Another Analyst Believes Texas Deserves a CFP Spot Over Notre Dame

Emmanuel Acho says that Texas has more of an argument for the playoff than the Fighting Irish.

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With the College Football Playoff selection show just hours away, the debates around who's getting in this year have only escalated. Earlier this week, Emmanuel Acho took to social media to give his thoughts on Selection Sunday

The member of Fox Sports 1 believes that the Texas Longhorns and the Miami Hurricanes should make it into the College Football Playoff over a team like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

"3-loss Texas might need to be considered for the College Football Playoff," Acho said on X. "Name another team that has beaten three teams in the top-10. That's Texas. They beat No. 9 Vanderbilt, they beat No. 6 Oklahoma, they beat No. 3 Texas A&M....Even more impressive than any of Texas' wins, how about Texas' loss at Ohio State?"

"You're telling me, for real, there are 12 better teams than Texas? I understand they had a bad Georgia loss, and after that loss, even I fixed my lips to say that wasn't good enough to be considered for the playoff, but after beating A&M, things change."

A Closer Look at Acho's Case for the Longhorns

Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

It's easy to say that since Texas earned three top-10 wins, they should get in to the College Football Playoff. After all, finding even two wins over top-10 opponents is already extremely difficult. While Acho raises a good argument for the Longhorns with their wins, he missed the mark with his argument for their losses.

It isn't the Georgia loss that everyone is pointing at when arguing against Texas to make the College Football Playoff. While the final score (35-10 in favor of Georgia) got out of hand in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns were still competitive for over three quarters in Athens.

For many, it's the Florida loss that keeps Steve Sarkisian and his program out of the playoff. For a Texas program that stood toe-to-toe with one best teams in the country in Columbus to open the season, a loss to a team is inexcusable.

If the Longhorns hadn't played down to their opponent's level in Week 6, they would likely be a top-10 team with a strong argument to land either the No. 10 or No. 9 seed.

For Notre Dame fans everywhere, Acho's point about the Longhorns' win over Texas A&M is the bigger threat to their spot in the College Football Playoff. Not only did Texas close the season with a dominant win over a top-5 team, but the Fighting Irish lost to the Aggies in Week 1 of the college football season.

While the committee hasn't normally made significant changes to their rankings based on transitive wins, they may look at more criteria this year with around four teams advocating for the final playoff spot.