Games *
9/5/2026, Oregon State : 11:00 A.M. CT
9/12/2026, Southern U, Time : 6:00 P.M. CT
9/18/2026, at Texas Tech * : 7:00 P.M. CT
9/26/2026, at Georgia Southern , Time : TBA
10/3/2026, UCF *, Time : TBA
10/10/2026, at Kansas State * , Time : TBA
10/17/2026, Oklahoma State * , Time : TBA
10/24/2026, at Utah *, Time : TBA
11/7/2026, Cincinnati *, Time : TBA
11/13/2026, at Colorado * , Time : 9:15 P.M.
11/21/2026, at West Virginia * , Time : TBA
11/28/2026, Baylor * Time : TBA
Sean’s Thoughts:
We arrive in the top 5 of the Big 12 and this is where the fat hits the fire. This is where I see the Big 12 title contenders to come from. We start with Houston. Backfield running power and a QB with composure. Right here when we started this series would be where I would turn on the roasting machine like a disgruntled Kenny Rogers Roasters manager. I want to so bad, but I can’t. Houston is going to be good and they are going to be a handful this year. Out of the key match ups for the Cougars, they face UCF, OSU and Baylor at home while facing Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech away from home. Beat the teams you should at home and win on the road where you shouldn’t and you’ll be like Hickory but at Jerry World.
Willie Fritz is a beast in turning teams around faster than you spinning your girl at the Friday night dance. Like Aunt Betty after her third margarita, you better watch out before the whole thing comes back up. I think that week 3’s game versus Texas Tech will be the scene setter for their year. Steal a win in the 806 and the sky is the limit. Get blown out, and you’re looking at an eight win ceiling.
Now, somebody get Betty a wet wipe, throw down the sawdust and let’s see if Houston can actually handle being a contender.