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Published AP Ballots — 6 Verified Current-Season Polls

School Profile

Houston · School Profile

Cougars

School facts, program titles and available AP poll analysis

Overall Record4–12026 · Updated Oct 5Schedule & Results →

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Current Programs & Conferences

2026 FBS football and 2026–27 NCAA Division I basketball. Historical title affiliations appear with the sourced program history below.

ProgramCurrent AffiliationSources & References
Football · FBSBig 12 Conference
Sources & References

The Bigger Picture · Football

Where Houston Finished

Final AP rankings after the postseason. Coverage: 1989 through 2025.

Meet the School ↓

Football · Conference Titles

1 American Championship

  • 2015
Explore American Athletic Conference →
Sources & References

Football · Conference Titles

2 Conference USA Championships

  • 1996*
  • 2006

* Shared conference title

Explore Conference USA →
Sources & References

Football · Conference Titles

4 Southwest Championships

  • 1976*
  • 1978
  • 1979*
  • 1984*

* Shared conference title

Sources & References

Football · Conference Titles

4 Missouri Valley Championships

  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1957
  • 1959*

* Shared conference title

Sources & References
Top 25 Finishes
6 / 37 seasons
Top 10 Finishes
2 / 37 seasons
Best Final Ranking
#8
Last Ranked Finish
#22 in 2025

Summary covers 1989 through 2025.

Season by Season

Showing 2016 to 2025 · 10 seasons

Higher bars mean a higher finish. NR = Not Ranked in the final Top 25, including teams receiving votes. Gold marks a school-recognized FBS / major-college national championship; an AP No. 1 finish alone is not treated as a championship.

View Every Final Ranking (1989–2025)
Houston · Final AP Football Rankings
YearFinal AP ResultSource
2025#22Source ↗
2024Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2023Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2022Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2021#17Source ↗
2020Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2019Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2018Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2017Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2016Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2015#8Source ↗
2014Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2013Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2012Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2011#18Source ↗
2010Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2009Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2008Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2007Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2006Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2005Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2004Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2003Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2002Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2001Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
2000Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1999Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1998Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1997Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1996Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1995Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1994Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1993Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1992Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1991Not Ranked (NR)Source ↗
1990#10Source ↗
1989#14Source ↗
Sources & References

Beyond the Ballot

Meet University of Houston

The University of Houston began in 1927 as Houston Junior College. It became a state university in 1963 and serves students at its Houston campus and regional locations.

Location
Houston, Texas
University Type
Public
Founded
1927
Total Enrollment
48,950Fall 2025 · University of Houston, including regional locations; institutional fact sheet
Nickname
Houston Cougars
Football Conference
Big 12 ConferenceReviewed affiliation · 2026
Football Missouri Valley Championships
41952 · 1956 · 1957 · 1959
Football Southwest Championships
41976 · 1978 · 1979 · 1984
Football Conference USA Championships
21996 · 2006
Football American Championships
12015
Sources & References
Ezekiel W. Cullen Building at University of Houston
Ezekiel W. Cullen Building · 2012 · Display images resized and converted to WebPPhoto: Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Available AP Poll Analysis

These dated views describe specific poll editions and seasons; they are separate from school facts and championship history.

Football AP Poll Analysis

Existing Football ranking history and individual voter analysis.

SportFootball

2026 AP Football Poll

Houston · Week 5

Ranked in 6 of 6 published polls this season. Season high: #20.

Latest poll:

Coverage: –

AP Result

#22

Down 2 spots

Compared with Week 4

Voter Support

Of the 70 available ballots, 52 ranked Houston and 18 left the team unranked.

Ranked Houston
52
Left unranked
18
52 of 70 voters · 74%18 of 70 voters · 26%
Highest Vote
#16

Among ranked votes

Lowest Ranked Vote
#25

Among ranked votes

2026 Games & Scores

Full Schedule & Results →

Upcoming matchups and recent results, with game statistics and AP voter context.

Oct 102:30 PM CDT
#22 Houston
Kansas State
Latest AP RanksView Game →
Oct 17Time TBD
Oklahoma State
Houston
FootballView Game →
Oct 3Final
UCF17
#20 Houston27
ESPN2View Game →
Sep 26Final
#25 Houston42
Georgia Southern28
AP Ranks Before KickoffView Game →

2026 Season at a Glance

AP rank and voter agreement across available polls.

Poll
2026 · Preseason#2325284%58/69 Voters2.55
2026 · Week 1#2221481%56/69 Voters2.09
2026 · Week 2#2229284%57/68 Voters2.56
2026 · Week 3#2512742%29/69 Voters2.91
2026 · Week 4#2027881%57/70 Voters2.37
2026 · Week 5#2227974%52/70 Voters2.39

A Look at the Individual Votes

Week 5 · First 10 of 70 voters, sorted by highest vote. Open the weekly view for the complete list.

VoterVote
Pete Yanity#16+6
Spencer Ripchik#16+6
Eric Johnson#16+6
Creg Stephenson#17+5
Cameron Cox#17+5
Kirk Kenney#18+4
BJ Rains#18+4
Lee K. Howard#18+4
Trevor Hass#18+4
Michael Katz#18+4

View All 70 Voters for Week 5 →

Ballot Distribution

Every complete ballot for Houston.

Houston2.4

74% · 52 of 70 Voters
Average When Ranked: #20.63 · 18 Unranked

Ranked High #16 · Low #2518 / 70 Ballots
View Exact Distribution
Houston votes by rank, including zero counts
RankVoters
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
163
172
186
195
2010
217
226
235
246
252
NR18