The first of six College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday evening with the Texas Longhorns debuting at No. 11, one spot ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners, and in position to receive inclusion in the 12-team playoff if head coach Steve Sarkisian’s team can keep winning.
The biggest questions are whether Texas can maintain its positioning with three games remaining, including on the road against No. 5 Georgia after the upcoming bye week and at home against No. 3 Texas A&M to close the regular season, and whether a three-loss Longhorns team could make the field with a loss to the Bulldogs are the Aggies.
Right now, there’s no question that Texas controls its own destiny despite the ugly road loss to Florida in Gainesville to open conference play, generating momentum with four straight wins starting in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, buoyed by the maturation of redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning and the nation’s No. 5 defense in the SP+ rankings.
Texas has made back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinals under Sarkisian.