Texas Longhorns are ranked 6th in the College Football Playoff. Here’s what it means

Texas football would qualify for the College Football Playoff if the regular season ended before this weekend’s slate of games. But the Longhorns’ spot in the college football’s postseason tournament still isn’t secure with three games remaining.

On Tuesday, Texas was ranked the No. 6 team in the latest CFP rankings.

Steve Sarkisian‘s team dropped two games in October to unranked opponents in Oklahoma and Florida. The defeats make Texas one of six two-loss teams in the current 12-team playoff field, a number that will likely grow in the coming weeks. Ten two-loss teams have qualified for the College Football Playoff across the last two years. Its rare to see a three-loss playoff team, however, with the only two exceptions (Clemson in 2024 and Alabama in 2025) being teams that played in their conference championship game.

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Texas is safe for now. But will a third loss this season knock Sarkisian and Co. out of the the Playoff? >And what games should Texas fans be on the lookout for this week?

Texas has simple route to CFP qualification

Let’s not complicate matters. Win each of the next three games, and Texas is effectively guaranteed CFP inclusion. The Longhorns’ seeding would then be the biggest question, one with multiple potential answers.

Texas could close the regular season with wins over LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M and still miss the SEC championship, then reach the CFP as a 10-2 at-large selection. Being an at-large team likely mean Texas would host a first-round game or hit the road for one. UT would, of course, qualify for the CFP if it did make and win the SEC championship, a scenario in which the Longhorns would then likely receive a top-four seed and subsequent first-round bye.

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Would Texas be in jeopardy of missing the playoff if it won the next three games, then lost the SEC championship? Unlikely. Alabama’s CFP inclusion last year provides the proper precedent. Lose your third game in the conference title game, and you won’t incur a penalty. For Texas, the formula remains simple: win the next three games, and the championship chase will stay alive, regardless of the conference result.

What happens if Vegas is right in Texas’ next three games?

Texas is an underdog at LSU this upcoming Saturday. It will be a sizable favorite in its following two games against Arkansas and at Texas A&M. Say the oddsmakers are right and Texas finishes with a loss, then two wins to end the year at 9-3. Will that be good enough for one of the 11 postseason spots open for the non-Group of Six schools? There’s no clear answer as of early November.

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Texas has one driver of its case for inclusion, even with three losses: its four wins over teams ranked in the top-25. The Longhorns defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State and then-No. 7 Ole Miss at home. They’re registered road wins at then-No. 14 Tennessee and then-No. 18 Missouri. Texas, at its best, is as talented as any team in the nation, a compelling case for a CFP selection committee that judges with its eyes as much as written criteria.

Sarkisian laid groundwork for postseason inclusion as a potential three-loss team last month, noting an SEC team with a trio of defeats might be superior to a two-loss team from any other conference. It’s unclear whether the committee will hold that opinion.

Games for Texas fans to watch

Texas fans worried about CFP inclusion should root against BYU, Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas Tech in particular in the coming weeks, four teams on the playoff bubble with either one or two losses before this weekend’s games.

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Tennessee, No. 8 in Tuesday’s ranking, plays Texas A&M this week, No. 11 Kentucky plays Florida, No. 12 Texas Tech travels to play Oklahoma State and No. 10 BYU hosts Baylor. For those worried about the SEC title game race, the two other teams Texas is looking up at in the standings – No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama – play No. 22 Missouri and Vanderbilt, respectively.

Can Texas survive an unexpected loss?

Texas has no chance at the playoff if it loses both at LSU and one of its two games against Arkansas and Texas A&M. Would the committee still include the Longhorns in the CFP with a win at LSU followed by a loss against either Arkansas or Texas A&M? Consider that a narrow path.

Yes, Sarkisian could tout a laudable five wins over top-25 teams in this scenario. But even the most wins-focused committee member will have a hard time forgiving three unranked losses, even if the last one comes at Kyle Field on Black Friday. There’s only so much leeway allowed to a three-loss team. Lose either in Austin or in College Station later this month, and the playoff chase will almost assuredly end.

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College Football Playoff rankings for Nov. 10

The top 12 teams in the Dec. 6 rankings will move on to the playoff. Next year, the tournament expands to 24 teams.

5. Notre Dame

12. Texas Tech

13. Wake Forest

17. South Carolina

20. Ohio State

24. Boise State

25. Oklahoma State

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This article originally published at Texas Longhorns are ranked 6th in the College Football Playoff. Here’s what it means.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com