Houston Cougars
Big 12
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #40
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 7.4 (#40)
- SP+ Offense
- 31.5
- SP+ Defense
- 23.0
- SRS
- 6.3
- FPI
- 4.4
- Elo
- 1512
- Talent
- 657
- Recruiting
- 219 (#38)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
7.6p10 6.0 — p90 9.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 1.3% | |
| Make CFP | 2.6% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.5% | |
| Semifinal | 0.1% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 7.7–4.3
Schedule
73rd
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
68th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
74th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsOregon State | -15.9 | 34-19 | +14.5 | 81% | — |
| 2 | vsSouthern | FCS | 46-3* | +42.6 | 100% | — |
| 3 | @Texas Tech | +27.6 | 19-32 | -13.1 | 22% | — |
| 4 | @Georgia Southern | -9.4 | 33-23 | +9.9 | 73% | — |
| 5 | vsUCF | -1.2 | 33-22 | +10.8 | 74% | — |
| 6 | @Kansas State | +7 | 24-29 | -5.1 | 38% | — |
| 7 | vsOklahoma State | -15.1 | 33-20 | +13.3 | 79% | — |
| 8 | @Utah | +22.2 | 21-32 | -10.2 | 27% | — |
| 10 | vsCincinnati | +4.5 | 28-22 | +6.0 | 64% | — |
| 11 | @Colorado | -8.3 | 31-21 | +10.2 | 73% | — |
| 12 | @West Virginia | -6.8 | 30-23 | +6.6 | 66% | — |
| 13 | vsBaylor | +1.4 | 31-23 | +7.7 | 68% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 62
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Conner Weigman | JR | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Zeon Chriss | JR | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Luke Carney← Syracuse | FR | 6'2" | 205 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Dean Connors | SR | 6'0" | 206 | — |
| RB | 2nd | DJ Butler | SO | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Stacy Sneed | SR | 5'11" | 185 | — |
| RB | 4th | Makhi Hughes← Oregon | JR | 5'11" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | JayShon Ridgle | SO | 6'0" | 197 | ★★★ |
| RB | 6th | Zane Smith | FR | 5'9" | 235 | — |
Wide Receivers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Trent Walker← Oregon State | SR | 6'2" | 194 | ★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Amare Thomas | JR | 6'0" | 205 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Mekhi Mews | SR | 5'8" | 185 | — |
| WR | 4th | Stephon Johnson | SR | 6'2" | 190 | — |
| WR | 5th | Koby Young | FR | 6'0" | 180 | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Harvey Broussard III | JR | 6'3" | 185 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Jaquise Martin | FR | 5'10" | 180 | — |
| WR | 8th | Muizz Tounkara← Florida | FR | 6'3" | 208 | ★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Tyson Turner← Texas Tech | FR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Patrick Overmyer← UTSA | SO | 6'5" | 235 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Luke McGary | JR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
Offensive Line · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Dalton Merryman | SR | 6'9" | 305 | — |
| OT | — | Hayden Wright← Northwestern | FR | 6'5" | 255 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Drew Terrill← Miami (OH) | JR | 6'6" | 280 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Carlos Allen Jr. | SR | 6'1" | 295 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Eddie Walls III | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Khalil Laufau | JR | 6'3" | 300 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Ashton Porter← Oregon | SO | 6'3" | 290 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | De'Marion Thomas← Oklahoma State | JR | 6'2" | 337 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Darius Washington | FR | 6'6" | 265 | — |
| DL | 7th | Zavian Tibbs | JR | 6'1" | 275 | — |
| DL | 8th | Myles Parker | SO | 6'0" | 335 | — |
| DL | 9th | Travis Buhake | FR | 6'2" | 265 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Chance Bryant | FR | 6'2" | 255 | ★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Xavier Stillman | SR | 6'3" | 310 | — |
| DL | — | Ejiroghene Egodogbare← Yale | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Jalen Garner | SR | 6'1" | 225 | — |
| LB | 2nd | Sione Fotu | JR | 6'0" | 226 | — |
