Week 12 College Football Playoff Projections: Where the Longhorns Stack Up

USA Today’s Erick Smith projects the Texas Longhorns will face Penn State and Oregon in the College Football Playoff.

December is just under two weeks away, not only does that bring the Christmas scene, but it also unleashes the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

The SEC will be muddled until Week 14 results, with every game until then having a crucial key meaning to the post-season. Texas will have to win out against Kentucky and A&M, both of which they are likely to according to ESPN Analytics.

USA Today’s Erick Smith’s latest prediction scenarios have the Texas Longhorns be in a CFP Matchup against Penn State at most likely Darell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. While this is just a prediction, it does have the potential to play out.

While the Longhorns beat Arkansas, there are questions whether they can defeat both Texas A&M and the Alabama away from home and secure the conference title. He also noted that lack of quality wins on the Texas resume means the seeding slot should fall behind that of Georgia and Mississippi. Alabama becomes the No. 2 Seed and overtakes Texas for the spot. The projection also has Alabama taking the SEC Championship, over Texas.

The projections also have Texas winning against Penn State and facing Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. In this prediction, Texas will fall short of the College Football Playoff semi-finals. 

Another round of College Football Playoff rankings are slated for later Tuesday night.

  • Ranking 3: Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Ranking 4: Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m.-9 p.m.
  • Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
  • Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8 at noon-4 p.m.

See the full prediction of all matchups, here.