Is Texas Getting Snubbed in the College Football Playoff? Find Out!

If you’d told anyone at Texas back in August that they would defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, lose only once in a close game to a top-15 team, and have a chance to win the Big 12 championship with a 12-1 record, it would have been considered one of the great seasons for any Texas team in the last 30 years. It would have been good enough to get the Longhorns into every previous edition of the College Football Playoff. But it may not be enough this time. As championship weekend approaches, Texas is likely to end up in fifth place, even with a 12-1 record.

After nine years of a controversy-free four-team playoff, the 10th and final edition could potentially give us a true outrage. This might justify an expansion to 12 teams next year. Texas’ move to the SEC will undoubtedly make life more difficult, with tougher opponents. However, if the Longhorns get left out of the playoff this year, the blame won’t just go to their performance, but to the overall weakness of the Big 12.

As things stand, the Longhorns have just two victories over teams ranked in the CFP’s top-25. One was the win at Alabama and the other a win against No. 25 Kansas State. But these wins might not be enough to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. If Texas doesn’t win against No. 18 Oklahoma State on Saturday, it’s going to need some help.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is focusing on the opportunity to win the Big 12 and isn’t engaging in preemptive lobbying. However, if any of the results go a different way, the Longhorns will rightfully be kicking and screaming if they get left out.

If Alabama beats Georgia or Oregon wins, Texas has a good argument to say they deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff. But it remains to be seen what the committee will decide.

For all the conspiracy theories about this committee and what metrics they care about, the end result is always quite simple: Unbeaten teams get in, even if it’s at the expense of someone with a better shot to win the national championship.

That’s why Playoff expansion had to happen. The only upset is that it took this long to potentially have a year where a truly deserving team gets left out.

Unless something unexpected happens Saturday, that team is going to be Texas. Not that it was a close call for the Longhorns to seek membership in the SEC, but a playoff snub of this magnitude will be all the proof they needed that leaving the Big 12 behind was the only move to make.

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Alex Martin

Alex Martin is your guide to the global phenomenon of football. With a focus on international leagues and tournaments, he provides match commentary, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the world of football.