Big 12 Houston

Head coach Willie Fritz · 3rd season · 20-13 at Houston

Record6-23-2 Big 12 · T-4th
CFPNo. 17week 10 poll
Playoff8%to make the field
Nextvs CincinnatiSat Nov 7 · 3:30 pm ET · FOX

The rest of the season

One real test left: Baylor 53%

Win out 34% · expect 3.1 of 4 more wins

Houston's chance to win each game left, from our model: Cincinnati 80%, Colorado 90%, West Virginia 90%, Baylor 53%

Bar height is our model’s chance in each game left. Dashed line: 50%.

Playoff chance went from 5% to 8%, peaking at 19% before a game

5%5%W9%W8%L12%W11%W19%W19%W8%L

Our model, entering each game. The letter is the result of the game before it.

StandingTied for 4th in the Big 12 · 3-2 in conference play · All standings

LeadersPassing Conner Weigman 2,052 · Rushing Makhi Hughes 517 · Receiving Amare Thomas 620 All player stats

The nationAP #17 · Coaches #18 · CFP #17up 1 from last week · week 10 poll
The model#21 CFB ZeitgeistPublic ratings: SP+ #22 (+13.3) · FPI #20
The marketHouston by 11.5Betting line vs Cincinnati · our model 80% Houston

Updated Wed Nov 4 · through week 8

Follow Houston:athletics siteXInstagram

Schedule and results

Houston · 2026 schedule and results6-2Hard slateAverage opponent win rate 63% · 2 opponents played so far are in the AP top 25 now. 1 win over a team ranked at kickoff.Our rank entering each game: #20 to #13
WkDateOur rankOpp rankLineOpponentResultRecordConfTop performers
1Sep 5#20#69−21✗ −8Oregon StateW 33-20 145Houston won 33-20 vs Oregon State. Chance to win started at 94%, low 91%, high better than 99%.1-00-0Pass Weigman 305 · Rush Hughes 98 · Rec Thomas 133
2Sep 12#22#217−51.5✓ +19.5SouthernW 77-6 106Houston won 77-6 vs Southern. Never in doubt.2-00-0Pass Weigman 120 · Rush Smith 69 · Rec Young 54
3Sep 18#23#8+7.5✓ +5.5@Texas TechL 26-28 135Houston lost 26-28 at Texas Tech. Chance to win started at 24%, low 2%, high 73%. Loud2-10-1Pass Weigman 282 · Rush Hughes 71 · Rec Thomas 75
4Sep 26#12#84−17.5✗ −3.5@Georgia SouthernW 42-28 128Houston won 42-28 at Georgia Southern. Chance to win started at 84%, low 80%, high better than 99%.3-10-1Pass Weigman 239 · Rush Sanford II 120 · Rec Walker 83
5Oct 3#12#80−10.5✗ −0.5UCFW 27-17 136Houston won 27-17 vs UCF. Chance to win started at 82%, low 13%, high better than 99%.4-11-1Pass Weigman 239 · Rush Sanford II 62 · Rec Overmyer 76
6Oct 10#14#33+2.5✓ +21.5@Kansas StateW 35-16 132Houston won 35-16 at Kansas State. Chance to win started at 38%, low 38%, high better than 99%.5-12-1Pass Weigman 242 · Rush Sanford II 90 · Rec Overmyer 83
7Oct 17#11#117−4✗ −1Oklahoma StateTop 25 winW 35-32 132Houston won 35-32 vs Oklahoma State. Chance to win started at 73%, low 57%, high 98%.6-13-1Pass Weigman 343 · Rush Hughes 77 · Rec Thomas 126
8Oct 24#13#21+6.5✗ −1.5@UtahL 13-21 127Houston lost 13-21 at Utah. Chance to win started at 27%, low under 1%, high 73%.6-23-2Pass Weigman 282 · Rush Hughes 52 · Rec Thomas 133
9Bye week
10Nov 7#20#73−11.5Cincinnati3:30 pm ET · FOX80% to win
11Nov 13#21#104@Colorado10:15 pm ET · ESPN90% to win
12Nov 21@West Virginiatime TBA90% to win
13Nov 28Baylortime TBA
How to read this table

Win chances are our model for Houston, through 8 games. This week's game comes from the playoff simulation, later games from the rating model. They are estimates and move every week.

The small line beside each score is the team's win chance through the game, drawn on one scale for every game. The small number is total plays.

Line is the closing point spread for Houston: a minus number means favored. A green check means the team covered it, by the number beside it. A red cross means it fell short by that much.

