Houston Cougars Rise in College Football Analyst's Preseason Rankings
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Houston football has not been the same team since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023, as it was in its rich history.
The Cougars have just an 8-16 record over the past two seasons and have tied for 11th in the conference each year.
Head coach Willie Fritz was hired for the 2024 season, and many experts believe that because of his track record, he can help bring the Cougars back to a contending team.
Houston makes a huge jump in the rankings from the 2024 season
Fox Sports college football analyst RJ Young showed belief in Fritz and his squad by placing Houston at No. 31 in his Ultimate 136 rankings.
"Willie Fritz’s Cougars came on strong at the end of the season and that showed up in their numbers," Young wrote. "Despite a 4-8 finish, 2-7 in conference, Houston finished fourth in total defense and second in scoring in the league. And there's reason to believe Fritz can't flip the Cougars into a 10-win team. After a 2-10 season at Tulane in 2021, the Green Wave finished 12-2 with a win against USC in the Cotton Bowl."
That is a 45-spot increase from last season’s No. 76 ranking, and Houston’s new-look team is a big reason why.
The Cougars were aggressive in the portal in the offseason, landing 30 recruits, with the biggest name being former five-star quarterback Conner Weigman from Texas A&M.
Young rated Weigman as the team’s best player this season because of his experience and throwing accuracy.
Weigman was only one of five QBs with an 80 percent completion rate against AP Top 10 teams. In his true freshman year in 2022, Weigman also became one of 12 FBS players since 1956 with eight or more passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a season.
Young also saw improvement in the Cougars throughout last season, winning big games over TCU, Utah and Kansas State.
Despite Houston’s 3-6 conference record, the Cougars finished fourth in the conference in total defense last season.
The problem for UH was that the offense finished last in the conference, averaging just 14 points per game.
With Houston landing big transfers in Weigman and senior running back Dean Connors from Rice, along with a revamped offensive line, Young, along with several other experts, predicts Houston will make a large leap in the standings this season.
The last reason for the major jump in Young’s rankings is the belief in Fritz because of what he accomplished at Tulane.
In 2021, Tulane went 2-10 and tied for last place in the AAC. The following year, Fritz flipped the script with a 12-2 season, capped off with a 46-45 victory over No. 10 USC in the Cotton Bowl.
Fritz and staff now have more talent in the Big 12 but have the same goals as the team did in the 2022 season: to win a conference and National Championship.
"The first goal is to win the Big 12 Championship, and I believe we have the guys to take us there," Weigman said. "After that, we will chase our ultimate goal of a National Championship."
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).