Texas Football: 4 ways the Longhorns can still make CFP after LSU loss

4. Favorable slotting in the polls provides hope

There was a fear that Texas football could’ve fallen very far in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll after the Week 2 45-38 loss to LSU. But the home loss didn’t see the Longhorns fall all that far. In the AP Poll, the Longhorns fell just three spots to No. 12. They fell one spot further down in the Coaches Poll to No. 13.

You can view both polls out of Week 2 here.

However, the Longhorns proved that they can hang with the very best in the nation and were just a handful of dumb plays away from winning this game. And playing such a talented and deep opponent that’s hot right now like LSU could end up rewarding Texas when it’s all said and done.

The problem for Texas is the fact that their margin for error is pretty much completely eliminated. While the Big 12 slate will provide a couple opportunities to get back into the good graces of the College Football Playoff committee, already racking up one loss in Week 2 makes it difficult for Herman’s squad to completely bounce back.

Unless complete chaos ensues this fall among all the Power Five conferences, Texas can’t afford to lose more than one game during the regular season. Texas is the highest ranked one-loss team by a good margin after Week 2. But that is a deserving spot. All in all, we have to see the Longhorns play out a spotless regular season slate and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in four weeks.