Big 12 · 2026
Houston Cougars
Head coach Willie Fritz · TDECU Stadium
2-10-1 in conference
TDC Rank
#33
of 138 FBS teams
Rating
+5.2
pts vs avg FBS team
Offense
+3.8
29th in FBS
Defense
+1.4
48th in FBS
Schedule so far
-7.6
81st toughest
Projected
7.1-4.9
bowl-eligible 83%
Season Outlook
From the TDC Rating, updated after every game
Rating by week
+5.2 now, +1.7 preseason · up 17 spots since preseason
Final record odds
7.1-4.9 expected · most likely 7-5 (23%)
Team Leaders
Passing
Conner Weigman
QB · 50th in FBS
707yds
7 TD · 1 INT
Rushing
Makhi Hughes
RB · SR · 68th in FBS
213yds
40 car · 2 TD
Receiving
Amare Thomas
WR · SR · 49th in FBS
237yds
18 rec · 3 TD
Tackles
Jaden Yates
LB · 177th in FBS
19tkl
1 TFL
Sacks
Javion White
DB · 43rd in FBS
2sacks
0 hurries
Interceptions
Jalen Mayo
DB · SR · 35th in FBS
1INT
2 PD
Schedule
Game score = the rating that one result implies, after adjusting for opponent and venue
| Wk | Date | Opponent | Result / TDC line | Game score | Win chance | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | vs 105Oregon State | W 33–20 | +5.2 | — | ESPNEWS |
| 2 | Sep 12 | vs Southern FCS | W 77–6 | +13.2 | — | ESPN+ |
| 3 | Sep 18 | @ 26Texas TechCONF | L 26–28 | +7.4 | — | FOX |
| 4 | Sep 26 | @ 102Georgia Southern | Houston −6.8 · o/u 49.0 | — | ESPNU | |
| 5 | Oct 3 | vs 41UCFCONF | Houston −4.2 · o/u 49.9 | — | ESPN2 | |
| 6 | Oct 10 | @ 22Kansas StateCONF | Kansas State −5.2 · o/u 54.4 | — | ||
| 7 | Oct 17 | vs 75Oklahoma StateCONF | Houston −9.7 · o/u 49.5 | — | ||
| 8 | Oct 24 | @ 9UtahCONF | Utah −8.7 · o/u 52.3 | — | ||
| 9 | — | Bye | ||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | vs 52CincinnatiCONF | Houston −5.7 · o/u 56.7 | — | ||
| 11 | Nov 13 | @ 104ColoradoCONF | Houston −7.1 · o/u 50.8 | — | ESPN | |
| 12 | Nov 21 | @ 53West VirginiaCONF | West Virginia −0.2 · o/u 55.7 | — | ||
| 13 | Nov 28 | vs 49BaylorCONF | Houston −5.5 · o/u 51.3 | — |
Team Stats
Hover an advanced stat for what it means. Box-score totals include FCS games and aren't opponent-adjusted
| Stat | Offense | FBS rank | Defense (allowed) | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA · per play, garbage time excluded (CollegeFootballData.com) | ||||
| EPA / play | +0.350 | 19th | +0.030 | 55th |
| Success rate | 53.1% | 7th | 39.5% | 67th |
| Explosiveness | 1.156 | 105th | 1.299 | 86th |
| Play-by-play advanced · garbage time excluded (computed from every play) | ||||
| Success rate | 53.5% | 9th | 40.8% | 74th |
| Rushing success rate | 54.7% | 8th | 39.3% | 63rd |
| Passing success rate | 52.3% | 26th | 41.7% | 87th |
| Explosive run rate | 17.4% | 38th | 11.5% | 63rd |
