How Willie Fritz and Houston Cougars Feel About Texas Bowl Opportunity

No. 21 Houston Cougars football had a good 2025 season and achieved the biggest turnaround in the FBS this year, with a five-win increase going from 4-8 to 9-3.

The second year under head coach Willie Fritz has been a strong success filled with plenty of achievements. From winning the most games in a single season since 2021, getting ranked in the college football playoff rankings after four years, to earning the first ranked road win since 2017, there was a lot to remember from the regular season.

An important milestone was also securing Houston’s first bowl appearance since 2022. After three years, the Cougars will participate in bowl season. It was announced on Sunday that Houston will take on LSU in the 2025 Kinder’s Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on Dec. 27th in Houston, Texas. Here is what Fritz mentioned about this game in his press conference following the announcement.

Pumped for the Texas Bowl

One of the key goals for Houston this season was to qualify for a bowl game. That was achieved through just the first seven games of the year, as the Cougars started 6-1. A walk-off field goal against now No. 18 Arizona in a 31-28 homecoming victory got that done.

With a final 9-3 record, Houston was expected to play in one of the bigger bowl games where the Big 12 has a spot. While the Texas Bowl was an option, many thought it would be the Alamo Bowl. This decision ended up working out quite well for Houston, as they get to stay in the city for a unique opportunity to play a bowl game at home.

Most fans were hoping to stay at home for the Texas Bowl, and that is exactly what happened. This was the best result for Cougar fan attendance, and a special chance for the team to win a special bowl game in Houston.

Cougars vs. Tigers 😤 pic.twitter.com/f1PCLEvGSe
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) December 7, 2025

“It gives us the opportunity to have a great turnout from our fans. It’s going to be great competition going against an SEC team,” Fritz said.

He and the team both share excitement over playing in the Texas Bowl just 20 minutes away from campus and the chance to beat a big SEC brand in LSU in front of what is expected to be a big crowd. Houston is expected to have their fanbase turn out for this exciting clash, and Fritz wants to see a great atmosphere.

The former Tulane head coach of eight seasons, Fritz is quite familiar with LSU from his time in Louisiana, with some of the coaches of both programs interacting in the past. Fritz has heard great things about this bowl game, and has coached in NRG Stadium in the past. One of those games was the Battle of Piney Woods when he was leading Sam Houston State.

Fritz mentioned the fact that the Texas Bowl will be the only football game on TV on Dec. 27 on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. This will give great exposure for the program, and can help even more in terms of recruiting in the city.

Houston’s head coach is looking forward to the 11 practices leading up to this bowl. Fritz described these practices as a reason why this is the most impactful bowl game he’s ever coached in because of the amount of redshirt freshman and young players he has on the roster. He’s interested to see what they will bring in practice this week.

“We’re going to do a lot of stuff with the young guys,” Fritz said.

The Cougars will be off next week before ramping up activities on Christmas week leading up to the game. Unlike some other programs and players, Houston is not expecting anyone to opt out of the Texas Bowl. However, news came out on Monday that starting center in junior Demetrius Hunter is no longer on the team.

“It’s going to be a great reward for a good season. Excited about playing here in town at NRG against a quality opponent in LSU,” Fritz said.