The No. 1 Texas Longhorns just choked away a 10-point lead against rival Oklahoma, losing 27-24 on a last-second field goal. What a gut punch, right? But hold up, Longhorn fans. While that loss stings like crazy, the wild part is this team still has a serious shot at the College Football Playoff, and the numbers are backing it up in a big way.
That Oklahoma Loss Was Brutal, So What Now?
Watching Oklahoma rally from a 10-point deficit to win on a last-second field goal on Saturday was pure insanity. Rivalry games always bring out the wildest outcomes, stuff no algorithm could ever see coming. For Texas, it’s gotta feel like a total gut punch, a game that absolutely should not have slipped away. Nobody wanted to see the No. 1 team go down like that. But here’s the kicker, the one redeeming thought: Texas still has some real margin for error when it comes to the College Football Playoff. The CBS Sports College Football Playoff Forecaster is throwing out a 66.8% chance for Texas to reach the CFP, even after that heartbreaker to the Sooners. Think about that. Losing to your biggest rival, from a commanding position, and still having those kinds of odds? It’s bonkers.
How Can a Three-Loss Team Make the Playoff?
So, how does a team that just blew a huge game and could finish with three losses still have such high playoff hopes? It’s all about the resume, baby. While we haven’t seen a three-loss team in the 12-team playoff era yet, Texas could actually be the one to set that precedent if they end up going 9-3. Their schedule is absolutely brutal moving forward. We’re talking four of their next five games against opponents who will be ranked in the Week 7 AP poll. Six of their final seven contests are against teams that have been ranked inside the top 16 at some point this season. If they don’t tighten things up, Saturday won’t be their last defeat, that’s for sure. But here’s their secret weapon, their trump card: that Week 2 win over No. 5 Ohio State. That win isn’t going to lose value anytime soon, and it’s a huge piece of “gold-plating” on their resume that few other teams can match. For comparison, a 2-loss SEC team, Vanderbilt, was left out of the 12-team playoff last year. Why? Because their 10 wins didn’t have the same “cumulative value.” They had zero victories over teams that finished in the top 25 of the final CFP rankings. If Texas finishes 10-2, the CFP Forecaster gives them a 100% chance of making the playoff. They’d almost certainly have multiple wins over CFP-ranked teams. No doubt about it.
The Resume Has That Gold-Plating
Texas went into Week 6 with a commanding lead in a resume ranking based on the CBS Sports 138. And honestly, they’re not going to fall far after that neutral-site loss to an Oklahoma team that’s probably going to land in the top 40 of next week’s CBS Sports 138. That win over the Buckeyes, plus a Week 4 road win over Tennessee? That’s what we call “gold-plating” folks, and it puts Texas in rare company. They’re almost certainly still going to have a top-5 resume even after all the Week 6 results are tallied. So, yeah, the Oklahoma loss hurts, it absolutely does. But don’t count out the Longhorns just yet. They’ve still got a tough road ahead, but if they can navigate it and finish strong, those playoff odds might just become reality. You gotta keep watching this team, because this season is far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply