3 Most Important Games On Houston’s 2026 Football Schedule

Finally revealed.

The 2026 football schedule has been announced, and now all of the Big 12 know the exact dates of their games.

Houston will have another heavy slate of games and hopes to win enough to earn a Big 12 Championship title and a ticket to the College Football Playoff. On the schedule, there are six home games and six away games, but which of the three games are going to be the most important for Willie Fritz & Co. to win?

Texas Tech, Away

Mark your calendars 🏈 pic.twitter.com/ivcPdzEi9p
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) January 21, 2026

If anyone wasn’t already familiar with the Red Raiders, everyone will be after the conclusion of the 2025-26 season because head coach Joey McGuire is cooking up something special after earning a ticket to the playoffs with one of the best defenses in all of college football.

Oh, and don’t forget that McGuire was cooking during the transfer portal after he missed several key pieces that ran out of eligibility or were declaring for the NFL draft. He convinced one of the hottest names in the entire cycle to come play football in Lubbock, and it was a quarterback that many outlets think was the best available quarterback in the portal.

Brenden Sorsby was the former quarterback for Cincinnati and had an awesome season, getting the Bearcats back to national relevance after keeping his team in the run for a ticket to Arlington, but they fell just short after losing in the final weeks. The Denton native is a 5-star transfer according to 247 Sports and is going to only continue racking up big numbers after throwing 2,800 yards in the air with 27 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Houston is going to have to find answers defensively if there is any shot of stopping this kid, who very possibly takes Texas Tech back to the conference championship and into the playoffs with a chance to redeem the program after losing to Oregon in the Orange Bowl quarterfinals. Big time game in Week 3 against a likely ranked team.

Kansas State, Away

There was some surprising news from Manhattan, Kansas: the former head coach, Chris Klieman, would be retiring, prompting the Wildcats to begin a quick search for their next head coach. In no time, they found one of the most qualified guys for the job, a former player on the program under Bill Snyder. That man’s name is Collin Klein, who was in the running for a Heisman Trophy and almost won it.

Klein is going to be the new voice in the locker room, and he had quite the resume over at Texas A&M, where he worked with QB Marcel Reed, who took his team to the playoffs and learned the offensive scheme that Klein liked to run with him.

In the few years Klein was in Aggieland, there were a ton of players who had nothing but respect for him for the work he did to reshape the program before head coach Mike Elko took over. Typically, a lot of the play calls Klein likes are RPOs, but there are still questions about who will be under center in each situation.

Either way, this will be one of the games that the Cougars could have trouble with because there are always those trap games that should be won but might not be. It’s a road game that should be won, but who knows what ultimately happens. This one will be important for Conner Weigman to punch it in as many times as possible because the Wildcats are going to score a ton.

Baylor Bears, Home

Another weekend game in the last week of the regular season is against Baylor, which is part of the rivalry week slate, so this one automatically falls under the category of most important.

Not only does it come at home, but it comes at a time when Houston may be fighting for a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game. Regardless of whether they are in the running for that ticket, it could also be a game to determine where they go for a bowl game, and winning makes it more attractive to them to get a better destination.

What’s also scary about this matchup is that the Bears found a new quarterback after Sawyer Robertson decided to hit the portal and find a new home to play at, so without hesitation, head coach Dave Aranda and his coaching staff went hunting for the next guy under center. Who was one of the biggest names in the portal who was also a QB? It was DJ Lagway, a 5-star quarterback coming out of high school and viewed as one of the top guys in the nation. It didn’t work out for him in Florida, but a new system to operate under definitely could.

The Cougars face another offense that could be one of the most dangerous next season, so the defense will once again be asked to make big plays. Can defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong have a solid game calling the plays? It isn’t going to come down to only him. It also falls to offensive coordinator Slade Nagle to dial in his best play calls against a team that will see growth from last season. This is a must-have game either way to go out on a positive note.