Making the Case for the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff

From the preseason favorites to dropping into unranked territory, the No. 16 Texas Longhorns are, once again, back in the conversation as a front-runner contender for the at-large bid in the College Football Playoffs following their pivotal win against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies on Friday.

Their tough schedule as well as stellar performances against top-ranked teams this season could be enough to secure the Longhorns a bid in the postseason tournament.

Will this win be enough for Texas? Let’s dive further into its resume this season.

Texas’ 2025 Resume

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) rushes touchdown against the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 28, 2025 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Sitting at 9-3, Texas’ strength as a team goes beyond its record.

Despite the Longhorns' three recorded losses, two of them were registered against top 5 AP-ranked teams. Overall, the unit faced four top five teams in the 2025 season, to which they hold a split 2-2 record in those matchups.

They also beat three top-10 teams in the regular season, which makes them the first team since the 2019 LSU Tigers - a team that many consider to be the best team in college football history - to achieve such a feat.

One of those two losses was suffered against the No.1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, in which Texas opened its season with a 14-7 defeat. However, the Longhorns still remain the only team this season to come within a possession’s reach of the defending national champions.

They suffered two more blows this season, which include a 29-21 upset loss against the unranked Florida Gators in week 6, as well as a 35-10 blowout against the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs in week 12.

Despite their loss against the Gators, which knocked them out of playoff contention, the Longhorns have maintained strength and resilience as a unit — showing that the loss was only a fluke after shutting down the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners with a 23-6 win in week 7.

During the meat of the season, Texas defeated teams in non-conference play in blowout victories, as well as clinching a win in the week 10 matchup against the No. 12 Vanderbilt Commodores in a 34-31 manner.

However, its winning record doesn’t stop there.

Even considering their deafening loss against the Bulldogs, the Longhorns proved to rally for their final conference matchups — two games which proved to be vital for keeping their playoff chances alive.

Winning in a dominant 52-37 fashion against Arkansas, before swiftly taking down the No. 3 Texas A&M in a 27-17 upset victory.

Through it all, Texas ended its season on a positively high-note, and their challenging schedule concluded by a decisive win against a top-5 team should be enough to warrant a bid by the committee for the College Football Playoff.