The 2023 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the Big 12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars were led by Dana Holgorsen in his fifth season as their head coach. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Houston Cougars football team drew an average home attendance of 36,020 in 2023.
In September 2021, Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference. On June 10, 2022, the American Athletic Conference and the three American Athletic Conference schools set to depart from the league (Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF) announced that they had reached a buyout agreement with the conference that would allow those schools to join the Big 12 in 2023. BYU had previously operated as an independent prior to accepting a membership invitation to join the Big 12.
On November 26, head coach Dana Holgorsen was fired. He finished with a record of 31âÂÂ28 in five seasons.