Houston Cougars On SI

Houston to play three of its first four Big 12 football games at home

Cougars also move their season opener against Stephen F. Austin to Thursday, Aug. 28

Buck Ringgold

Houston linebacker Latreveon McCutchin (10)
Houston linebacker Latreveon McCutchin (10) / Troy Taormina/Imagn Images
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Houston will play four of its first five football games this upcoming season inside the city limits.

The Cougars are also going to be playing three of their first four Big 12 Conference games inside the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium.

On Tuesday, the Big 12 officially released the 2025 schedule for all of its member programs during a nationally televised event. Houston starts conference play on Sept. 13 by welcoming in Colorado.

In addition to the release of the Big 12 schedule, Houston announced that it has moved the date of its season opener at TDECU Stadium against Stephen F. Austin from Saturday, Aug. 30 to Thursday, Aug. 28.

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Then the following week, Sept. 6, Houston will play crosstown rival Rice for the Bayou Bucket, in a game that takes place at Rice Stadium.

Here are the highlighted games for the Cougars.

Houston’s Home Schedule

The Cougars’ Big 12 opener will be on Sept. 13 against Colorado, led by Deion Sanders, also known as “Coach Prime,” and one of six teams on Houston’s schedule that qualified for a bowl last season.

Though the Buffaloes will be without quarterback Shedeur Sanders - Deion Sanders’ son - and receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, they should still be a team capable of making a run at the conference title.

Houston’s next Big 12 home game is on Oct. 4 against Texas Tech, a team that had a late-season surge last season to become bowl-eligible. The Cougars then face Arizona on Oct. 18 and will play on Nov. 1 against West Virginia, now under the direction of a new head coach, Rich Rodriguez, in his second stint with the Mountaineers.

The final home game for Houston in 2025 will be on Nov. 22 against TCU, which also went bowling though the Cougars defeated the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, one of four wins for Houston.

Here is Houston’s six-game 2025 home schedule:

• Aug. 28 (Thursday) vs. Stephen F. Austin

• Sept. 13 vs. Colorado

• Oct. 4 vs. Texas Tech

•. Oct. 18 vs. Arizona

• Nov. 1 vs. West Virginia

• Nov. 22 vs. TCU

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Houston’s Road Schedule

The Cougars go to Rice on Sept. 6. Then after getting a bye the week of Sept. 20, they wrap up non-conference play on Sept. 27 with a road game at Oregon State.

Houston’s first Big 12 road game is on Oct. 11 at Oklahoma State, which is seeking to turn things around after an uncharacteristic 3-9 season.

Oct. 25 is arguably the Cougars’ most challenging road test as they go to Arizona State, which won the Big 12 last season and came very close to knocking off Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The Cougars’ final game out of Texas is on Nov. 8 at UCF, also with a new coach in his second stint with the school, in this case Scott Frost. Houston’s final road game will be on Nov. 29 at Baylor, which lost to LSU in last season’s Texas Bowl.

Here is Houston’s six-game 2025 road schedule:

•. Sept. 6 at Rice

•. Sept. 27 at Oregon State

•. Oct. 11 at Oklahoma State

• Oct. 25 at Arizona State

•. Nov. 8 at UCF

•. Nov. 29 at Baylor

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Buck Ringgold
BUCK RINGGOLD

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