Advanced box score (EPA, success rate, big plays)▼
DateOppResultYdsTOTOPEPA/playSuccess%Big plays (IsoPPP)Note
Oct 24@UtahL 13-21368129:55-0.02140.9%1.25Season-low EPA/play
Oct 17Oklahoma StateW 35-32505135:12+0.34454.1%1.20One-score win
Oct 10@Kansas StateW 35-16475034:49+0.43848.0%1.33Most explosive
Oct 3UCFW 27-17393133:22+0.00850.0%0.74
Sep 26@Georgia SouthernW 42-28441028:39+0.47659.4%1.09
Sep 18@Texas TechL 26-28458133:42+0.28350.6%1.02One-score loss
Sep 12SouthernW 77-6591038:18+0.76973.8%1.17Season-high EPA/play
Sep 5Oregon StateW 33-20533230:50+0.31250.0%1.25
Season average (8 games)4700.8+0.32653.4%1.13

Houston's wildest games since 2013: comebacks, long shots, line misses

What’s ahead

The forecast
Season line9.5 winsover +170
Offense eliteMethodical, ball-controlDefense poor

Season expectations

Win total2 booksOver/under 9.5▲1 since Sep 9
CFP championship#30 in field+20,000
Big 12 title#4 in market+1,000

Median odds across sportsbooks · Oct 19. A number with a minus is the favorite: −130 means $130 wins $100. A plus is the underdog: +170 means $100 wins $170.

Today’s games across college football

What fans said

What fans said

Real posts about each game (they name the opponent, a player or a play), chosen by community score · usernames not shown

The games that decide the season

The games that decide the season

Sat Nov 7Next: Cincinnativs Cincinnati · at home

Recent form · last 10 games

Houston has won four of its last five.

8-2 over the last 10, and lost the last one.

Streak L1Last 5 · 4-1Last 10 · 8-2
If you go back to Oregon State game, the Houston game in the red zone, that was our most effective games
McGuire · On37 days before Houston's 2026 game against Cincinnati

Playoff chance, day by day

8% now · ▼ 5 points in the last week

030%8%High 19%, Oct 17Aug 31Nov 4

Our simulation, 20,000 seasons a night, counted from the first full week of games.

Who to root for this week

Our simulation, 20,000 seasons with this one game forced each way. Only games that move the chance by two points or more are listed.

Range of outcomes · Houston · 2026

Houston’s most likely regular season is 9-3. 98% of outcomes land from 8-4 to 10-2.

Regular-season wins: chance of each total, from the game chances above

7 wins 2%; 8 wins 17%; 9 wins 47%; 10 wins 34%
What a title game and a playoff run could add
Floor8-5A bowl game, 2 fewer wins.
Base10-3A bowl game.
Ceiling11-2A bowl game, 1 more win.

Bars are the chance of each regular-season win total, from our model's chance in each game left, through 8 games. Paler bars are the outer 10% at each end. The closed row comes from the season-path projection, which also plays out conference title games and the CFP.

More in this tab

This week and this season

Worth watchingGames average 57 combined points, even games

What it is like to watch them2026 · 6-2

Game feel57even gamescombined pts / game5th highest-scoring of 16 in the Big 12
Heart rate1-2some dramain one-score games (3 of 8)9th most one-score games of 16 in the Big 12
Margin+15.0comfortableavg scoring margin4th best margin of 16 in the Big 12
Tempo70average paceoffensive plays / game7th fastest of 16 in the Big 12
Big plays1.13grind it outexplosiveness (IsoPPP)16th most explosive of 16 in the Big 12
Home crowd31,454avg attendance16th biggest crowds of 16 in the Big 12

Measured from 8 games · ranks are among Big 12 teams the same season

Team storyThe story of this team right now, in one line.
The weekly grind

Houston is the program that once put up 100 points and produced Andre Ware's Heisman, then spent thirty years on the wrong side of the velvet rope — and is finally answering the bell in the Big 12 with a ten-win season.

AP Top 25#17 AP

Cougar fans watched Texas and Texas A&M get the invitations and the TV money while a program in the nation's fourth-largest city was told to wait its turn; they carry the snub of being the third…

Read the full program story ↓
Game-day weather74° at kickoff, 4% chance of rain

Houston · Game-day weather

This Saturday: Warm. No coat needed.

Cincinnati at Houston · Saturday, Nov. 7 · 3:30 pm ET · FOX · TDECU Stadium.

  • 74°feels like
  • 4%average rain chance
  • 12 mphwind gusts
  • 100weather score, Ideal

Typical at TDECU Stadium: 7:30 pm Saturdays score 93, 3:30 pm Saturdays 77

  • noon: 78, Mixed
  • 3:30 pm: 77, Mixed
  • 7:30 pm: 93, Comfortable

Typical weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read it.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50. Gusts count toward the score (up to 15 points). Average rain chance: the hourly chances of rain over the first 3 hours and 20 minutes, averaged.

Game dayWhat a Saturday in this stadium actually feels like.
The experience

Houston is the Big 12 newcomer whose Case Keenum + Tom Herman + Dana Holgorsen eras and 2024 Big 12 entry define what historic-Texas-football looks like outside Austin.

