​No Big 12 team changed its perception more over the last 365 days than the Houston Cougars. Houston joined the Big 12 in 2023 and spent the first two years bouncing between 4-8 records, lingering near the bottom of the conference. But in the second year of the Willie Fritz era, the trajectory took a dramatic turn. The Cougars tallied 10 victories, captured a Texas Bowl win, and concluded the season ranked. With a strong foundation and notable continuity across the program, Houston carries substantial momentum into the 2026 season.
At the 2026 Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, head coach Willie Fritz, quarterback Conner Weigman, wide receiver Amare Thomas, guard McKenzie Agnello, defensive tackle Khalil Laufau, free safety Kentrell Webb, and strong safety Jordan Allen represented Houston. They addressed rising expectations and a host of fall storylines: make no mistake about it—the Houston Cougars have arrived.
The transition from the American Conference to the Big 12 has now reached a three-year acclimation, and the Cougars are firmly in the upper echelon of their new league. They finished 10-3, defeated LSU in the Texas Bowl, and ended the season ranked No. 22 in the final AP poll. What comes next after such a meteoric rise from 4-8 to 10-3? The aim is to become the seventh different school in seven years to win the Big 12 Championship Game.
“Everybody’s expectation right now here, today and tomorrow in the Big 12, is to win the Big 12 championship,” Fritz said. “We’re no different. Obviously it helps when you have more depth and talented players. We’re one of the few teams in the country that has the same offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators and the same starting quarterback returning. I think there are maybe 11 schools like that in the country, so if you’ve got that, that’s a really good building block for your program.”
Last fall, Houston was the surprise story of the Big 12. Now the entire conference recognizes the threat the Cougars pose. Only the 2025 Big 12 Championship participants, Texas Tech and BYU, drew more selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team than Houston did. This shift moves Houston from the role of hunter to the hunted.
“We don’t mind being the hunted,” strong safety Jordan Allen said. “We’ll still do our thing and hunt every day, every team on our schedule. Last year’s 10 wins are a solid foundation, but you can’t lean on that or worry about it too much. When the new schedule came out and we saw our opponents for this year, we put last year in our back pocket and focused on trying to win every game on the new schedule.”
Coming off a 10-win season, with coaching continuity and 12 returning starters, Houston players understand there’s a new era underway—and a chance to elevate SEO-friendly chatter to a national conversation. The Cougars are determined to translate momentum into sustained success and to prove once again that they belong among the Big 12’s elite as they head into the 2026 season.