The next three weeks will tell the story for No. 22 Houston, and it starts with a trip to Manhattan, Kansas, to face the Kansas State Wildcats.
After that, the Cougars have No. 18 Oklahoma State coming to town on Oct. 17, then a road date with No.
12 Utah the following week. It’s a brutal run, and Houston’s best chance to survive it sits at quarterback: Conner Weigman.
Weigman arrived at Houston with serious pedigree. Coming out of high school, he was a five-star recruit and the No. 3 quarterback in the 2022 class according to 247Sports. He originally committed to Texas A&M, but things never fully clicked in College Station, and he transferred to Houston after the 2024 season.
The move has paid off. In 2025, Weigman put together a strong season with 2,705 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 700 rushing yards on 171 carries.
That was the breakout many expected. He’s taken another step in 2026, throwing for 1,186 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception so far.
He’s also been a bigger factor on the ground. Weigman has 156 rushing yards on 42 carries, and the way he’s moving makes him even harder to deal with. He gives Houston a chance in games where the margin is thin and the opponent is loaded.
There’s a reason he fits that kind of role. Some quarterbacks can take over a game in more than one way, and Weigman belongs in that group.
He can throw, run and create problems all over the field. That kind of versatility is what can push an offense to another level when the competition stiffens.
What stands out most is how well he processes the game. Football IQ matters at quarterback, and Weigman has shown he can read what’s in front of him and make the right choice. That separates him from some talented passers who have the arm and athleticism but struggle with decision-making.
Bryce Underwood of the Michigan Wolverines is an example of how talent alone doesn’t guarantee results. He came out of high school as one of the highest-rated quarterback recruits ever, but that hasn’t translated into wins.
The sophomore has 16 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his career. Against the Western Michigan Broncos, late in the fourth quarter on a third-and-3, Underwood had a clear chance to run the ball up the middle and pick up the first down.
Instead, he forced a throw into tight coverage and the play fell incomplete.
Weigman has generally avoided that kind of mistake. He’s thrown only one interception and has protected the football well. That matters even more with Houston staring at a stretch where the opponents will be tough and the Cougars have shown weakness in the secondary over the first five weeks.
The point is simple: Houston will need Weigman to carry a heavy load. In college football, that’s often how teams get through the toughest parts of the schedule. If Weigman keeps playing at this level, the Cougars have a real chance to come through this stretch with a strong record.
In Other News...
Houston Suddenly Faces A Road Test That Could Expose Everything
Houstons place in the mid-2026 college football picture looks a little different after a comeback win over UCF, but the Cougars are heading into a far sterner test. A road trip to Kansas State now sits in front of them, and it comes only after they had to dig out of a 17-0 hole against the Knights before turning the game around. For a team trying to prove it belongs in the weekly conversation, this is the kind of matchup that can either validate the progress or remind everyone how much work remains.
Kansas State is waiting at home with first-year coach Collin Klein trying to land that first signature win, which makes the trip even trickier for Houston. The Cougars have already shown some resilience, but road games like this have a way of exposing whether that was a one-week rally or something sturdier. In a season where ranked teams keep stumbling and injuries keep reshaping the national race, Houstons answer in Manhattan will say a lot about how real its momentum is. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces A Tougher Kansas State Test Than Fans Realized
Houston heads into Manhattan for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on FOX carrying a fresh win over UCF, but the setup is a little less comfortable than it first looked. The No. 22 Cougars are stepping into a road setting against Kansas State after a comeback effort last week, and the Wildcats should have a clean edge in preparation after coming off a bye.
For Houston, the challenge is not just the usual Big 12 road test. The Cougars have had trouble finding traction in Manhattan before, and the assignment looks even trickier with senior linebacker Jaden Yates unavailable, removing the teams leading tackler from a defense that will need to steady itself early. Kansas State has had extra time to reset, and Houston will have to handle a place where little has come easily. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Bye Week Could Expose Problems Deion Sanders Must Fix
Deion Sanders and Colorado are using the Week 6 bye to get a fuller read on what is coming next, with Utah, Oklahoma State and Kansas State all offering different kinds of tests. For the Buffaloes, the point is not just to scout the next stretch on the schedule, but to use those games to sharpen the areas that have already stood out as priorities, especially red-zone offense and generating more consistent pressure on defense.
Kansas State adds an extra layer to that study because the Wildcats are also set to host No. 22 Houston, giving Colorado a chance to evaluate two future opponents in one spot. Houston has been one of the nations most efficient offenses on third down, and quarterback Conner Weigman has paired that with strong ball security, so the matchup should tell Sanders plenty about how a disciplined offense handles a defense with real enough range to matter to the Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]