It really wasn’t that long ago that Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raiders went to Houston to meet up with Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars, but it feels like a lifetime ago. On October 4th, the Red Raiders took over TDECU Stadium and handed the Coogs a 35-11 beating.
But, as it turns out, the Houston team would actually end the regular season in some pretty impressive ways. Fritz and the Cougars are looking for their 10th win on the season and they might be able to get it against an SEC team as the LSU Tigers meet up with them in the Texas Bowl.
The Tigers are heading to Houston with a new head coach in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly is out and Lane Kiffin has taken over as the head coach of the Tigers after he guided the Ole Miss Rebels to the College Football Playoff and then abruptly left Oxford for Baton Rouge.
LSU is working on wrapping up what has been an incredibly underwhelming season for them. At 7-5 overall, it’s clear that they haven’t achieved anything close to what they were hoping for when they entered this season. Thus the firing of Kelly and the subsequent (and rather eventful) hiring of Kiffin.
But Kiffin won’t be coaching in this game. Instead, that will be Frank Wilson as the Tigers get this completed.
How to watch the 2025 Texas Bowl - LSU Tigers vs Houston Cougars: TV channel, live stream, stats, kickoff time
Here’s what you need to know to watch the Tigers face off against the Cougars in Houston:
- Who: Houston Cougars (9-3 overall) vs LSU Tigers (7-5 overall)
- What: Kinder’s Texas Bowl
- When: 12/27/25 at 8:15 p.m.
- Where: Houston, Texas
- Venue: NRG Stadium
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: ESPN
- Live stats: Stat Broadcast
Things have been changing in a hurry in Baton Rouge, but once this game is over and this season is put to bed for the Tigers, I imagine we’re going to see a drastically different team in 2026 with Kiffin leading LSU forward.
As for Houston? It’s going to be interesting to see what Fritz is able to build in the Bayou City. Houston wasn’t the most impressive team ever this season, the Cougars definitely overachieved relative to expectations. But that could yield some really impressive long term results for them.