The Big 12 announced football schedules for the 2026 season on Wednesday. It is the earliest they’ve done so in UH’s four football seasons. Because the conference released the opponent matrix in 2023, we’ve known opponents and locations but not dates.
After just four conference road games last season, the Coogs go on the road five times in 2026. I believe that UH’s 2025 Big 12 road schedule was the easiest in the league last year, and it’s quite possible that UH’s is the toughest this season. And because of the calendar and the later start to the season, UH only has one off week this year (Halloween).
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9/5 | Oregon State | TDECU |
| 9/12 | Southern | TDECU |
| 9/19 | @ Texas Tech | Lubbock |
| 9/26 | @ Georgia Southern | Statesboro, GA |
| 10/3 | UCF | TDECU |
| 10/10 | @ Kansas State | Manhattan, KS |
| 10/17 | Oklahoma St | TDECU |
| 10/24 | @ Utah | Salt Lake City |
| 10/31 | ||
| 11/7 | Cincinnati | TDECU |
| 11/14 | @ Colorado | Boulder, CO |
| 11/21 | @ West Virginia | Morgantown, WV |
| 11/28 | Baylor | TDECU |
Two home games to start the season is the perfect way to get it going, and Oregon State is an ideal opening opponent. They’re in transition: new staff, new league, and their best player, Trent Walker, transferred to UH two weeks ago. The Beavers are 0-15 since October 2024 in games not involving an FCS team or Washington State.
FCS Southern is in a good spot in week two. With a trip to Lubbock on tap, getting work in against the two weakest teams on the schedule to open the season could propel Houston in the same way it did last season, when UH started with SFA and Rice and won 10 games.
Week three is a trip to Lubbock. If you’re going to play Tech, do it early. The Big 12 champs will be coming off a trip to Corvallis to play at Oregon State. As it stands today, every game is on Saturday, but I would not be opposed to moving this game to Friday. The UH starters should be rested; it gives Texas Tech a day less to prepare, and it would be a (somewhat) weaker crowd, too.
September 26 is the goofy trip to Statesboro, Georgia, to face Georgia Southern. This series has been on the books since 2016, and three UH ADs have chosen to keep it there. It’s a homecoming for Willie Fritz (2014-2015). Former UH quarterback Clay Helton is the head coach at GSU.
October is a home, away, home, away month:
Houston comes home on October 3rd to face UCF, having crushed their Space Game streak in 2025.
Another trip to Manhattan is next: UH’s last trip, the Coogs were shut out for the first time in 23 years. The infamous “it made no sense to our players” game. And for me, the blank stare Dana gave me.
October 17th, Oklahoma State returns to TDECU. The Cowboys have an entirely new look after the entire UNT program was put on a trailer and moved to Stillwater.
The last three UH road games could see serious cold, starting with Utah on October 24. It’s UH’s second trip to Rice-Eccles and the first since 1977. Houston is 5-0 in this series.
UH gets its week off on Halloween, having played eight games and with four to go. This seems ideal.
The Cougars come back from the off week to face Cincinnati. The last time UH played the Bearcats was Willie’s first year, when the Bearcats shut out UH 34-0. Now, these programs are headed in opposite directions.
Then begins the hardest two-week stretch of the year: at Colorado on 11/14, followed by a trip to Morgantown on 11/21. The only comp I can come up with – going from a western time zone to an eastern time zone in consecutive weeks (or vice versa) – is 1971. UH beat #16 Arizona State in Tempe, then went to Cincinnati and won a week later.
Colorado’s roster is improving, and the Coogs lost to WVU last year. Both should be cold and hostile environments.
Houston ends the season at home for the first time in the Big 12 era (they’ve gone to UCF, BYU, and Baylor the last three years). This year, Baylor is at TDECU on Thanksgiving weekend.
Tuesday, the Big 12 title game was moved up to Friday, December 4th, in Arlington.
Last year, games alternated home/away perfectly. None of that in 2026. The two home games to start the season are UH’s only back-to-back home games, and they have two back-to-back road trips.
Commenters on our CATS and Talkin’ Bout podcasts have said the schedule would be easy, but I have stressed that the road trips are not. With each of your last three road games potentially in cold conditions, this isn’t an easy schedule.
UH has rebuilt the roster effectively, and there are no auto-loss games. Getting Tech early at the same time the Red Raiders are coming off a West Coast trip are good news for Willie Fritz.
