There can be a lot of strong reactionary thoughts in college football immediately after a loss. The No. 18 Houston Cougars just suffered a heartbreaking defeat against the top-10 Utah Utes in Salt Lake City on Saturday night, and the golden opportunity the program had to take control of the Big 12 slipped away in a collapsing fashion.

The nature of the defeat was bound to bring about criticism, given the 13-7 lead Houston took going into the fourth quarter. The reality of winning a top-10 game on the road just isn't easy, and unexpected sequences will happen.

There's no doubt it was a winnable game for the Cougars. However, a loss in Utah should not discount at all what coach Willie Fritz has been able to build in just under three years at Houston. While the expectations for Houston in 2026 were high, it wasn't as if the Cougars were Big 12 favorites or it was College Football Playoff or bust.

Fritz Still Has Houston on the Rise

Houston was expected to be a Big 12 contender and that's what it has lived up to. The Cougars are 6-2 at the moment with a 3-2 mark in the Big 12. Houston just won a top-20 showdown in Week 7 at TDECU Stadium for the first time since 2015.

Both losses were within one possession on the road in hostile environments at Texas Tech and Utah. Houston can still get to 10 wins and achieve back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time ever.

Both games were winnable as well, which shows just how awfully close Houston is. The Cougars are just a couple of plays away. A program like Houston has to learn how to win road games like these, and that's the next step it has to take.

Close road games against a formidable opponent need to start turning into wins. Injury issues to quarterback Conner Weigman and tight end Patrick Overmyer certainly hurt against Utah. It was clear Houston couldn't make the adjustments required.

The Cougars being a position like this is what it's all about. Fritz has rebuilt this program back to relevance in a Power Four conference. Houston was 4-8 in 2023 and 2024 before UH had the biggest turnaround in the FBS last year and got to 10 wins and a Texas Bowl victory. An improvement has happened in each of the past three seasons.

Houston now needs another step forward, and the experience of being in games like these will help. Even the best teams can struggle on the road against a high-ranked opponent. While the chances for the Big 12 Championship and CFP tanked with the loss, it's still not completely out of the picture. Given the state of college football upsets this year, anything is possible.

Houston will need a lot of results to go its way to still somehow get to Arlington, but going 10-2 gives the Cougars an outside shot.