Offense: EliteStyle: Methodical, ball-controlDefense: Poor
Program ledgerLatest: Fell to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 (2026, week 9)

The program ledger

since 2025
  • 2026 · Wk 9Fell to No. 18 in the AP Top 25Week 8 · Lost 13-21 at Utah↓4 · from No. 14
  • 2026 · Wk 8Climbed to No. 14 in the AP Top 25Week 7 · Won 35-32 at home over Oklahoma State↑6 · from No. 20
  • 2026 · Wk 5Climbed to No. 20 in the AP Top 25Week 4 · Won 42-28 at Georgia Southern↑5 · from No. 25
  • 2025 · Wk 15Entered the CFP rankingsWeek 14 · Won 31-24 at Baylorat No. 21
  • 2025 · Wk 14Fell out of the AP Top 25The committee dropped them out too, from No. 23.Week 13 · Lost 14-17 at home to TCUwas No. 25
  • 2025 · Wk 13Entered the AP Top 25The committee brought them in too, at No. 23.at No. 25
  • 2025 · Wk 11Fell out of the AP Top 25Week 10 · Lost 35-45 at home to West Virginiawas No. 22
  • 2025 · Wk 10Entered the AP Top 25Week 9 · Won 24-16 at Arizona Stateat No. 22

Roster and recruiting

Roster81% of production back, talent #57

Roster reload: Houston

2026 snapshot, Nov 4
Returning Production81%High continuity
Talent Composite#57 nationally247 composite 695.9
Portal Additions18Primary repair: DL
Portal Losses17Primary pressure: EDGE
Draft Loss1NFL Draft departures (1), 1 with a next man up identified below
Recruiting Reload#38Development class
IOLin 2 - Anthony Boswell3.80out 3 - Demetrius Hunter3.60Downgrade
current room: 311 lbs avg (2025 roster)
EDGEin 0out 4 - Reshad Sterling3.49Starter Risk
DLin 3 - Ashton Porter3.80out 1 - Joshua Donald3.40Need Filled
current room: 280 lbs avg (2025 roster)
3-Tech Penetratordisrupts the pocket from the interior
Transferred in
WRin 3 - Trent Walker3.70out 1 - Devan Williams3.49Need Filled
current room: 191 lbs avg (2025 roster)
Possession ReceiverMoney-downmoves the chains on third down lives on the sticks and moves the chains
Transferred in
LBin 2 - Jaden Yates3.60out 2 - Corey Platt Jr.3.80Even
current room: 226 lbs avg (2025 roster)
Balanced Linebackeris steady in every phase without a signature trait
Third program
QBin 1 - Luke Carney3.40out 2 - Austin Carlisle3.60Downgrade
current room: 209 lbs avg (2025 roster)
Next man up
TE · departedTanner Koziol2★ · Rd 5, Pk 24
NowKaleb Thomas3★ · FR
Next man up
Full roster (119 players)
Top commits

Top 1 commits

2027 class
★★★☆☆
Braden Baker
QB · Cypress, TX
#629 national
Recruiting buzzWhat fans say about the incoming class right now.

r/cfb this year

[Postgame Thread] Houston Defeats LSU 38-35
3,937 upvotes · Dec 2025
[Postgame Thread] Houston Defeats UCF 30-27
701 upvotes · Nov 2025
[Houston Football] SOLD OUT 🏟️
341 upvotes · Oct 2026

Top community posts · last 12 months · r/cfb

Fans and ratings

Mood vs. historyFan mood is higher than 58% of FBS programs
→

Fan confidence in a typical range for this program right now

58th percentile among FBS programs

Fans vs. the lineThe betting market is more optimistic than fans
Fan vs. market↓
58th
Fan mood
(percentile among FBS)
9.5
Sportsbook win total
(87th among FBS)
Market 29pp more optimistic than fan mood
Win total consensus · 2 books
Where voters differAP voters range from #13 to #23 (week 9)
Voter spread

70 of 70 AP voters have them ranked, AP ballot, week 9 (2026): from #13, Kirk Kenney (San Diego Union-Tribune), to #23, Bob Asmussen (Champaign News-Gazette).

Individual AP Top 25 ballots, AP ballot, week 9, 2026, 70 voters tracked.

RivalsRival pulse: Rice hopeful

Rival pulse

Rice
Hopeful
+15
Bayou Bucket

Fan mood index · most recent r/CFB data

More

FollowThe team's own sites, its reporters and its podcasts.

Follow Houston

Each link was checked against two outside sites.

From the booth

A recent episode that covers this team
This page may include content derived from public news sources, social media, and fan communities. We relay these sources as-is — we are not reporting them. Sources may be summarized or quoted imperfectly; for anything that matters, go look at the original source directly. The original source may also be wrong. Text written by our model says so in a line beneath it, and it can get facts wrong. All analysis is editorial opinion, not professional reporting. Data sources · About this site