Texas football seems likely to fall out of the College Football Playoff committee’s favorite this season. Hanging over head coach Steve Sarkisian’s head at this point in the 2025 campaign, a 9-3 regular season that included losses to top-ranked Ohio State in Week 1, as well as unranked (and, by now, perpetually drifting amongst college football’s ether-world) and Georgia, which more or less left a handprint across the program’s face during a loss in Athens last month.

But if the CFP’s a longshot, then what?

247Sports states Texas will face Michigan in this year’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

From 247Sports: “The Citrus Bowl is contractually obligated to take the highest-ranked SEC and Big Ten teams in the CFP rankings that do not make the 12-team CFP field. … [That] would be No. 13 Texas (9-3) and No. 16 USC (9-3). But USC (and the other former Pac-12 schools who joined the Big Ten in 2024 – UCLA, Oregon and Washington – aren’t eligible to play in bowls with Big Ten tie-ins until the 2026 season). So, the next-highest-ranked Big Ten team in the CFP rankings is No. 19 Michigan (9-3).”

If that’s how the postseason plays out, then… bring on Orlando.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

Inside Texas: What data is the CFP selection committee looking at? Is it kind to Texas?

ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

247Sports: Thanksgiving Hoopfest: Nationally ranked seniors shine throughout the weekend

247Sports: NSD Eve Intel: Latest recruiting updates as Texas works to finalize Top 10 class

247Sports: Midlands Recruiting Notebook: Fresh batch of notes on night before Signing Day

247Sports: Boulder (Colo.) Fairview three-star ATH Toray Davis flips commitment from UCLA to Texas

Inside Texas: Grading Texas’ Defensive Recruiting Process: DT, Edge, LB, and secondary breakdown

247Sports: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in May wanted more clarification on the data being considered by CFP committee

Inside Texas: Deep Dive Film Room: Texas delivers the beating A&M didn’t see coming

Rocky Top Talk: Chris Low: Josh Heupel says he’s not a candidate at Penn State

Roll ‘Bama Roll: Alabama Football Recruiting: 2026 National Early Signing Day preview

A Sea Of Blue: 5 burning questions facing Will Stein as the new Kentucky Wildcats head coach

SB Nation: Jalen Johnson’s second leap shows the Hawks aren’t just Trae Young’s team anymore

SB Nation: What analytics predict about NFL’s contenders and pretenders

SB Nation: Adam Thielen was done dirty by the Vikings before they finally set things right

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