Now that the college football season has ended, the Associated Press has released its final Top 25 rankings for the season, and the Texas Longhorns finished among the elite teams in the country after making their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
The Longhorns finished ranked No.3, just behind national champion Michigan at No.1 and runner-up Washington, which ended Texas’ season in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at No.2.
In its final year in the Big 12, Texas went 12-2, losing only to Oklahoma and Washington while winning its first conference title since 2009. The Longhorns almost completed a comeback in the national semifinal against Washington, but the final pass attempt fell incomplete.
Still, the No.3 ranking is Texas’ best finish since 2009, and the program has some momentum heading into the SEC in 2024 as the College Football Playoff expands to a 12-team field.
Overall, the Big 12 finished the year with five ranked teams, and SMU, after its first conference championship in 40 years, was the only other Texas-based university included in the final Top 25 at No.22.
Elsewhere, SEC runner-up Georgia, the nation’s No.1 team throughout most of the season, jumped SEC champ Alabama for the No.4 spot despite losing to the Crimson Tide and missing the College Football Playoff.
Here is the complete final AP Top 25 college football poll for the 2023-24 season.
1. Michigan Wolverines (15-0)
2. Washington Huskies (14-1)
3. Texas Longhorns (12-2)
4. Georgia Bulldogs (13-1)
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2)
6. Oregon Ducks (12-2)
6. Florida State Seminoles (13-1)
8. Missouri Tigers (11-2)
9. Ole Miss Rebels (11-2)
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2)
11. Arizona Wildcats (10-3)
12. LSU Tigers (10-3)
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-3)
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-3)
15. Oklahoma Sooners (10-3)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-4)
17. Tennessee Volunteers (9-4)
18. Kansas State Wildcats (9-4)
19. Louisville Cardinals (10-4)
20. Clemson Tigers (9-4)
21. North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-4)
22. SMU Mustangs (11-3)
23. Kansas Jayhawks (9-4)
24. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4)
25. Liberty Flames (13-1)
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Oregon St. 96, West Virginia 90, Tulane 76, James Madison 52, Southern Cal 35, Memphis 32, Utah 14, Troy 10, Air Force 8, Toledo 7, Duke 6, Kentucky 4, UCLA 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, UTSA 3, Wyoming 2, Northwestern 2, Ohio 1.
