Why Houston Cougars Still Have Work to Do to Make College Football Playoff

Despite Houston's strong start to the season, the Cougars are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to conference championship chances.

Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

As conference play kicks off for many programs around the country, discussion of contenders and pretenders in each conference begin to emerge. With those discussions comes predictions on who will be participating in the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.

While the Houston Cougars (3-0) have had their best start since 2016, the College Football Playoff selection committee — as reported by ESPN’s Heather Dinich — classifies Houston as a team that still has work to do before entering both Big 12 championship and playoff conversations.

When looking at which Big 12 team lands, there are three categories that each team seems to fall under according to ESPN. Texas Tech is the lone team from the Big 12 that "Would be in" the playoff. Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Colorado land in the "Would be out" category. Houston, along with Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, and TCU are among the teams in the Big 12 that still have "Work to do."

What Houston Needs to Do to Be a Contender

Sep 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars tight end Tanner Koziol (9) runs with the ball as Rice Owls safety Marcus Williams (4) attempts to make a tackle during the third quarter at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

At the end of the day, winning games becomes the most important aspect when discussing a team's strength and likelihood of making an appearance in the conference championship game. Even for a team like Oklahoma State who currently sits at 1-2, the start of conference play presents an opportunity for the Cowboys to start anew.

Through the first few weeks, the Cougars have done their job by dominating teams that they are favored over. With a heroic performance in the rushing attack by Conner Weigman, Houston began their conference schedule on the right foot with a 36-20 win over Colorado.

Relive each touchdown vs. Colorado, presented by Bravo Nissan of Baytown pic.twitter.com/Ze93k2eyVa

— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) September 14, 2025

While the Buffaloes stayed competitive through three quarters, the Cougars showcased their ability to control the time of possession that included an offensive drive in the third quarter that lasted over eight minutes. That difference in time of possession led to the Cougars running away with the win in the fourth quarter.

Make no mistake. Houston's schedule doesn't get any easier after this Friday's game against the Oregon State Beavers. While the Cougars get teams like Texas Tech and TCU at home this season, they still have challenges on the road when they visit Arizona State in the middle of conference play and Baylor to cap off the season.

To break into Big 12 championship contention, Coach Willie Fritz and the Cougars will likely have to take down multiple teams they aren’t expected to beat. If Houston can find a way to upset the Red Raiders next week, the win would likely catapult the Cougars to the top of the Big 12 rankings.

While the path to Big 12 contention is clear as of right now, Houston’s focus must remain on this week’s matchup against Oregon State. If the Cougars truly want to have a chance at making noise both on the conference and national stage, they’ll need to take it one game at a time.