The College Football Playoff is officially expanding to 24 teams next season. While the Texas Longhorns should compete at the highest level every season, even if they see a drop-off in their success level next year, they should easily still make the CFP.
OFFICIAL: CFP to Expand to 24 Teams Starting with the 2027-28 College Football Season; Announces Exclusive Media Rights Agreement with ESPN to Televise New CFP Games through the 2021-32 Season
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 9, 2026
Full news release and fact sheet » https://t.co/duBPAfukQy
The Horns will likely be without quarterback Arch Manning, star edge rusher Colin Simmons, and a slew of other key players on the roster. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian cannot allow that to lessen the expectations for Texas, especially since there will be more room for error.
The expanded CFP bracket not only means that 12 more teams will make the playoffs, but it means that the Power Conference championship games will be a thing of the past.
Read more: Increasing possibility of 24-team CFP means it may be now or never for Texas to win SEC title
That means that it is down to the 12 regular-season games that a team plays to determine its worthiness for the postseason bracket.
So, all a team has to do is win enough regular-season games, which has been somewhere in the ballpark of nine or more matchups, with enough Power Conference or ranked wins to secure their spot in the Playoff.
Simply put, while the Horns should never settle for a 10-2 or 9-3 overall record, that kind of regular season is about to grow increasingly acceptable. Frankly, that may help Sarkisian maintain the CFP expectation even if Texas loses some of its star power on both sides of the football.
Steve Sarkisian has one last chance to make and win the SEC Championship
On the other side of the conversation is the fact that the expansion created the opening for conferences to bring an end to their championship games, something that was almost immediately confirmed by Power Conferences like the SEC and the Big Ten.
SEC Football Championship Game to conclude historic 35-year run as College Football Playoff expands: https://t.co/vAmplVAnW7 pic.twitter.com/ZRatt5BrvB
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 9, 2026
While the Longhorns have been in the SEC for only three years, the expectations of the program across the 40 Acres have always been those of a championship-caliber team, whether that be at the conference or national level.
In year one, Sarkisian led the Horns to the SEC Championship, but they were defeated 22-19 in overtime by the Georgia Bulldogs. In year two, Texas fell well short of the conference title game.
Currently, the Longhorns are idling at fourth in the SEC, but if they continue their current win streak to finish the year at 7-2 in conference play, and if both the Kentucky Wildcats and Alabama Crimson Tide lose their two remaining conference matchups, Texas would find itself in the conference championship.
And who would they face? Well, that would most likely be none other than the Georgia Bulldogs.
While winning out over the remainder of the regular season would not only cement the Horns' place in this year's CFP (which will be the final 12-team Playoff), it could also secure their spot in the SEC Championship, giving them one final chance to win the conference title game before it goes away forever.
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