Willie Fritz has built the No. 20 Houston Cougars into something Houston fans might not have imagined not long ago. The Cougars are a Big 12 contender and have become one of the conference's best teams.
Fritz has done what he has done in his career: build a winning college football program.
Fritz Has Built Houston Into a Genuinely Good Team
After some initial struggles, the Houston Cougars were heading in the right direction under head coach Dana Holgorsen, going 12-2 in 2021 and finishing No. 17 in the AP Top 25.
However, things quickly went south as Houston went from 8-5 in 2022 to 4-8 in 2023, ultimately leading to Holgorsen's firing (now the offensive coordinator of the Nebraska Cornhuskers). The first season in the Big 12 didn't end well, leading to the Cougars moving on and hiring Fritz from the Tulane Green Wave.
Fritz also went 4-8 in 2024, but he turned things around in 2025, as Houston went on to finish 10-3 with a win in the Texas Bowl over the LSU Tigers, 38-35. Houston finished ranked No. 22. In 2026, the Cougars have continued in the right direction; as of now, Houston is 5-1 and ranked No. 20 heading into a massive matchup this Saturday.
Houston wasn't a terrible football program before Fritz arrived, but he's built Houston into a Big 12 contender despite still being relatively new to the conference. Other teams have shown that the transition from the AAC, or any other group of six conferences, to the Big 12, or any other conference, isn't easy.
Fritz has led this program through some dark times (8-16 between 2023-24) and has turned things around nicely. The transition from the AAC to the Big 12 has been a lot easier than some might have thought at first, thanks to Fritz.
Fritz Has Been Consistent In His Career - And That's Continued in Houston
At Tulane, Fritz went 54-27, with a 3-1 bowl record. The Green Wave weren't very good through Fritz's first six seasons.
Many schools may have fired him after he finished the 2021 season with a 2-10 record. However, that's when Fritz turned things around. In 2022, the Green Wave impressed with a 12-2 record and played in their first major bowl game since 1940, coming away with a stunning 46-45 upset of the No. USC Trojans in the 2022 Cotton Bowl.
That season raised the nation's eyebrows, but it wasn't a fluke. Fritz still went 11-2 in 2023 before being hired on Dec. 3rd by Houston. Tulane hasn't slowed down and, thanks in large part to Fritz, has become one of the best group of six teams.
Before Fritz joined Tulane, he went 97-47 at Central Missouri, 40-15 at Sam Houston State, and 17-7 with the Georgia Southern Eagles. In other words, he was experienced and good at building consistent, strong football teams.
Fritz has only continued to do great things with the Cougars. What Fritz has done at Houston is just remarkable. Seeing teams build from the ground up and become great teams is also an interesting sight in college football.
And Fritz isn't quite done yet. With a win, Houston could become a College Football Playoff and Big 12 contender this Saturday against the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys. We have already seen a good Houston team. But will we see a powerhouse?
That remains to be seen, but what Fritz is building in Houston is something special.
Add us as a preferred source on Google