ESPN’s FPI is predicting a victory for LSU in Saturday night’s Texas Bowl against a Houston team that’ll be playing down the road from its home stadium.
The showdown that kicks off at 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN from Houston’s NRG Stadium will pit the 7-5 Tigers from the SEC against the 9-3 Cougars from the Big 12.
And even though Houston will be playing in its home city and even though LSU has had some a chaotic season with the firing of Brian Kelly and recent hiring of Lane Kiffin, ESPN’s FPI still gives the Tigers a solid 67.5% chance to head back to Baton Rouge with a bowl victory.
Kiffin won’t be coaching the Tigers just yet though when they try to end their topsy-turvy season with a bang in Houston. While Kiffin gets prepared for the 2026 season, it’ll be interim head coach Frank Wilson who’ll be leading LSU against the Cougars in the primetime showdown.
In a twist of irony, after Wilson gets through coaching the Tigers in their bowl game, he’ll be heading to the place that Kiffin left behind — Oxford. Yes, Wilson will leave Baton Rouge and head to Ole Miss to join Pete Golding‘s first staff for the 2026 season.
But for now, Wilson’s job will be to help LSU get that 8th victory of a crazy 2025 season, and ESPN’s FPI believes it has a great chance to do just that.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
