It’s no surprise Texas is a College Football Playoff contender after reaching the four-team playoff a season ago. Where they stand with national college football writers could come as a surprise.
CBS Sports’ Will Backus ranked the 16 teams most likely to make the 12-team playoff in 2024. He ranked Texas No. 8 on his list with the following explanation.
“Quarterback Quinn Ewers is back to lead an offense that will look almost entirely different. Texas has to replace its leading rusher and over 80% of its receiving production. In-house talent will step up at running back, while coach Steve Sarkisian hit the transfer portal hard to net three expected starting receivers (Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden and Matthew Golden) and a potential starting tight end (Amari Niblack). The defense has some holes to fill as well, particularly along the line of scrimmage, but Sarkisian has recruited so well and Texas is carrying a lot of momentum into the SEC.”
Backus’ rankings from No. 1 to No. 10 go as follows: Georgia, Ohio State, Utah, Clemson, Liberty, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas, Ole Miss and Penn State.
The ranking appears to be based more off each program’s path to the playoff more than which squad is the best team. Even so, Backus’ inclusion of Liberty in the Top 5 seems to indicate he views them as head and shoulders above the Group of Five field.
Texas’ standing in the playoff race will likely see several changes over the course of the upcoming season. They should start the year with a great chance to make it for a second consecutive season.