Houston: 2026 Week 11 recap

Houston remains at 22nd in GIE's ratings after dropping a road game to Utah 21–13 in Week 8. The Cougars sit 6–2 on the season, but the loss exposed efficiency problems in high-leverage moments: a red-zone TD rate of just 14.5% and third-down conversions at 37.9% underscore why they've underperformed their 8.82 expected wins. Late-game execution has been a bright spot (7.07), but not enough to overcome inconsistency elsewhere. With Cincinnati coming to Houston this week, the Cougars need a statement performance to climb back into the conversation—their 30.6% playoff probability leaves little room for error down the stretch.