Houston’s narrow 28-26 loss to Texas Tech on Friday night cost the Cougars some ground in the AP Top 25, but it did not push them out of the poll. Instead, Houston slid from No. 22 to No. 25 and stayed alive in the conversation for the College Football Playoff and the Big 12.
That kind of drop still leaves plenty on the table. AP voters clearly gave Houston credit for hanging with the now No. 11 Red Raiders, and the ranking keeps the Cougars in position to recover if they start stacking wins.
There’s already a recent example that should offer some encouragement. Louisville opened the season with a three-point loss to Ole Miss in Week 1 and stayed ranked at No.
- Since then, the Cardinals have climbed to No. 16 and followed that up with a 41-31 win over the former No.
16 SMU Mustangs. Houston’s situation is different, but the lesson is the same: one close loss doesn’t have to define a season.
The Cougars’ path forward looks manageable on paper, even with a few dangerous spots mixed in. Their remaining schedule runs through Georgia Southern, UCF, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Utah, Cincinnati, Colorado, West Virginia and Baylor.
The toughest run may come in the middle, with three straight weeks against Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah. That stretch could be a problem, or it could be the part of the season that flips Houston into gear. Outside of those games, the Cougars should feel like the better team in most of their remaining matchups.
West Virginia could also be a tricky stop after the Mountaineers beat ranked Virginia 38-27 on the road. Still, there isn’t a game left that looks out of reach for Houston.
For Will Fritz and his team, simply staying in the rankings matters. It signals that the door is still open for a run at the College Football Playoff or even the Big 12 title.
If Houston is going to make that push, the defense has to tighten up fast. The first concern is pass defense, which was exposed against Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders converted 6 of 10 third downs, and several of those came on longer plays. Houston had trouble getting off the field when it mattered most.
The pass rush needs work, too. Houston has only six sacks on the season and managed just one against Texas Tech. That kind of pressure can change a game, and the Cougars need more of it if they want to become a true threat.
The next chance to clean things up comes against Georgia Southern, and the Eagles bring a quarterback in Max Johnson who has already posted 619 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception in 2026. If Houston sharpens up on defense, this ranking could be the start of something bigger.
In Other News...
Kelvin Sampson Just Added To Houstons Frontcourt Recruiting Machine
Houstons frontcourt pipeline under Kelvin Sampson keeps rolling, and the latest addition only strengthens the picture for the future. Four-star power forward Triston Hawthorne, a 6-foot-7 senior from Ellisville, Mississippi, has committed to the Cougars for the 2027 recruiting class, picking Houston over Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Harvard. His decision adds another high-end piece to a class that is already drawing attention nationally.
Hawthorne joins three other top-100 prospects in what currently stands as Houstons top-rated 2027 group, a sign that Sampson and his staff are continuing to stack talent well beyond the immediate season. For a program built on physicality, development and depth up front, landing another athletic interior option this early only reinforces how hard Houston has become to beat on the recruiting trail. [Read more 🡒]
Willie Fritz Knows What Cost Houston A Statement Win Over Texas Tech
Houston came out of its Big 12 opener with Texas Tech feeling like it had left a statement win on the table. The Cougars fell 28-26, a one-score result that carried the kind of frustration coaches tend to revisit quickly, especially when there were enough clean plays to win and enough loose ones to decide the game the other way. Willie Fritz pointed to the effort his team showed, but he also made clear there were specific areas that kept Houston from finishing the job.
Missed field goals, defensive communication problems and tackling issues all surfaced in Fritzs postgame assessment, and a late two-point conversion attempt involving Conner Weigman added another layer to an already tight finish. The play call and the officials ruling drew attention, but Houstons bigger concern is more basic: in a game this close, the small mistakes mattered most, and the Cougars know they have to tighten them up before the rest of the league starts stacking losses against them. [Read more 🡒]
Which Houston Targets Are Emerging As The Offense Starts To Shift
Houstons offense is starting to show a little more shape as the Cougars try to regroup after a 28-26 loss to Texas Tech, a game that again underscored how thin the margin has been in this matchup. Conner Weigman moved the ball well through the air and also added something with his legs, while Koby Young and Amare Thomas both stood out as reliable targets in a passing game that looked more connected than it has at other points this season.
The wider question now is which receivers are becoming the clear fits as Houston keeps adjusting around Weigman. Trent Walkers production dipped from what he had been giving the Cougars earlier, and the balance of opportunities among the pass catchers has started to look more fluid, which can be a good sign or a sign the offense is still searching for its most dependable answers. On a night when Jalen Mayo and Will James also delivered key plays on defense, Houston still came up short, but the receiving picture may be changing in a way worth watching. [Read more 🡒]