The Texas Longhorns made the cut, however narrowly, to make the College Football Playoff in the first CFP ranking reveal this season.
In the first ranking, the Horns landed at No. 7 in the nation.
However, in order to cement their place in those top-12 spots, the Horns have to win out through the remainder of the regular season, and that includes two more ranked matchups: against the No. 18 Missouri Tigers and the No. 14 LSU Tigers.
- Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
- Utah Utes (8-0)
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
- Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
- Texas Longhorns (6-2)
- UCLA Bruins (8-0)
- BYU Cougars (7-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2)
- Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
- LSU Tigers (6-2)
Missouri rang in at No. 18 in the ranking, and the Boise State Broncos rang in at No. 25, which would be the final CFP bid as the Group of Five member to make the cut.
However, with wins against those ranked teams, the Horns could not only cement their place in the postseason, but they could also cement the fact that both Tiger squads will miss the Playoff this year.
As of right now, Missouri and LSU are both some of the first teams out of the bracket, with the LSU Tigers being included in the "first four out" as the No. 14 team in the first ranking.
Obviously, if either team pulls off the win over the Horns, then they could easily cement the fact that Texas would miss the Playoff as well.
If Texas beats LSU and Missouri, it could have Horns cemented in CFP
Of course, if either of these games goes either way, it could lock in the future of both the winning and losing teams. However, if the Longhorns are able to snag two more ranked wins on the season, it would push their total to five.
Those five ranked wins would undeniably cancel out the Horns' unranked losses, which Texas dropped to the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators. That is, if the Longhorns can break their recent trend of losing to unranked teams and rivals when they play the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies.
Simply put, Texas has to win out, or at least perform to their best abilities, over the next four games for the Horns to officially secure their place in the CFP bracket.
And, ultimately, this all comes down to a group of people's opinions, with the College Football Playoff Committee voting for which teams make the cut for the bracket and which fall just short.
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