The first official 12-team college football playoff rankings come out on Tuesday. The Texas Longhorns enter rankings Week 1 coming off of a bye week, but there was still a lot of big matchups and big upsets to jostle the teams before the first reveal.
ESPN has published a new projection of the rankings Top 12, taking into account Saturday’s results.
The biggest matchup of the day was Ohio State at Penn State. Down 10-0 in the first quarter, the Buckeyes outscored the Nittany Lions 20-3 the rest of the way to earn a tough 20-13 win. Both teams now have one conference loss.
Top ranked Oregon handled Michigan 38-17 in the Big House. A score that feels similar to the Horns win in Ann Arbor. Georiga shook of rival Florida, 34-20, after scoring the final 14 points to break a fourth quarter tie. And Miami stayed undefeated after dominating Duke, 53-31.
There were some big upsets too. Of most interest to Longhorns fans, a scoreless second half doomed Texas A&M on the road at South Carolina. The Gamecocks won pulling away 44-20. The Aggies first conference loss and second loss overall severely hurts A&M’s playoff chances. ESPN doesn’t ranked the Aggies in the Top 12. Clemson was beaten convincingly by Louisville, 33-21.
The network does project the Texas Longhorns in the Top 12. ESPN lists the Longhorns No. 5. Texas controls its own destiny. If UT wins out in the regular season, they are all but assured a spot in the 12-team playoff. But troublesome games are ahead for a Longhorns team that seems vulnerable.
ESPN’s College Football Playoff Projections:
- Oregon Ducks (9-0)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1)
- Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
- Miami Hurricanes (9-0)
- Texas Longhorns (7-1)
- BYU Cougars (8-0)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1)
- Tennessee Volunteers (7-1)
- Boise State Broncos (7-1)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
- Indiana Hoosiers (9-0)
- Alabama Crimson tide (6-2)