| LB | 3rd | Jaden Yates← Ole Miss | JR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Latreveon McCutchin | JR | 6'3" | 245 | — |
| LB | 5th | Brandon Mack II | JR | 6'4" | 245 | — |
| LB | 6th | Miller Malone← Western Kentucky | SO | 6'2" | 216 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Carmycah Glass | SO | 6'4" | 230 | — |
| LB | 8th | Christian Brathwaite | FR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Kentrell Webb | JR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Wrook Brown | SR | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Latrell McCutchin Sr. | SR | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Jordan Allen | SO | 5'11" | 200 | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Will James | SO | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Marc Stampley II | SR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Blake Thompson | SR | 6'1" | 195 | — |
| DB | 8th | Zelmar Vedder | SR | 6'3" | 195 | — |
| DB | 9th | C.J. Douglas | JR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
| DB | 10th | Johnsley Barbas | SO | 5'11" | 185 | — |
| DB | 11th | Keany Parks | JR | 6'1" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 12th | Jamaal Shaw | SO | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| DB | 13th | Alvin Williamson Jr. | FR | 6'0" | 200 | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Javion White← Tulane | SO | 6'0" | 180 | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | — | Evan Noel← Florida | FR | 6'1" | 165 | ★★★ |
| LS | — | Jack Carson-Wentz← Florida A&M | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Liam Dougherty | SO | 6'2" | 205 | — |
| PK | 1st | Ethan Sanchez | SR | 5'9" | 192 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Zac Yoakam | SR | 5'8" | 195 | — |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
7.7
Exp. Losses
4.3
Toss-ups
0
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
31.568
Off PPA
+0.1129
Pass PPA
+0.3271
Rush PPA
-0.036
Success
42%42
Explosive
1.2243
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.11 | +0.11 |
| Passing | +0.32 | +0.22 |
| Rushing | -0.03 | +0.05 |
| 1st Down | -0.01 | -0.06 |
| 2nd Down | +0.07 | +0.07 |
| 3rd Down | +0.37 | +0.39 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
28.3
PPG Against
21.8
Differential
+6.5
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 9-3
- Home
- 3-3
- Away
- 6-0
- Conference
- 6-3
- Non-Conference
- 3-0
- One-Score (≤8)
- 5-1
- Avg Margin
- +6.5
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 3-3 | 25.7 | 24.2 |
| Away | 6-0 | 31.0 | 19.5 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 38.0 | 35.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-1 | 11.0 | 35.0 |
| Conference | 6-3 | 27.9 | 25.4 |
| Non-conference | 4-0 | 31.8 | 17.0 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #40 | #22 | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 4-8 | 3-6 | #101 | — | — |
| 2023 | 4-8 | 2-7 | #94 | — | — |
| 2022 | 7-5 | 5-3 | #57 | #24 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 11-2 | 8-1 | #31 | #16 | 1-0 |
| 2020 | 3-4 | 3-3 | #51 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 4-8 | 2-6 | #82 | — | — |
| 2018 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #64 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 7-4 | 5-3 | #43 | — | 0-1 |
| 2016 | 9-3 | 5-3 | #39 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 12-1 | 8-1 | #53 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 7-5 | 5-3 | #56 | — | 1-0 |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 2-2 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 10-3 |
| ATS | 8-467% |
| Over / Under | 7-5 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 4-2 |
| As underdog | 4-2 |
| Home | 3-3 |
| Away | 5-1 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #63 · 14 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★106 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #38 | 219 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 2025 | #52 | 199 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2024 | #60 | 184 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2023 | #55 | 192 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2022 | #50 | 188 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2021 | #81 | 153 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2020 | #82 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2019 | #72 | 165 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | #73 | 167 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 2017 | #69 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 18net +2Out 16
