Texas Longhorns' Journey Through the AP Ranking in the 2025 Season

The 2025 regular season has come to a close for the Texas Longhorns, and what a roller coaster of a season it was for the Burnt Orange.

From national championship favorites to hanging onto playoff hopes by a thread, the campaign definitely had its memories, both good and bad.

However, the team was able to end on a high note by defeating No. 3 Texas A&M in an exciting regular-season finale, capping off a 9-3 season that hopefully gives the Horns enough to be one of the 12 national championship contenders in the 2025 College Football Playoff.

Texas Through the Ranks

With all the hype surrounding the team before the season, especially quarterback Arch Manning in his first full season as a starter, the expectations were high for the team from the get-go, and here is how Steve Sarkisian's team went through the rankings in his fifth season in Austin.

Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs down the sideline against the Texas A&M Aggies. — Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs down the sideline during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Preseason: No. 1

Between the hype train that carried Arch Manning, and Texas returning many of their starters from last year's 13-3 season that saw them advance to the CFP Semifinals, you can't fault the AP for favoring the Horns heading into the regular season.

Week 2: No. 7

Unfortunately for the Horns, the season opener against the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes resulted in their second loss to Ryan Day's team in a span of eight months, and the team dropped six spots to No. 7.

Week 4: No. 8

The Horns took care of the UTEP Miners, but faltered slightly throughout the contest and were stilled demoted one position to eighth.

Week 5: No. 10

Despite a 55-0 pouncing of the Sam Houston State Bearkats, a big rise for rivals Oklahoma and Texas A&M saw the Horns drop not one, but two spots in the Top 25, barely hanging onto a top 10 spot even though they held a 3-1 record through four games.

Week 6: No. 9

Despite being on bye, the struggles by the Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers allowed the Horns to jump up one spot just before opening the conference slate.

Week 7: Unranked

Texas' trip to Florida was pretty "swampy," as the 29-21 loss to the Gators took the Horns from inside the top 10 to completely out of the ranks.

Week 8: No. 21

The Burnt Orange rebounded in a massive way, canceling out their heartbreak in Gainesville with triumph in Dallas, defeating No. 6 Oklahoma in a 23-6 win, their second straight win in the Red River Rivalry.

Week 9: No. 22

Texas' narrow 16-13 win over the Kentucky Wildcats and the roll that the Cincinnati Bearcats went on bumped the Longhorns down one spot.

Week 10: No. 20

The Longhorns survived a shootout against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and finally found themselves back in the Top 20 of the weekly list.

Week 11: No. 13 (No. 11 CFP)

Texas shut down Diego Pavia and No. 9 Vanderbilt's chances for a late comeback, surviving 34-31 to skyrocket back up near the top 10, and finding themselves just above the cutline for the 12-team College Football Playoff in the first CFP rankings of the season.

Week 12: No. 10 (No. 10)

During their second bye week, the Horns got even more love from the Associated Press, moving up three spots in the weekly ranks and up one in the playoff rankings.

Week 13: No. 17 (No. 17)

And just like that, the Horns go back to square one, suffering a nasty 35-10 loss on the road to the Georgia Bulldogs, plummeting them down to No. 17 in both the Top 25 and CFP rankings.

Week 14: No. 16 (No. 16)

The Horns came out on top of a 52-37 offensive masterpiece against the Arkansas Razorbacks, giving them a one-spot rise as they headed into rivalry weekend.

Week 15: No. 14 (No. 13)

The Longhorns keep their playoff hopes alive with a 27-17 upset win over No. 3 Texas A&M in Austin, their third straight win in the Lone Star Showdown.

And now, the Horns wait until after conference championship weekend to see if what they accomplished was enough to get them into the 12-team playoff.