Texas Awaits First CFP Ranking With Playoff Hopes in Reach
The 6-2 Texas Longhorns will see where they stand when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released on November 3, with four regular-season games remaining.
Texas enters the final stretch of its regular season at 6-2, including a 3-2 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Longhorns have four games left and remain in contention for both the SEC title game and the 12-team College Football Playoff. The initial CFP rankings, due November 3, will offer an early indication of how the selection committee views their chances.
Texas is 10th in the latest Associated Press poll, behind Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama among SEC teams. The Longhorns have three wins over teams ranked in the top 15: Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss. Their losses to Florida and Oklahoma, both unranked, could weigh against them.
Coach Steve Sarkisian has argued that playoff decisions should account for more than a team’s record, particularly with the SEC’s expanded conference schedule. He has questioned how the committee will compare SEC teams with multiple losses to teams from other conferences with fewer defeats. After Texas beat Ohio State, Sarkisian also said he hoped that game would not count against the Buckeyes if they finished 9-3.
Texas missed the playoff last year with a 9-3 record, and this season a 10-2 finish may be needed to get in. The Longhorns have upcoming games against No. 19 Missouri and No. 15 LSU, followed by Arkansas and Texas A&M. Winning all four would secure their playoff position; another loss could put their chances at risk. The committee’s rankings will change in the coming weeks, but the first release will show how it is weighing Texas’s notable wins against its losses.