For the second year in a row, the LSU Tigers are headed to the Texas Bowl. LSU is set to take on the Houston Cougars on December 27 at NRG Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 8:15 p.m. CT.
Lane Kiffin pulls off stunner to keep Blake Baker with eye-opening new contract
LSU won last year's Texas Bowl by a score of 44-31 against the Baylor Bears. It was a well-rounded win for the Tigers, as Garrett Nussmeier threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns while Davhon Keys had a 41-yard pick-six and Zavion Thomas returned a 1st quarter kick-off 95 yards for a touchdown.
The win gave LSU a three-game winning streak to close the 2024 campaign. The 2025 season hasn't gone as planned, but this Texas Bowl matchup against Houston gives the LSU Football program a chance to salvage some positivity before the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge officially begins.
Headed back to Texas. LSU will play Houston on December 27th at NRG Stadium 🤠pic.twitter.com/b8ZLzk9ROK
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 7, 2025
LSU set to battle Houston in the Texas Bowl
The Tigers entered the 2025 season among the favorites to win the National Championship. After a Week 1 win on the road at then-No. 1 Clemson, it seemed that LSU could be off to the races en route to contending for a national title.
However, things quickly went off the rails starting in Week 5 with a 24-19 loss at Ole Miss. After a 20-10 win over South Carolina on October 11, the Tigers suffered three straight losses to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Alabama.
The loss to Texas A&M by a score of 49-25 at home proved to be the end of the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge. Kelly was fired the next day, with associate head coach and runnings backs coach Frank Wilson taking over on an interim basis. Kelly leaves Baton Rouge with a 34-14 overall record and a 19-10 record in SEC play with zero College Football Playoff appearances. That is something Lane Kiffin is looking to change.
It's been a tumultuous season in Baton Rouge, but Kiffin's hire has Tiger fans excited for 2026. But first, a Texas Bowl matchup against Houston awaits. Wilson and company will be looking to end the 2025 season on a high note before Kiffin's tenure gets rolling.