Cincinnati vs. Houston Results in the Cougars Keeping Their Big 12 Dream, CFP Hopes Alive

The Houston Cougars didn’t just keep pace in a crowded Big 12 race on Saturday; they bought themselves a few more weeks of relevance. Behind a fast start and just enough late, No. 17 Houston held off the Cincinnati Bearcats 31-24 to climb to 7-2 and keep its long-shot Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

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According to the PFN College Football Playoff Meter (FPM), Houston’s CFP chances ticked up from 7.3% to 9.9% with the win. More meaningful for a team whose postseason math runs through Arlington, the Cougars’ Big 12 Championship Game odds climbed from 13.9% to 18.6%.

For Cincinnati, the defeat was a serious blow to an already-fading postseason picture. The Bearcats fall to 5-4 (2-4 Big 12), and with a fourth loss on the board, their conference title hopes are all but finished.

The bigger picture is just how far Willie Fritz has brought this program. Two years removed from a 4-8 debut season, the third-year head coach has Houston squarely in the conference conversation.

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Fifth-year quarterback Conner Weigman has been the steady hand all year, entering the week with 2,053 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and just two interceptions, while junior running back Cole Tabb has powered his way to 752 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Houston set the tone early, racing to a 14-0 first-quarter lead capped by an eight-yard TD pass from Weigman to star WR Amare Thomas.

The Cougars carried a 21-10 cushion into halftime, and though Cincinnati clawed back to within a score in the second half, Houston did enough to close it out, avoiding the kind of late slip that cost them earlier this fall against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Remaining Houston Football Schedule

• at Colorado Buffaloes
• at West Virginia Mountaineers
• vs. Baylor Bears

The path forward is about as favorable as it gets for a contender. Houston has no ranked opponents left, and the Cougars will likely be favorites in every game.

Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes have struggled at every phase of the game and should be a quick dispatch, while a road bout against the West Virginia Mountaineers and a home duel vs. the Baylor Bears could play out a bit more interestingly.

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The catch is that winning out may not be enough. Houston’s two conference losses (to Texas Tech and Utah, by a combined 10 points despite holding double-digit leads in both) could haunt the Cougars in any tiebreaker, meaning they likely need at least one of the teams ahead of them to stumble.

Utah, BYU, and Texas Tech still sit above them in the standings, though the Utes dealt a blow to the Cougars in Week 10.

Whether the dominoes fall their way or not, Houston has done its part to stay alive. At 9.9%, the Cougars remain a serious long shot, but for a program that won four games two seasons ago, simply mattering deep into November is a victory in itself.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.