Houston Cougars Ranked No. 23 in Week 12 College Football Playoff Rankings
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For the first time since 2021 and the first time in the coach Willie Fritz era, the Houston Cougars are ranked in the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings.
The Cougars, at 8-2 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play in 2025, hail in at No. 23 on the Week 12 rankings from the committee following their bye week after a shakeup in the top six of the conference, primarily from Arizona's 30-24 upset win over then-No. 25 Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium.
Entering the @CFBPlayoff rankings at 2️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ztsmYKccfQ
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) November 19, 2025
What supplemented that opportunity for Houston to be ranked in both CFP and AP Polls post-Week 12 was its 30-27 comeback win over UCF at Acrisure Bounce House in Week 11, as the Cougars successfully washed away their 45-35 upset loss to then-league-winless West Virginia at TDECU Stadium the week prior, for the time being.
Despite Houston's promising top-four stance in the Big 12, which allowed them to be posted in the Week 12 CFP committee rankings, the Week 10 loss could prove costly for the Cougars if certain things do not play out in the conference standings over the final two weeks, even allowing them to punch their ticket to the conference championship.
CFP ranks Houston, but what's its path to the playoffs?
Houston's home upset loss to West Virginia in Week 10 put the Cougars' CFP hopes in jeopardy at first. However, even with the slight shakeup in their second bye week, it seems that the first obstacle they must tackle with two weeks remaining in the regular season is to clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game, requiring multiple scenarios to click at once.
First, Houston must win out in the regular season, as it currently sits with two conference losses. The Cougars host TCU on Saturday, Nov. 22, for their senior day home finale against the Horned Frogs, who are coming off a 44-13 blowout loss to then-No. 12 BYU in Provo. The Cougars will then end the regular season up the Brazos River in Waco, facing former Southwest Conference rival Baylor at McLane Stadium on Nov. 29.
Second, No. 11 BYU, coming in at second in the Big 12 standings, must lose out in matchups with Cincinnati in Week 13 and to 14th-place UCF in Week 14.
In addition to this, Cincinnati must lose to TCU on the road in Week 14, while No. 12 Utah and No. 25 Arizona State must lose at least once in their remaining games.
It's a tough stretch of scenarios for it all to click together, but in the case that they do, this would allow a 10-2 Houston team to clinch a date with first-place Texas Tech, ranked No. 5 in the Week 12 CFP poll, in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
If Houston were to avenge its Week 6 loss at TDECU Stadium to Texas Tech by winning its first-ever Big 12 championship and first conference championship since 2015, it would be substantial in the Cougars' clinching a top 12 spot in the CFP field.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.