Here’s Where the Houston Cougars Are In The Latest Big 12 Standings

It’s finally happened.

For the first time this season, the Houston Cougars received the respect they had sought all season after the AP Poll voters recognized what they saw in Tempe, Arizona, against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

On Sunday, the rankings were released, and the Cougars finally saw a number next to their logo. It said 22. That’s the number the voters believed Willie Fritz’s program deserved.

One thing is for sure about that ranking: it means that Houston passes the eye test, which could help when the College Football Committee releases its first official rankings of the season.

With another incredible showing from junior quarterback Connor Weigman, the offense is rolling, but it will face adversity as the rest of the conference won’t be easy to compete with.

Standings Update

The Big 12 received the latest AP Poll rankings, which included only one team in the top 10 but five total teams in the top 25.

Holding the only spot in the top 10 was the BYU Cougars, ranked No. 10 in the country. Meanwhile, Texas Tech is No. 13 in the nation, moving up one spot after the victory against Oklahoma State.

Surprisingly, the college football world saw Cincinnati at No. 17 overall, even after losing the season opener to Nebraska. At No. 22 in the country is Houston, while Utah is No. 22 overall.

Within the thick of the standings are four teams at the moment fighting for the top two posts in the Big 12. Currently, those teams are BYU, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, and Houston, but unfortunately, they do not hold the tiebreaker over Texas Tech due to the earlier loss at TDECU Stadium.

BYU and Cincinnati are the only undefeated teams with no conference losses at 5-0, while Texas Tech and Houston are at 4-1. The bucket of 3-2 schools includes Utah, Arizona State, Kansas State, and TCU.

Staring from the outside in are Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas, all at 2-3 in the conference. In the one-win category are Arizona, UCF, and Colorado. At the bottom of the stack are West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

As it stands, Houston does not play any ranked teams the rest of the season, which is in their favor, but the issue is trap games that might spoil any odds of making the postseason.

What’s Left On Houston’s Schedule?

Four games remain, which equals a month of football.

In that time span, Houston is going to have to basically win out and need help from other schools to get to where Fritz wants his team to be.

To do that, the Cougars have to go through the Mountaineers, Knights, Horned Frogs, and Bears to close out the year. It’s a reasonable slate, but is it favorable enough to finish with an 11-1 record and get to Arlington, Texas, for the Big 12 Championship Game? Time will tell.