Willie Fritz was forced to hit the reset button on his reclamation project in Third Ward after Year 1.

The Cougars replaced offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay with Slade Nagle, who worked with Fritz at Tulane, after Houston finished 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in scoring last year. Nagle overhauled the offensive roster with transfers, including former five-star Conner Weigman. Defensively, the Cougars were forced to make a change when Texas Tech hired Shiel Wood as defensive coordinator.

A quality transfer class and a full calendar year with Fritz could make the Coogs a sleeper in the Big 12. 

HOUSTON COUGARS 

2024 record: 4-8

Overview

Houston drew a solid schedule for Year 2 of the Fritz tenure. A 2-0 start is expected and the first game of the Big 12 season is against a Colorado team that lost its quarterback and the Heisman Trophy winner. The home schedule includes Texas Tech and TCU, while trips to Arizona State and Baylor are tricky. Still, a team typically comes out of nowhere to contend for a Big 12 championship and that could be the Cougars in 2025, if the transfers hit. 

Biggest Game – Sept. 12 vs. Colorado 

Houston should start the season 2-0 with winnable matchups against SFA and Rice before hosting the Buffaloes in Week 3. Upset Deion Sanders’ squad as Colorado works to replace Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter and the Coogs are 3-0 and one win away from matching the 2024 win total.  

Trap Game – Sept. 6 at Rice 

The Owls won the last Bayou Bucket that was played at Historic Rice Stadium when Mike Bloomgren’s squad outlasted Dana Holgorsen’s Cougars in overtime. Wille Fritz must avoid the same fate against a Rice team transitioning to the option under Scott Abell.  

Upset Bid – Oct. 4 vs. Texas Tech 

Houston upset TCU on the road and Kansas State at home during Year 1 of the Willie Fritz era. Texas Tech has struggled on the road and early in the season in the first three years of the Joey McGuire era.  

Can’t Lose – Sept. 27 at Oregon State 

Houston travels to Oregon State in Week 5 in an odd scheduling situation that requires a non-conference road trip between two Big 12 games. The Cougars start Big 12 play on Sept. 12 against Colorado then continue it a week after playing the Beavers when Texas Tech comes to Third Ward. The schedule sets up for a fast start for Fritz & Co., thanks to SFA in Week 1 and Rice in Week 2. Find a way to knock off Colorado at home and a 4-0 start before the meat of the schedule would pump momentum into this program. 

Most Important Stretch – October 

Go 3-1 and 4-0 over the first month of the season and the Coogs would turn heads and set up a meaningful month of October. That starts with a home game against Texas Tech and includes trips to Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Houston doesn’t need to be resigned to spoiler in 2025. The Cougars could be a Big 12 contender by November if it navigates the month of October without crashing out. 

Full Schedule

Aug. 28                 SFA        
Sept. 6                  at Rice 
Sept. 12               Colorado            
Sept. 27               at Oregon State              
Oct. 4                     Texas Tech         
Oct. 11                 at Oklahoma State      
Oct. 18                 Arizona                 
Oct. 25                 at Arizona State              
Nov. 1                    West Virginia   
Nov. 7                    at UCF                   
Nov. 22                 TCU       
Nov. 29                 at Baylor