Texas football gets major bump in first CFP Rankings, at No. 17

The bump that Texas football got in the initial release of the College Football Playoff Rankings compared to the other major polls was a surprise.

The bump that the Texas football program got in the initial release of the College Football Playoff Rankings this week, compared to where they sit in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, is significant. Texas got the No. 17 slot in the first edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings, three slots higher than they are in this week’s AP Poll and four higher than the Coaches Poll.

The Longhorns ranked behind two other Big 12 teams in the College Football Playoff Rankings. The rival Oklahoma Sooners rang in at No. 11, and the Iowa State Cyclones at No. 13. And the only other Big 12 team inside the top 25 for these rankings is the Oklahoma State Cowboys, at No. 23, after their drubbing in Bedlam last weekend at the hands of Oklahoma.

Texas got sandwiched between the USC Trojans and head coach Clay Helton below them, and head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers above them. For what it’s worth, former Texas head coach Mack Brown and his North Carolina Tar Heels ranked two spots below the Longhorns, at No. 19.

The teams that rounded out the top five (in order from top-to-bottom) included the Alabama Crimson Tide, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and then the in-state rival Texas A&M Aggies.

There is a path to the College Football Playoff for almost every team that made the top 10 in the initial release of these rankings this season. With maybe an exception to the Georgia Bulldogs, every other team in the top 10 could realistically find some path into the College Football Playoff this year.

Where it starts getting tough seeing a path opening for some team as you move down the rankings is with head coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners. Oklahoma having one loss each to Iowa State and the Kansas State Wildcats hurts their resume. Texas and Oklahoma would need a lot of chaos to transpire around the Power Five, and even with the Cincinnati Bearcats in the American Athletic Conference, to have a shot to make the Playoff.

Next up for the Longhorns is a key Black Friday showdown with Iowa State at home on Nov. 27. Texas has an early kick off time set for 11 a.m. CT on Black Friday to try and knock off Iowa State. They carry a record of 5-2 (4-2 Big 12) into that game.