| Explosive pass rate | 12.0% | 60th | 13.2% | 117th |
| Line yards / carry | 3.62 | 21st | 2.69 | 44th |
| Opportunity rate | 46.5% | 21st | 27.9% | 18th |
| Stuff rate | 11.6% | 25th | 18.0% | 79th |
| Sack rate | 3.5% | 51st | 5.2% | 71st |
| 3rd-down conversion | 62.5% | 5th | 37.5% | 66th |
| Red-zone TD rate | 50.0% | 109th | 100.0% | 131st |
| Havoc rate | 10.5% | 41st | 20.4% | 9th |
| Box score · season totals | ||||
| Points / game | 45.3 | 14th | 18.0 | 46th |
| Yards / game | 527.3 | 7th | 316.0 | 59th |
| Yards / play | 7.36 | 12th | 5.24 | 84th |
| Pass yards / game | 263.7 | 46th | 253.3 | 120th |
| Yards / pass att. | 9.00 | 32nd | 7.92 | 106th |
| Completion % | 70.5% | 25th | 58.3% | 46th |
| Rush yards / game | 263.7 | 11th | 62.7 | 9th |
| Yards / carry | 6.40 | 13th | 2.38 | 14th |
| 3rd-down conv. % | 66.7% | 2nd | 28.9% | 31st |
| Turnovers / game (lost · forced) | 1.00 | 48th | 1.67 | 29th |
| Sacks / game (allowed · made) | 1.33 | 54th | 2.00 | 56th |
| Penalty yards / game | 56.7 | 67th | 40.3 | 112th |
Roster
100 players · Head coach Willie Fritz
100 players
| # | Player | Pos▲ | Class | Ht | Wt | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Keisean Henderson | QB | FR | 6' 5" | 195 | Houston, TX |
| 13 | Canon Toon | QB | FR | 6' 3" | 195 | Houston, TX |
| 15 | Jake Sock | QB | SR | 6' 2" | 190 | Pearland, TX |
| 17 | Luke Carney | QB | SO | 6' 2" | 205 | Mesquite, TX |
| 18 | Ryan Smith | QB | FR | 6' 0" | 180 | The Woodlands, TX |
| 6 | Re'Shaun Sanford II | RB | JR | 5' 9" | 190 | Harker Heights, TX |
| 16 | JayShon Ridgle | RB | JR | 6' 0" | 197 | Athens, AL |
| 21 | Makhi Hughes | RB | SR | 6' 0" | 210 | Birmingham, AL |
| 23 | John Hebert | RB | FR | 5' 11" | 180 | Houston, TX |
| 25 | DJ Butler | RB | JR | 6' 0" | 190 | Mobile, AL |
| 37 | Zane Smith | RB | SO | 5' 9" | 235 | Fulshear, TX |
| 0 | Amare Thomas | WR | SR | 6' 0" | 205 | Birmingham, AL |
| 3 | Harvey Broussard III | WR | SR | 6' 3" | 185 | Saint Martinville, LA |
| 8 | Tyson Turner | WR | JR | 6' 2" | 215 | Bryan, TX |
| 10 | Jaquise Martin | WR | SO | 5' 10" | 180 | Bryan, TX |
| 12 | Stephon Johnson | WR | SR | 6' 2" | 190 | Houston, TX |
| 14 | Muizz Tounkara | WR | SO | 6' 3" | 210 | League City, TX |
| 22 | Dorian Barnes | WR | FR | 5' 8" | 155 | Houston, TX |
| 27 | Braeden Robinson | WR | FR | 6' 0" | 180 | Houston, TX |
| 46 | Jeffrey Strozier Jr. | WR | SR | 5' 6" | 160 | Kansas City, MO |
| 81 | Jeremiah Bushnell | WR | FR | 6' 1" | 195 | Iowa, LA |
| 82 | Jack Newhouse | WR | FR | 6' 4" | 230 | Austin, TX |
| 83 | Keavon Roberts | WR | FR | 6' 5" | 185 | Port Arthur, TX |
