Where Houston Cougars Rank on Latest Way-Too-Early Top 25
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After the college football national championship on Monday night, most teams and fans besides the Indiana Hoosiers are already looking forward to 2026 for their shot to make history.
The way-too-early rankings are quite common these days, and multiple fellow media outlets have already released their college football predicted AP Top 25 for the beginning of next season.
For the Houston Cougars, this is something new. It will be four years since the Cougars have been mentioned in the preseason top 25 right now and will more than likely officially be one of the top 25 teams entering 2026. After all, their final ranking for the past season was No. 22, a huge improvement from the past three seasons.
CBS Sports released their way-too-early top 25, and Houston has found their spot on it.
NEW: Way-Too-Early Top-25 for 2026, via @bmarcello 👀
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) January 20, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/CnCy0BHVc6 pic.twitter.com/8rgZAmQEFt
2026 is Looking Bright
Houston went 10-3 last year and won the Texas Bowl over LSU 38-35. In head coach Willie Fritz’s second season, the Cougars had the largest FBS turnaround in 2025 with a six-win improvement. After winning a bowl game for the first time since 2022 and getting ranked for the first time in over three years, Houston is looking to take the next step in the Big 12 for 2026.
The Cougars are now ranked No. 21 in the CBS Sports way-too-early top 25, a spot matching their ranking in their penultimate top 25 season poll. Houston is right in front of Big 10 powerhouse Penn State and one spot behind Sugar Bowl champions and College Football Playoff semifinalists Ole Miss.
The article by Brandon Marcello included a paragraph from each team, and Houston’s was filled with a lot of positive thought. It featured the question “Who’s the next Curt Cignetti?” That comparison was made with Fritz. Of course, high praise for the coach of the year in college football leading an undefeated 16-0 national champion Indiana.
Houston was more active than in years past with the transfer portal, and was ranked in the top of On3’s transfer portal class rankings. The Cougars made significant additions that will help their program improve and have a real shot at the Big 12 championship. The additions specifically mentioned by Marcello include the two Oregon transfers.
First, Ashton Porter. UH needed new players on the defensive line, and Porter, the incoming junior out of Cypress, becomes a key part of that d-line. Specifically, transfer running back Makhi Hughes is someone Marcello has his eyes on.
Hughes wasn’t highly involved in his one season at Oregon, but was a star at Tulane with 1401 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He will be the lead back in Houston and could have another one of those seasons.
Overall, Houston is expected to contend entering the 2026 season, and that is a welcome change from years before.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.