Houston Cougars Garnering Attention in Early Top 25 Rankings
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The Houston Cougars struck success with a major turnaround in year two, led by head coach Willie Fritz after a 4-8 season in year one. Fritz led the Coogs to a 9-3 overall record in 2025, a 6-3 record in conference play, and a strong ending with a win in the Texas Bowl against the LSU Tigers.
The Coogs will undoubtedly look to pick up where they left off in 2025, using the successful season as a springboard to launch themselves into 2026, in which the Cougars bring back several key contributors, welcome in a Top 40 2026 recruiting class per On3, and several additions out of the transfer portal that will be keen on making an immediate impact for the Coogs.
With the way Fritz and his coaching staff were able to attack the offseason and build out their 2026 roster, the Cougars could be in a position to take the next leap and become a real competitor in the Big 12, with one way-too-early Top 25 ranking, having them in the mix of the rankings.
Houston Ranked in Pro Football Focus' Way-Too-Early Top 25 Rankings
Pro Football Focus's Max Chadwick released his way-too-early Top 25 rankings, and the Cougars are beginning to be noticed, with the Coogs ranked as the No. 17 team in the country headed into the 2026 season by PFF. Houston is one of the five Big 12 Teams ranked on the list, with Texas Tech, BYU, Arizona, and Oklahoma State also making the rankings.
Chadwick broke down his ranking of the Coogs, highlighting the improvement over the past few seasons and the outlook of the Cougars' roster with the retentions and additions of key offensive players.
"Following back-to-back 4-8 campaigns, Houston rebounded nicely in its second season under head coach Willie Fritz by winning 10 games for the first time in four years," Chadwick wrote. "The Cougars could once again be a threat in the Big 12 next season. Conner Weigman is back at quarterback and has his top weapon returning in Amare Thomas. The transfer portal was good to Houston, especially in improving the team’s biggest weakness in the offensive line.
Of the other four Big 12 teams that made the rankings, the Cougars will face two of them in 2026, the toughest matchup of next season, facing the defending Big 12 champions in Texas Tech, ranked at No. 5, and a new-look Oklahoma State, which PFF ranks No. 25 headed into next season.
It's no surprise to see the Red Raiders being the highest-ranked Big 12 team after winning the conference, making an appearance in the College Football Playoff, and bringing in another loaded transfer class, highlighted by Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
And the Cowboys are heading into a new era with the hiring of new head coach Eric Morris, who led North Texas to an appearance in the AAC championship game. Morris brings some talented players with him to Stillwater, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and American Conference Rookie of the Year running back Caleb Hawkins.