| 84 | Samuel Padgitt | WR | SR | 6' 2" | 195 | San Antonio, TX |
| 9 | Patrick Overmyer | TE | SR | 6' 5" | 240 | Kingwood, TX |
| 19 | Kaleb Thomas | TE | JR | 6' 4" | 250 | Houston, TX |
| 85 | Traville Frederick Jr. | TE | JR | 6' 3" | 240 | Jeanerette, LA |
| 86 | Wyatt Herbel | TE | SO | 6' 3" | 220 | Cypress, TX |
| 87 | Luke McGary | TE | SR | 6' 4" | 250 | Plano, TX |
| 88 | Jacory Thurman | TE | SO | 6' 4" | 240 | Houston, TX |
| 89 | Jaivion Martin | TE | FR | 6' 4" | 250 | Pflugerville, TX |
| 52 | Anthony Boswell | OL | JR | 6' 2" | 301 | Indianapolis, IN |
| 53 | Ronnell McLain | OL | JR | 6' 4" | 325 | Desoto, TX |
| 54 | Rhett Gray | OL | FR | 6' 8" | 310 | Weatherford, TX |
| 55 | Demetris Dean II | OL | SO | 6' 4" | 300 | Jasper, TX |
| 56 | Shadre Hurst | OL | SR | 6' 2" | 304 | Cartersville, GA |
| 62 | Ricardo Cordova | OL | JR | 6' 0" | 270 | Pasadena, TX |
| 66 | McKenzie Agnello | OL | SR | 6' 4" | 314 | Copperas Cove, TX |
| 67 | Hingano Hautau | OL | SR | 6' 6" | 325 | San Jose, CA |
| 68 | Sean Terrell | OL | SO | 6' 5" | 295 | Spring, TX |
| 70 | Larry Crawford | OL | SR | 6' 5" | 300 | Monroe, GA |
| 71 | Noah Abebe | OL | FR | 6' 4" | 300 | Friendswood, TX |
| 72 | RJ Lee | OL | SO | 6' 8" | 335 | Houston, TX |
| 73 | Drew Terrill | OL | SR | 6' 6" | 300 | Lebanon, IN |
| 77 | Troy Pless | OL | FR | 6' 5" | 320 | Killeen, TX |
| 79 | Alvin Ebosele | OL | SR | 6' 6" | 312 | Coppell, TX |
| 9 | Ashton Porter | DL | SR | 6' 3" | 280 | Cypress, TX |
| 18 | Khalil Laufau | DL | SR | 6' 3" | 290 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 45 | Chance Bryant | DL | SO | 6' 2" | 255 | Fulshear, TX |
| 47 | DK Mays | DL | SO | 6' 4" | 250 | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 50 | Ejiro Egodogbare | DL | SR | 6' 3" | 310 | Milton, MA |
| 51 | Hunter Jones | DL | SR | 6' 2" | 280 | Houston, TX |
| 55 | Isaiah Broughton | DL | FR | 6' 4" | 340 | Houston, TX |
| 88 | Xavier Fleming | DL | FR | 6' 1" | 305 | Lewisville, TX |
| 90 | De'Marion Thomas | DL | SR | 6' 2" | 340 | Tulsa, OK |
| 92 | Travis Buhake | DL | SO | 6' 2" | 290 | Arlington, TX |
| 94 | Carmello Brooks | DL | SO | 6' 3" | 275 | Katy, TX |
| 96 | Eythan Thompson | DL | SO | 6' 3" | 330 | Waco, TX |
| 98 | Myles Parker | DL | SR | 6' 1" | 325 | Snellville, GA |
| 99 | Quindario Lee | DL | SR | 6' 5" | 295 | Mc Kenzie, AL |
| 4 | Brandon Mack II | LB | SR | 6' 4" | 255 | Montgomery, AL |
| 10 | Latreveon McCutchin | LB | SR | 6' 3" | 245 | Austin, TX |
| 12 | Sione Fotu | LB | SR | 6' 0" | 230 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 17 | Christian Brathwaite | LB | JR | 6' 2" | 220 | Cypress, TX |
