Where Do The Houston Cougars Sit In Big 12 Standings?
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Head coach Willie Fritz has turned around the Houston program after several unsuccessful seasons in the past with the addition of quarterback Conner Weigman and several other key additions.
The offense has been clicking under offensive coordinator Slade Nagle’s scheme and continues to sneak his team into the playoff conversation quietly. Houston has never been to the Big 12 Championship and has never won the National Championship Game. Could this be the year?
As it stands, Houston is tied for first place in the Big 12 but has plenty of trap games on the schedule that might come up to bite the Cougars.
Big 12 Standings
At the moment, the Iowa State Cyclones and Texas Tech Red Raiders are tied with the Cougars. The Cyclones currently sit at 4-0 overall with a 1-0 conference record. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are also 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big 12. As for the Cougars, the bye week has them sitting at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Right behind Houston are the BYU Cougars, who hadn’t played a Big 12 game this season but are 3-0 overall. The Arizona State Sun Devils and Kansas Jayhawks also sit close to the top at 1-0 in conference and 3-1 overall.
The TCU Horned Frogs and UCF Knights, who haven't played a conference game, also remain in the mix, holding a 3-0 overall record.
Sitting toward the bottom half of the pack are the Cincinnati Bearkats (2-1), Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-2), Arizona Bearcats (3-0), Utah Utes (3-1) and Baylor Bears (2-2).
Three teams remain at the bottom of the list, including the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-2), Colorado Buffaloes (1-2), and Kansas State Wildcats (1-3), who have all had extremely disappointing starts, needing to rebound quickly before falling out of bowl contention.
Team | Conference | Overall |
|---|---|---|
Iowa State Cyclones | 1-0 | 4-0 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders | 1-0 | 4-0 |
Houston Cougars | 1-0 | 3-0 |
Arizona State Sun Devils | 1-0 | 3-1 |
Kansas Jayhawks | 1-0 | 3-1 |
BYU Cougars | 0-0 | 3-0 |
TCU Horned Frogs | 0-0 | 3-0 |
UCF Knights | 0-0 | 3-0 |
Cincinnati Bearcats | 0-0 | 2-1 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0-0 | 1-2 |
Arizona Wildcats | 0-0 | 3-0 |
Utah Utes | 0-1 | 3-1 |
Baylor Bears | 0-1 | 2-2 |
West Virginia Mountaineers | 0-1 | 2-2 |
Colorado Buffaloes | 0-1 | 1-2 |
Kansas State Wildcats | 0-1 | 1-3 |
Houston Opponents
Oregon State will welcome Houston to Corvallis, Oregon, next Friday night. If Houston wins on the road, it sets up a massive matchup with Texas Tech at TDECU Stadium in what could be the first ranked opponent of the season.
Following the Red Raiders, the Cougars travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on the Cowboys, where questions remain about coach Mike Gundy’s job security.
Back-to-back dates with Arizona and Arizona State occur on October 18 and October 25, followed by a home game against Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia. November 7 is when UCF travels to Houston.
A much-needed bye week prepares Houston to take on two in-state rivals from Waco and Fort Worth, Texas. The final two games might set up must win scenarios for the Cougars to punch a ticket to the Big 12 Championship but to get to that point, it starts with locking in during practice and maintaining the mindset of winning one week at a time.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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