The College Football Playoff committee made its opinion of the Texas Longhorns clear on Tuesday night. Without saying it, the committee does not want Texas in the 2023 playoff.
The Longhorns are certainly deserving. The schedule speaks for itself, headlined by a decisive 34-24 win over No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The team knocked off No. 25 Kansas State with its backup quarterback. Its lone loss came against No. 12 Oklahoma.
The Oregon Ducks’ No. 5 ranking has caught the ire of Texas faithful, and with good reason. Oregon lost to the only top opponent it has played. Until last week’s win over four-loss Oregon State, the team’s top wins were against backup quarterback-led Utah (8-4) and defenseless USC (7-5). Unlike the Longhorns, the Ducks did not face eight bowl teams, including three in nonconference play.
More disturbing is Ohio State’s ranking ahead of Texas. The committee is aware the Buckeyes cannot win their conference. Ohio State lost to its only elite opponent, now No. 2 Michigan.
With that, the two teams immediately ahead of Texas failed to beat playoff caliber competition. If performance against the best of the best isn’t the measure of how a team stacks up in a playoff, perhaps we have the wrong system of measurement.
The rankings are clear: scheduling elite opponents doesn’t matter except in head-to-head matchups. Beating elite teams doesn’t matter as long as you beat average teams impressively. Going 12-1 after facing three bowl teams in nonconference or facing nine in total will not move the needle for a playoff berth.
After Ohio State’s ranking ahead of Texas, it’s uncertain if the committee would move Texas ahead of Washington should the Huskies lose against Oregon. Even so, the Longhorns can still win their conference. Perhaps the rankings will spark the motivated performance needed to take home a Big 12 title.