The final rankings of the 2025 season are cemented in history.
After Indiana upended Miami (FL) in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game to secure its first-ever title, the Associated Press released its season-ending Top 25.
The American Conference finished with three ranked teams — No. 18 Tulane, No. 23 Navy, and No. 24 North Texas. It marks the second-most in the conference’s 13-year history, only trailing the 2019 season where four teams finished ranked (Memphis, Navy, Cincinnati,
UCF). Three American teams also finished ranked in 2017.
No. 18 Tulane
Tulane (11-3, 7-1 American) landed at No. 18 in the final AP Poll, earning a spot as the highest-finishing American team since the Green Wave checked in at No. 9 to end 2022. The 2025 Green Wave made history, punching their first ticket to the College Football Playoff and becoming the second American team, along with 2021 Cincinnati, to qualify for the exclusive field. Tulane earned signature non-conference wins over Northwestern and eventual ACC champion Duke, before taking down conference contenders such as East Carolina and Memphis to clinch its fourth-straight American Conference Championship Game berth.
In the title game, Tulane overwhelmed North Texas at the line of scrimmage and exited with a 34-21 victory to seal its second conference championship in a 4-year span. With head coach Jon Sumrall — prior to his departure to Florida — leading the way, the Green Wave earned a spot in the CFP bracket as the fourth-highest ranked conference champion, taking on the No. 11 seed. Tulane faced a rematch against Ole Miss but bowed out in 41-10 fashion in front of a record crowd in Oxford, MS. The Green Wave still finished ranked for the ninth time in program history and third time since 1974.
No. 23 Navy
Navy (11-2, 7-1 American) landed at No. 23 in the final AP Poll as the second-highest finisher from the American. The Midshipmen secured their first season-ending ranking since 2019 and first under third-year head coach Brian Newberry. Navy finished on the fringe of the poll last season with a 10-3 record but made a one-game improvement to warrant that coveted number. The Midshipmen now have consecutive 10+ win seasons for the first time in program history.
Navy started 7-0 for the first time since 1978, utilizing the nation’s No. 1 rushing attack and First Team All-American defensive tackle Landon Robinson to outlast opponents. The Midshipmen dropped two-straight games to start November, falling to Notre Dame and North Texas, but recovered exceptionally. They concluded the regular season with an impressive 3-game win streak over South Florida, Memphis, and arch rival Army (winning a second-straight Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy) before drawing a Liberty Bowl bid against old American foe Cincinnati. The Midshipmen shredded the Bearcats in 35-13 fashion to earn their 15th final AP Poll ranking of all-time.
No. 24 North Texas
North Texas (12-2, 7-1 American) landed at No. 24 in the final AP Poll as the third-highest finisher from the American. The Mean Green crafted one of the ultimate Cinderella stories in college football this season. Prior to 2025, the program’s last AP ranking transpired in 1959. But this finish at No. 24 represents North Texas’ first season-ending AP Poll ranking in history. The team set a new program record with 12 wins and ended with its third bowl win of all-time and first since 2013.
The Mean Green took the nation by storm with its offense headlined by a pair of freshman phenoms — the FBS’s passing leader Drew Mestemaker and the FBS’s rushing touchdowns leader Caleb Hawkins. Nobody scored more per game than North Texas which churned out 45.1 across its 14-game season. The Mean Green took down MAC champion Western Michigan and boatraced Washington State by 49 during non-conference play before picking up a signature victory over Navy in the American slate. With head coach Eric Morris leading the way, the Mean Green qualified for their first-ever American Conference Championship Game but fell to Tulane with a College Football Playoff spot on the line. Still, they recovered excellently and outlasted San Diego State 49-47 in the New Mexico Bowl.
The full final 2025 AP Poll is as follows:
