Houston football is staring at a real breakthrough season in 2026, and the clearest milestone on the board is a trip to the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas.
That goal is not being tossed around lightly. The Cougars are coming off a 10-win season for the first time since 2021 and finished ranked for the first time since the start of the 2022 season. With the offseason going well, Houston has positioned itself to aim for something even bigger.
The path is there, even if it is not easy. Houston finished fourth in the Big 12 last year at 6-3, and two of those losses came against teams in the bottom half of the conference. The other defeat was to Big 12 champion Texas Tech.
Texas Tech still looks like the favorite to win the league again, but the margin appears to have tightened. The Brendan Sorsby saga only adds to the sense that the gap is not as wide as it once seemed. Houston has improved and added depth on both sides of the ball, and it has a real chance to land a major early statement in Week 3 at Lubbock, when it opens conference play against Texas Tech.
The Big 12 picture is crowded at the top. BYU is still one of the league’s biggest threats after reaching the title game last season and bringing back plenty of key players, but Houston will not face the Cougars for a second straight year. Utah also sits among the conference’s top teams, and Houston could be right there in the mix.
To get to the title game, Houston likely needs to beat both Texas Tech and Utah. The Cougars head to Utah in Week 8, giving them another major test in the stretch run.
Offensively, Houston made noticeable strides last season behind veteran quarterback Connor Weigman, who enters his senior year and his second season with the program. That continuity matters, especially with Amare Thomas returning as his top target and Slade Nagle back for another year as offensive coordinator.
There should be another boost on the ground, too. Senior transfer Makhi Hughes arrives from Oregon and is expected to help the running game take a step forward.
Defensively, Houston brought in plenty of talent through both the transfer portal and high school recruiting. The secondary remains a strength with key pieces back from last season, and Oregon transfer Ashton Porter stands out as a headliner in the front seven.
For Willie Fritz and the Cougars, a run to the Big 12 title game is well within reach in 2026.