Where Houston Sits In Big 12 After Disappointing Loss

The Cougars playoff chances were washed down the sink after losing a heartbreaker. The Big 12 standings are wide open to make it to Arlington, Texas for the title game.

Nov 22, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars kicker Ethan Sanchez (92) reacts after a missed field goal attempt during the fourth quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Not every week goes a team's way. 

For the Houston Cougars, the whole team fell short of expectations after dropping the last home game at TDECU Stadium this season against the TCU Horned Frogs. 

Due to the loss, it knocked coach Willie Fritz’s program out of the Big 12 Championship Game picture, so it will need to build on the last game on the road against the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. 

While it was a disappointing outcome, there is plenty of opportunity to improve for a bowl game in December or early January. What does the Big 12 standings look like with one week left in the regular season?

Conference Madness

Houston coach Willie Fritz (left) | Aryanna Frank/Imagn Images

Going into the 2025 season, the Big 12 favorites voted to win the conference were Texas Tech, given what it did in the recruiting department. 

Everything has gone as planned in Lubbock, Texas, as the Red Raiders are fighting for one of the top two spots to punch a ticket to play at AT&T Stadium on Championship Saturday. 

Tied with Texas Tech are the BYU Cougars, who are at 7-1. If BYU can win its final game and Texas Tech, both will meet again in the title game, which might be very intriguing given what else is happening in the playoff picture. 

Two teams with a sliver of hope are the Utah Utes and Arizona State Sun Devils, who need to win and need help to do so. The two schools have a 6-2 record.

A group of three schools currently sits at 5-3, including Houston, Arizona, and Cincinnati, who had a chance to make a run halfway through the season but choked in trap games or when big opportunities arose. None of these programs will enjoy being in the committee conversations. 

Then, a trip of programs are at 4-4 who have given top schools in the conference a run for their money but couldn’t get any momentum going early in the season. That group included Iowa State, Kansas State and TCU. 

Behind them are Baylor and Kansas, who still have basketball season. With one week left, they are holding a 3-5 record. Looming toward the bottom are UCF and West Virginia, which have a chance to shake up the Big 12's top teams and possibly cause them to miss the playoffs. Obviously, there is still a lot of anticipation about what could happen. Colorado and Oklahoma State are at the bottom of the pile, where they have no shot of making it to a bowl game. 

To close the season out, Houston is back in action on Saturday, November 29, at 11 a.m. on TNT and HBO Max.