The Texas football program has been on the brink of a return to glory for awhile now, and this could be the year that the Longhorns are truly back. Back in week two, Texas hit the road for a huge game against Alabama, and the Longhorns came out victorious. After that win, people really thought they were back, but many have pumped the breaks a little bit since they lost to Oklahoma in the Red River showdown. Still, even with the loss, Texas is in good shape to get into the Big 12 title game, and they are in good shape to make College Football Playoff. The Longhorns are currently ranked #7 in the College Football Playoff rankings with three games to go.
Texas football is currently 8-1 and ranked #7 in the country as they head into this weekend's matchup with TCU. The Longhorns are in first place in the Big 12, and while they are currently a few spots away from the CFP rankings top four, they still have a pretty clear path to the playoff laid out in front of them.
In the final three weeks of the season, Texas will play at TCU (4-5), at Iowa State (5-4) and home against Texas Tech (4-5). The Longhorns will be favored in all of these games, and they shouldn't have a problem finishing the regular season 11-1. That would get them into the Big 12 title game, and if they finish 12-1 with a conference championship, it'll be hard for the committee to keep them out of the top four.
Another thing that is helping Texas is their current resume. The one loss to Oklahoma was tough, but the Sooners are a good team, and that wasn't a bad loss. The Longhorns also have one of the best resumes in the country even with the loss. Alabama currently has wins against #8 Alabama on the road, #16 Kansas at home and #25 Kansas State at home. Those are three really good wins, and they will go a long way in helping Texas get into the playoff.
So, there's three weeks left, and Texas is in a good spot, but what needs to happen for them to crack into the top four?
How Texas football makes the College Football Playoff
Obviously, the most important thing that Texas football needs to do to make the playoff is win out. First thing's first, and if they don't do that, there's no discussion, their CFP hopes are gone. While winning out is important and being a 12-1 conference champ typically gets you in the playoff, it's not a guarantee by any means. The Longhorns could go 12-1, but let's say Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington, teams that are currently ranked ahead of Texas, all win out. If that happens, those four would more than likely make the playoff. So, Texas needs some help.
The Longhorns need some teams ahead of them to lose. Michigan and Ohio State play each other in a few weeks, so that guarantees a loss to one team ahead of them, and Oregon and Washington seem destined for a rematch in the Pac-12 title game, so that could be another. At the end of the day, what Texas really needs is for that Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, Washington winning out scenario to not happen. If they can get into a resume battle with an assortment of other one-loss teams, they'll have a good chance of coming out on top.
At this point for Texas, all you have to focus on is winning out. There are too many scenarios and there is too much chaos in college football to play the what if game. If the Longhorns win out and finish 12-1, they should have a good shot at making the College Football Playoff.