Arizona fell from 21st in the Associated Press Top 25 and 20th in the USA Today Coaches poll to out of the final rankings of the 2025 season released on Tuesday. SMU beat Arizona 24-19 in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona finished the 2025 season with nine wins and four losses.
The Wildcats received 54 points in the AP Top 25 and are 30th in the final 2025 rankings. Arizona received 79 points in the USA Today Coaches poll and was also 30th. None of the teams Arizona defeated in 2025 finished in the top 25 of either poll.
BYU and Houston were the only teams Arizona played in 2025 that finished in the top 25. BYU finished 11th with 961 points in the AP Top 25 and 12th in the USA Today Coaches poll with 868 points. Houston was 22nd in the AP Top 25 with 270 points and 19th with 349 points in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Arizona lost 33-27 to BYU in double overtime and 31-28 on a walk-off field goal to Houston in consecutive games. The other 2025 loss for Arizona was 39-14 at Iowa State in September. Arizona finished the regular season with five consecutive wins after the losses to BYU and Houston.
NEW: Final College Football AP Poll🏈https://t.co/Epkln6DH1C pic.twitter.com/8sbf8M77iR
— On3 (@On3) January 20, 2026
Where other Big XII teams finished in the rankings
Texas Tech finished seventh in the 2025 season as the highest-ranked Big XII team in both polls. Utah was 14th in both polls and TCU finished 25th as the only other Big XII team in either final poll. Arizona did not play Texas Tech, Utah, or TCU during the 2025 season.
Arizona plays at BYU and Texas Tech and hosts Utah and TCU in 2026, among the opponents for the Wildcats who finished the 2025 season in the rankings. Arizona State, Cincinnati and Iowa State are all at Arizona and the Wildcats play at Kansas State and West Virginia for the remaining Big XII schedule.
Arizona opens the 2026 season with home games against Northern Arizona and Northern Illinois before playing at Washington State. On3 ranks Arizona 25th in its 2026 Way-Too-Early Top 25. First-team All-Big XII quarterback Noah Fifita leads the 2026 Arizona roster.