Houston Cougars Might Get into CFP Top 25 Rankings After Bye Week

UH football could possibly get ranked even without a game this weekend

Nov 7, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the UCF Knights at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

It was a good bye week for Houston Cougars football. UH is 8-2 and still has a chance to make the Big 12 Championship.

While the Cougars rested this weekend and reloaded for two crucial in-state matchups coming up, some results went their way.

It made for a truly productive bye week in the standings and potentially in multiple top 25 polls. 

In the CFP Rankings? 

Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz ton the sidelines coaching against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

While Houston received their first AP top 25 ranking since Sept. 2022 after the win over Arizona State last month, the time in the poll was short-lived. The Cougars shockingly lost the following weekend to a West Virginia team near the bottom of the Big 12 conference at home 45-35. That instantly dropped Houston out of the top 25. 

The Cougars did end up beating UCF on the road last Friday to win their eighth game of the season, but that was not enough in voters’ eyes to put them back up in the top 25. Houston got 43 votes, which was 5th most for outside the rankings, good for 30th overall. 

After the result of this weekend’s games, there is a good chance the Cougars likely crack the College Football Playoff top 25 ranking.

Starting with the CFP ranking, five out of the six teams from the 20-25 spots lost. That includes no. 20 Louisville at home to an under. 500 Clemson team, no. 21 Iowa on the road against no. 17 USC, and no. 22 Pittsburgh at home to no. 9 Notre Dame. 

Additionally, no. 24 South Florida lost to Navy, and no. 25 Cincinnati got upset at home by Arizona. There are five spots up for grabs, and Houston could likely be one of them. North Texas at 9-1 would probably replace USF as the American Athletic team or even Navy (8-2). Tulane at 8-2 could also be another candidate to enter the top 25. 

Missouri is highly likely to enter the top 25 as a 7-3 SEC team. Besides those three teams, it would be Houston as a candidate to sneak in at no. 24 or 25 in the CFP rankings released on Tuesday. 

Other Standings

There were four open spots in the AP poll as James Madison at 9-1 moved up to no. 21. Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh all dropped out. The Mean Green and Missouri were two locks to make it this week, as they are now ranked no. 22 and 23 respectively.

The thinking was that even if Tulane was also selected, UH could take up the last spot. That is exactly what happened. An 8-2 overall and 5-2 Big 12 record is a strong enough resume to jump back into the top 25 during the bye with Houston at no. 25.

As far as Big 12 standings go, no. 25 Cincinnati losing drops them to 7-3. Houston moved up a spot and now sits in third place behind Texas Tech and BYU. Utah is literally right behind them with an identical record. The Red Raiders and BYU each have one loss, while Utah is also 8-2. If Houston can win out, things could get interesting on who Texas Tech’s opponent is. 

It would be a big accomplishment to end the year in the top 25. Even if Houston were to make it in, a strong TCU team awaits this week who would be looking to knock them out again.