The College Football Playoff poll is out. Texas can rest assured that the committee got it right.
The Texas Longhorns rank No. 7 as we predicted they should. Nevertheless, we felt there could be some suspense because of past playoff rankings. One particular part of the team’s season was brought into question after the rankings were unveiled.
The biggest complaint from the Longhorns’ placement in the poll is the team’s four-point loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners, who had to drive down to win the game despite dominating in several critical moments, check in at No. 9 in the poll. There’s only one problem with those complaints. Oklahoma has played like a team satisfied with already reaching its primary goal.
The Sooners dropped their game last week to the Kansas Jayhawks following a narrow victory over UCF. The loss is bad enough to take the team out of the playoff discussion. Frankly, the team is fortunate to rank as high as it ranked on Tuesday night.
Texas has scored 30 points in every game it has played. That consistency probably has appeal to the playoff committee. But the Longhorns haven’t scored much more than 30 points this season. They did against Kansas.
You might recall Kansas as the only team to allow 40 points against Texas this season. The Longhorns ran for over 300 yards against the Jayhawks.
That Oklahoma was unable to capitalize on the team’s glaring defensive deficiencies is instructive about the Sooners’ low floor. It might give credence to the notion that Oklahoma simply wanted Red River more than Texas. We feel good about the Longhorns in a potential rematch.
The Alabama Crimson Tide ranked just below Texas at No. 8. The Longhorns’ double-digit win over the Tide bodes well for the team’s resume moving forward.
Ultimately, the playoff will sort itself out over the next few weeks. But what now seems more clear is that if Texas wins out it has a solid shot to make the College Football Playoff.