Championship weekend provided plenty of thrills the past few days. There were surprises, close calls and even some blowouts.

Will any of it be enough to give the Texas Longhorns a shot at the College Football Playoff? They were just outside the field at 13 before the action began. Will Duke slide in after upsetting Virginia in the ACC title game? Will Alabama be dinged for managing just one touchdown in a 24-7 collapse against Georgia in the SEC championship? Which Group of Fives are invited?

Texas Longhorns receiver Ryan Wingo (1) catches a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

Texas Longhorns receiver Ryan Wingo (1) catches a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

GOLDEN: Texas football has a sliver of hope at No. 13 but is CFP still a reality?

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Here’s what various national outlets and reporters think:

Tony Catalina

The American-Statesman Aggies reporter’s final 12 is a popular pick among those covering the sports. Asterisks denote conference champs.

Indiana (13-0)*
2. Ohio State (12-1)
3. Georgia (12-1)*
4. Texas Tech (12-1)*
5. Oregon (11-1)
6. Ole Miss (11-1)
7. Texas A&M (11-1)
8. Oklahoma (10-2)
9. Notre Dame (10-2)
10. Alabama (10-3)
11. Tulane  (11-2)*
12. James Madison (12-1)*

Danny Davis

Davis, the lead Texas football writer for the Statesman, also has two Big Ten teams atop his rankings. But the bottom half of his rankings differ slightly.

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Miami
10. Notre Dame
11. Tulane
12. JMU

Bleacher Report

David Kenyon, the author of these final rankings, was sure to point out that, “This ranking is based on what I believe the College Football Playoff selection committee will do, not what I think they should do.”

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Indiana (13-0)
2. Ohio State (12-1) 
3. Georgia (12-1)
4. Texas Tech (12-1)
5. Oregon (11-1)
6. Ole Miss (11-1)
7. Texas A&M (11-1)
8. Oklahoma (10-2)
9. Notre Dame (10-2)
10. Alabama (10-3)
11. Miami (10-2)
12. BYU (11-2)
13. Texas (9-3)
…
17. Tulane (11-2)
…
23. James Madison (12-1)

AGGIES FOOTBALL: A look at A&M NSD class for 2026 

CBS Sports

CBS writer Brad Crawford has the Longhorns as the No. 13 team in his ranking. That won’t cut it though, leaving Texas to an also-ran bowl. Tulane is a Group of Five choice after its winning the American Conference championship. He thinks James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference sneaks in as well because of the Virginia loss

ESPN 

Heather Dinich over at ESPN has a similar prediction. There seems to be agreement among Tulane and James Madison as the Group of Five picks.

MORE NSD: Where are the Longhorns’ five stars this year?

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USA TODAY

Who says journalists are biased? Zac Al-Khateeb, a college sports editor who’s been with USA TODAY family of papers for years, is also booting Alabama from his field. It’s notable since Al-Khateeb graduated with his journalism degree(s) from Bama. Well, maybe a little home-region bias there with Georgia moving up in his ranking (just kidding, Zac’s a pro).