Texas pulled off a major upset win over No. 6 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
It was enough to land the Longhorns within the top 25 of ESPN’s College Football Power Rankings for Week 9. After dropping back-to-back games to unranked conference opponents this season, defeating Oklahoma State was critical for Texas’ conference title hopes.
Texas is listed at No. 21 overall and is one of four Big 12 programs to appear on the list.
“In one of those games Tom Herman and the Longhorns had to have, they found a way to get it done Saturday in a 41-34 overtime win on the road against Oklahoma State. Texas’ defense has been maligned all season, but the Longhorns forced four turnovers, and Joseph Ossai had a walk-off sack of Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders in overtime to give Texas renewed life in the Big 12 race.”
Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and West Virginia appear higher than Texas this week, but that may not last for much longer. The Longhorns next opponent on Nov. 7 — West Virginia — was listed one spot ahead of Texas at No. 20 overall.
“Getting a read on West Virginia this season has been a chore. Just when you’re ready to write off the Mountaineers, they put together their most complete game of the season. Their convincing 37-10 victory over Kansas State on Saturday is a reminder that this could be a team to reckon with in the second part of the Big 12 season. Redshirt junior quarterback Jarret Doege has passed for more than 300 yards in each of his past three outings.”
West Virginia certainly has the talent to shock Texas in Austin this year. The Longhorns must find consistency and win the remaining four games on the schedule if they hope to participate in the Big 12 Championship game.