How Texas Longhorns Can Alter Entire College Football Playoff Landscape

Heading into the 2025 college football season, the Texas Longhorns were the team to beat. They had a Heisman Trophy favorite at quarterback, one of the best defenses in the nation, one of the best coaches in the nation and were poised to make another deep run at a National Championship.

Sitting at 6-2, the Longhorns’ season is not over yet. They still have the opportunity to go 10-2 and make they playoffs, but there is also the chance that they go 6-6, although it is unlikely.

Either way, the Texas Longhorns will have a major impact on the College Football Playoffs. If they win out, they have a shot at contending for a championship, if they lose, other teams’ resumes will be impacted by Texas’ fall from grace.

How Texas Can Impact CFP Bracket

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“They impact all of those other contenders’ resumes,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich said on Tuesday. “Including Ohio State. So, if Texas were to go on a downward spiral here and fade out of the picture into irrelevance, how does that Ohio State’s resume? How does it impact Vandy’s resume? What does a win against Texas mean in the end on selection day?”

The Longhorns’ two losses this season have come against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, a win that thrust the Buckeyes into the premier spot, and a scrappy Florida team on the road.

When the No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores come to town, they will surely be fighting hard for a win over the Longhorns to enhance their resume as the playoffs loom. A win over Texas would be a double-edged sword, however. While a win is a win, it would decrease the quality of victory since Texas would likely fall out of the rankings with three losses.

At the same time, victories over Vanderbilt and the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies would do wonders for both Texas and Ohio State’s resumes and will likely make it hard for the selection committee to leave the Longhorns out of the College Football Playoff.

“As poorly as they’ve played, they’ve still been winning,” Dinich said. “Back-to-back road games, overtime. They’re still in this thing.”

With quarterback Arch Manning still in concussion protocol, it is becoming increasingly apparent that backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell will need to deliver a storybook performance against the Commodores to keep the Longhorns’ playoff hopes alive.

Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.