For the first time since 2021, the Houston Cougars conclude a season with a number beside their name.
The morning after Indiana defeated Miami (FL) 27-24 in the College Football Playoff National Championship
Game, the final rankings were set in stone. Houston (10-3, 6-3 Big 12) landed at No. 22 in the final AP Poll of the 2025 season. It is the first time the program ever finished in the No. 20-25 range of the poll.
It marks the Cougars’ 16th season-ending ranking in program history and first as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Houston attained 10 wins in its third season holding Big 12 status and second season under head coach Willie Fritz. The Cougars cleared their entire non-conference slate, knocked off six Big 12 teams — highlighted with wins over 9-4 Arizona and 8-5 defending champion Arizona State — before earning a Texas Bowl berth.
On Dec. 27 in the Texas Bowl, Houston overcame an early 14-0 deficit and bested LSU in a 38-35 shootout, becoming the first non-SEC opponent to upend the Tigers in 2025. The Cougars earned a confetti celebration in front of their hometown crowd in Houston, claiming a third-straight bowl win dating back to 2021. The Texas Bowl triumph sealed the Cougars’ 10th 10-win campaign in program history and its first in four years.
Houston finishes as the 4th-highest ranked Big 12 team in the final AP Poll, only trailing No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 11 BYU, and No. 14 Utah. The acclimation period from the American Conference to the Big 12 required several seasons, but the Cougars are finally back in the national picture, this time with a different conference logo on their jerseys.
The final 2025 AP Poll is as follows:
