No. 22 Houston heads to Manhattan, Kansas, on Saturday for another Big 12 road test, this time against Kansas State.
The Cougars are coming in off a 27-17 comeback win over UCF in their Big 12 home opener in Week 5, a game in which they erased the Knights with 27 unanswered points in the second half. Houston is now 1-1 on the road this season, with a narrow loss to then-No. 13 Texas Tech in Week 3 and a win over Georgia Southern in Week 4.
Kansas State enters at 3-1 and had an early bye week, giving the Wildcats extra rest after a 31-26 road loss to Cincinnati in their Big 12 opener in Week 4.
This is the third road game of the season for Houston and the second against a Big 12 opponent. It also marks another chapter in a short series between the programs.
The teams have met only twice before, both times since Houston joined the Big 12, and the home team has won both. Houston fell 41-0 in Manhattan in 2023 before bouncing back with an upset of No.
17 Kansas State at TDECU Stadium in 2024.
The Cougars are trying to win in Manhattan for the first time, but they’ll have to do it without senior linebacker Jaden Yates, their leading tackler, who is out for this game. Kansas State senior quarterback Avery Johnson, a dual-threat threat, will be a major challenge. On the other side, Houston senior quarterback Conner Weigman will try to steer the offense through a difficult road environment.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on FOX.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]
Conner Weigman Is Giving Houston Fans A Real Reason To Believe
Conner Weigmans first month at Houston has done more than steady the offense. It has put the Cougars in a place they have not occupied for a while, with a 4-1 start and six straight weeks in the AP Polls as the new quarterback has settled in as the face of the programs early rise.
The award attention has followed, too, with Weigman among the Top 15 finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as of Oct. 8. Through five games, he has already piled up 1,186 passing yards with 11 touchdowns against one interception, while also adding 156 rushing yards and six scores on the ground, a profile that has Houston fans believing this season could be about more than just a strong start. [Read more 🡒]