Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz walks on the field during the third quarter against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at TDECU Stadium. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

EPSN Still Doesn’t Believe in the Houston Cougars

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI | By DJ Burton | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Houston Cougars have had a pretty impressive start to their 2025 campaign.

They beat Stephen F. Austin pretty handily before sending them back to the Piney Woods, and then found their groove against the Rice Owls in the last foreseeable iteration of the Bayou Bucket Classic to start the season 2-0.

Despite the wins, the offensive resilience, the defensive dominance and just all-around good football, ESPN still has the Houston Cougars ranked near the bottom in it's Big 12 College Football Power Index.

What Do the Cougars Need to Do to Move Up?

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston enters its Week 3 matchup with a golden opportunity to send a message to the rest of the Big 12 and move up the power index. While Colorado is only one spot above Houston, the Coogs will take every inch they can get.

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has built the Colorado Buffaloes up into a national spectacle since his arrival. He had an impressive amount of success in his first couple of seasons and brought the team out of college football purgatory and into the national spotlight. After losing stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, the Buffs have some questions to answer in 2025.

A Houston win and a couple of losses by teams ahead of it will do wonders for the Cougars’ FPI ranking. Luckily for Houston, the team has been working on taking down Coach Prime’s squad since the summer to combat the short week.

"I told the guys in the room, we just got to put this game to bed," head coach Willie Fritz told reporters after the game. "Short week - we play on Friday night, not Saturday - so we're all going to get in there early as coaches. We've already worked in the summer, somewhat on Colorado - game plan, offense, defense kicking game.”

One thing that is interesting about where Houston lands on the list is that it is projected with 82.6 percent confidence that the team will win over six games. Four teams ahead of the Coogs have a lower percentage, including Colorado at 40.4 percent, Cincinnati at 57.5 percent, Kansas State at 39.7 percent and Arizona State at 72.7 percent.

The Coogs’ shot at moving up in the FPI is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at TDECU Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.