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.0
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Ashton Porter | DL | 3★ | ← Oregon |
| ▲ | Anthony Boswell | IOL | 3★ | ← Toledo |
| ▲ | Makhi Hughes | RB | 3★ | ← Oregon |
| ▲ | Javion White | S | 3★ | ← Tulane |
| ▼ | Corey Platt Jr. | LB | 3★ | → Texas Tech |
| ▼ | Austin Carlisle | QB | 3★ | → UL Monroe |
| ▼ | Demetrius Hunter | IOL | 3★ | → Colorado |
| ▼ | J'Marion Burnette | RB | 3★ | → App State |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- Underrated Willie Fritz Can Guide Houston to Big 12 Title in One of My Favorite NCAAF Futures for 2026Our college football expert sees the Houston Cougars making all sorts of noise in the Big 12. Brad Powers' long shot picks and predictions for the 2026 NCAAF season.HOU2h
- Houston High-Profile NIL Additions Who Need a Huge Fall CampHouston football added some key players to the program that have large NIL deals, and they'll need to show up in fall camp.HOU6h
- The Top 5 Big 12 Quarterbacks Houston Faces in 2026Here is the top 5 Big 12 quarterbacks Houston faces in the 2026 season.HOU9h
- One Returning Player Ready to Become a Star for HoustonHouston Cougars football has a bunch of returning starters and there is one player who could be new star for the team.HOU12h
- Which Houston Football Players Are Living Up to Their NIL Expectations?3 Houston Cougars have lived up to their NIL evaluations since joining the program.HOU1d
- Houston Is Finally Recruiting Like It Expects to Win the Big 12Houston football has changed its recruiting approach to a Texas focus and it has made them Big 12 contenders.HOU1d
- Five Reasons to Believe Houston Can Exceed Expectations This SeasonHow can Houston beat their 2025 season?HOU2d
- The Biggest Concern Nobody Is Talking About For Houston FootballHouston football has one major area of concern that nobody is talking about.HOU2d
- Biggest Questions Facing Houston Entering Fall CampHouston Cougars football is about to be gearing up for fall camp, and there are some important questions to be looked at.HOU2d
- Why LSU's Commitment to Peyton "Pop" Houston Says So Much About Lane Kiffin's VisionIt's a two-way street in the relationship with this quarterbackHOU2d
- Why Stability Could Unlock the Best Season of Conner Weigman's CareerHere is why stability matters in order for Conner Weigman to have his best season in his career.
- What QB Peyton Houston Means for LSU's FutureThe LSU Tigers got a talented quarterback in Peyton Houston.HOU3d
- Houston Already Has the Player Who Could Shape Its Future More Than Any New RecruitHouston football looks to have a bright future ahead, and a big reason for that is the freshman stars in the program ready to make an impact.HOU4d
- Willie Fritz Has Quietly Given Houston Something It Hasn't Had in YearsHere is what Willie Fritz has quietly given Houston.HOU4d
- Can This Houston Player Keep The Cougars Competitive In The Future?Could this player be the deciding factor for Houston's future?HOU4d
- Willie Fritz Is Chasing Something Else That Houston Football Has Rarely AchievedHouston's head coach is looking to set a new standard at the University of Houston in his third season as the leader of the program.HOU4d
- Houston Might Have Become the Most Difficult Team in the Big 12 to Prepare ForHere is why Houston can become the hardest team in the Big 12 rto prepare for in 2026.HOU5d
- Peyton “Pop” Houston, Chosen by Lane Kiffin, built for LSULane Kiffin may have the best QB prospect in 2027 in Peyton HoustonHOU5d
- The Hidden Advantage Willie Fritz Is Building That Could Change Houston FootballHouston's head coach Willie Fritz has three advantages that is bringing the Cougars' football back into conference title contention.HOU7d
- What Makes Houston a Big 12 Championship Contender?What has turned Houston into a powerhouse?HOU7d