| 19 | Miller Malone | LB | JR | 6' 2" | 220 | Mont Belvieu, TX |
| 25 | Carmycah Glass | LB | SR | 6' 4" | 230 | Monroe, LA |
| 30 | Richmond Ugochukwu | LB | SO | 6' 2" | 220 | Richardson, TX |
| 31 | Tristan Jackson | LB | SO | 6' 0" | 215 | Fort Walton Beach, FL |
| 34 | Bryson Castile | LB | FR | 6' 2" | 210 | Arlington, TX |
| 35 | Tyler Covar | LB | FR | 6' 2" | 225 | Magnolia, TX |
| 36 | Liam Riley | LB | FR | 6' 1" | 215 | Weatherford, TX |
| 43 | Sheldon Rice | LB | SO | 6' 3" | 250 | Fulshear, TX |
| 48 | Grayson Boeker | LB | SO | 6' 3" | 220 | The Woodlands, TX |
| 53 | Tanner Covar | LB | FR | 6' 2" | 195 | Magnolia, TX |
| 2 | Jalen Mayo | DB | SR | 6' 2" | 190 | Hampton, VA |
| 3 | JD Rhym | DB | SR | 6' 2" | 190 | Valdosta, GA |
| 5 | Will James | DB | SR | 6' 0" | 185 | Grand Bay, AL |
| 6 | Jordan Allen | DB | SR | 5' 11" | 200 | Lafayette, LA |
| 13 | C.J. Douglas | DB | SR | 5' 11" | 200 | Leeds, AL |
| 14 | Paris Melvin Jr. | DB | FR | 5' 11" | 185 | Cypress, TX |
| 20 | James Henderson III | DB | FR | 6' 1" | 175 | Houston, TX |
| 21 | Myles Rowser | DB | SR | 6' 1" | 195 | Detroit, MI |
| 22 | Zaylen Cormier | DB | SO | 5' 11" | 190 | Houston, TX |
| 24 | Keany Parks | DB | SR | 6' 1" | 180 | Kenosha, WI |
| 26 | Jamaal Shaw | DB | SR | 6' 1" | 200 | Orange, TX |
| 27 | Mudassir Abdullah | DB | FR | 6' 0" | 175 | West Columbia, TX |
| 29 | Javen Holmes | DB | FR | 6' 2" | 205 | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 32 | Isaac Richardson | DB | FR | 6' 1" | 200 | Houston, TX |
| 33 | Johnsley Barbas | DB | JR | 5' 11" | 190 | Atlanta, GA |
| 38 | Johnathan Joseph Jr. | DB | FR | 5' 10" | 190 | Houston, TX |
| 41 | Thompson Bennett | DB | FR | 6' 1" | 190 | Austin, TX |
| 42 | Austin Anderson | DB | JR | 6' 3" | 185 | Rosenberg, TX |
| 44 | Rodney Thomas II | DB | FR | 6' 1" | 180 | Humble, TX |
| 49 | Jonathan Dimas | PK | JR | 5' 10" | 185 | Houston, TX |
| 94 | Evan Noel | PK | SO | 6' 1" | 165 | Bay St. Louis, MS |
| 62 | Jack Raney | P | SR | 6' 3" | 210 | San Jose, CA |
| 91 | Liam Dougherty | P | JR | 6' 2" | 205 | Geelong, Australia |
| 47 | Anthony Saragusa | LS | JR | 6' 2" | 265 | Houston, TX |
| 64 | Jack Carson-Wentz | LS | SR | 6' 2" | 210 | Canton, GA |
| 69 | Weston Edwards | LS | JR | 6' 2" | 215 | Valdosta, GA |
Updated Sep 24, 3:19 PM ET. Ratings are in points on a neutral field. Projected lines include — points of home field. Win chances and record odds allow for the ratings themselves being uncertain, most of all early in the season. All FBS power rankings →