The most chaotic, drama-filled college football season in recent memory has come to an end.
TEXAS, USA — The 2024-2025 college football season is officially over and we congratulate The Ohio State University Buckeyes on their National Championship.
Now that the dust has settled, we revisited our rankings to see how the Lone Star State’s teams stacked up by the season’s end. From thrilling victories to tough losses, Texas programs played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of this unforgettable season.
Three members of WFAA’s digital team: Ryan Osborne, Paul Livengood and Zachary Yanes, put their heads together to rank each of the FBS programs in Texas to close out the 2024-2025 season.
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (13-3)
Ryan Osborne: The Longhorns showed they were a championship contender, giving Ohio State its best game of the playoffs. Now, it’s time for Arch Manning.
- Paul Livengood – 1
- Ryan Osborne – 1
- Zach Yanes – 1
No. 2 SMU Mustangs (11-3)
Zach Yanes: The SMU Mustangs’ remarkable season came to an abrupt end with a loss to Penn State in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. Despite the early exit, the Mustangs exceeded expectations, reaching the ACC Championship game in their first season in the conference. With many stars returning, including QB Kevin Jennings, the future is bright in Dallas.
- Paul Livengood – 2
- Ryan Osborne – 2
- Zach Yanes – 2
No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs (9-4)
Ryan Osborne: This was an underrated season for the Frogs, who were written off after a pair of bad losses to UCF and Houston (and to SMU, but we saw where the Ponies ended up). TCU went 6-1 down the stretch and blew out Louisiana in the New Mexico Bowl. Meanwhile, quarterback Josh Hoover set the school passing yards record, finishing just shy of 4,000. TCU will contend for the Big 12 in 2025.
- Paul Livengood – 3
- Ryan Osborne – 3
- Zach Yanes – 3
No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies (8-5)
Paul Livengood: The Aggies fall below both TCU and Baylor for me after their loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Aggies gonna Aggie.
- Paul Livengood – 5
- Ryan Osborne – 4
- Zach Yanes – 4
No. 5 Baylor Bears (8-5)
Ryan Osborne: Baylor and Texas Tech are interchangeable in these rankings, in my view. Both were up and down in 2024, and Baylor finished more consistent. But then both were exposed by SEC teams in the bowl games — Baylor to LSU, Texas Tech to Arkansas. Maybe TCU would have suffered the same fate, but the Frogs got relegated to New Mexico for some reason. Josh Hoover puts TCU a notch ahead of their Big 12 rivals heading into 2025, though.
- Paul Livengood – 4
- Ryan Osborne – Tied-5
- Zach Yanes – 5
No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-5)
Zach Yanes: The Texas Tech Red Raiders concluded their 2024-25 season with a loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. Despite the setback, the Red Raiders notched significant victories during the season, including wins over Arizona State and Iowa State. In a year when the Big 12 stood out as one of the most unpredictable and chaotic conferences, Texas Tech navigated the challenges and held their own.
- Paul Livengood – 6
- Ryan Osborne – Tied-5
- Zach Yanes – 7
No. 7 Sam Houston Bearkats (10-3)
Ryan Osborne: The road to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl runs through Huntsville, Texas. Everybody knows that. Hang the banner, Bearkats.
- Paul Livengood – 7
- Ryan Osborne – 7
- Zach Yanes – 6
No. 8 Texas State Bobcats (8-5)
Paul Livengood: TXST and UNT had one of the more entertaining bowl games in the season. The Bobcats are now 2-0 all-time in back-to-back trips to the First Responders Bowl. #EatEmUp
- Paul Livengood – 8
- Ryan Osborne – 8
- Zach Yanes – 8
T-No. 9 UTSA Roadrunners (7-6)
Zach Yanes: If you told me earlier that this team would finish the season with a bowl win and above .500, I would’ve laughed in your face. For what it’s worth, the Roadrunners were able to play up — and down — to their opponents this season and they also went 6-0 at home, which is pretty cool in my opinion. I don’t know what next year is going to look like for the Roadrunners, but the fact that they managed to win as many games as they did this season feels promising. #GoRunners
- Paul Livengood – 9
- Ryan Osborne – 11
- Zach Yanes – 9
T-No. 9 North Texas Mean Green (6-7)
- Paul Livengood – 10
- Ryan Osborne – 9
- Zach Yanes – 10
No. 11 Houston Cougars (4-8)
- Paul Livengood – 11
- Ryan Osborne – 10
- Zach Yanes – 11
No. 12 Rice Owls (4-8)
- Paul Livengood – 12
- Ryan Osborne – 12
- Zach Yanes – 12
No. 13 UTEP Miners (3-9)
- Paul Livengood – 13
- Ryan Osborne – 13
- Zach Yanes – 13
