Tom Herman thinks there’s a case for Texas football in the CFB Playoff

Texas football doesn’t have much of a chance at all to make the College Football Playoff at this point. But head coach Tom Herman still believes.

Since Texas football, the Oklahoma schools, and Iowa State Cyclones all have at least two losses on the season, or in Big 12 play in particular, the conference’s shot to have a representative in the College Football Playoff this year has waned greatly. It looks right now like the Big 12 and PAC-12 could both be left out of the College Football Playoff.

As far as the PAC-12’s case is concerned, we just have to wait and see what happens with teams like the No. 19 ranked USC Trojans and No. 11 ranked Oregon Ducks before the jury decides on that conference’s fate.

However, the Big 12 might be relying on a very far cry for their two blue bloods, Oklahoma and Texas, to see chaos transpire around them and somehow get into the Playoff conversation. Oklahoma is coming off a 41-13 drubbing at home last weekend of the previously No. 14 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

Meanwhile, Texas comes into an important game against No. 15 ranked Iowa State, with kick off set for the morning of Nov. 27 on Black Friday, with a record of 5-2 (4-2 Big 12). The last game that the Longhorns played in resulted in a narrow home win back on Nov. 7 over the West Virginia Mountaineers, by the final score of 17-13.

For either Texas or Oklahoma to make it into the Playoff, the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten, would have to cannibalize themselves. And both of the Red River rivals would have to win out ahead of the Big 12 Championship Game. In all likelihood, either Texas or Oklahoma would have to dominate the Big 12 Championship Game to put together a convincing enough case to let either of them into the Playoff. And again, that’s considering there’s a ton of other chaos that takes place around the college football landscape in the meantime.

Still, fourth-year Texas head coach Tom Herman made the case this week for his team to get into the Playoff in a few very specific scenarios. Here’s more on what Herman had to say on this matter regarding Texas’ Playoff chances (monologue thanks to 247Sports).

"“Absolutely. I think the playoff should be the four best teams that have an opportunity to win a national championship at the end of the season,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “I don’t think an Opening Day loss in COVID 2020 to Louisiana should prevent somebody from going to the playoffs. I don’t think a two-point loss in your third week of the season, should have any bearing on it. I think that the teams that are playing the best and have the best opportunity to compete with each other, and have great games that will result in a national champ. I don’t know that, especially in 2020, that really the first couple weeks should play in nearly as much as, you know, the last month of the season."

The case that Herman is making is a valid one, albeit an argument that each two-loss team can make when their conference is struggling in a year like 2020. That doesn’t help the Big 12’s case anymore than it would the PAC-12, or even the American Athletic Conference.

At this point, you could argue that the AAC and the BYU Cougars have a much better shot at making the Playoff than any team out of the Big 12 right now. That’s not a very hard case to make either.

What Texas needs to do is just focus on the stretch that lies ahead and not slip up against two solid opponents and one questionable team. Herman and the Longhorns have the Kansas schools and Iowa State remaining until this regular season is capped.

The matchup between Texas and Iowa State on Black Friday will go a long way to determining which team is able to make an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. It’s hard to foresee anyone but Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa State, making it to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, on Dec. 19 for the Big 12 Championship Game.