One Analyst Has Already Given Up Hope On The Texas Longhorns

In his weekly review of the college football playoff top 25, the longtime broadcaster believes that other teams have a smoother path to the playoff than Texas.

Sep 10, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talks with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

After the No.17 Texas Longhorns (7-3, 4-2 in the SEC) suffered their third loss of the season, many around the college football world reasoned that there was no way that Texas could find its way into the college football playoff.

In Joel Klatt's most recent edition of his CFP Rankings Recap, the college football analyst outlined a slim path for the Longhorns to find themselves among the final 12 teams competing for a national championship. While the former Colorado quarterback believes that Texas has a path to the playoff, he also believes that it's the hardest one to navigate.

Texas was grouped with other teams like No.15 USC and No.18 Michigan in Klatt's discussion of programs that are on the outside-looking-in but still have top teams on their remaining schedule. The Trojans will face No.7 Oregon this weekend and the Wolverines will face No.1 Ohio State to close the regular season.

Klatt's Thoughts on the Longhorns' Odds

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) poses with the trophy after a victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After painting a picture of how USC can find itself in the CFP, Klatt then moved on to the Texas Longhorns. He suggested that Texas' path, unlike USC's, is far more complicated.

"I think they're more done than they have a path," Klatt said. "They play Arkansas, a team who's 2-8 — that's not gonna help their resume at all — but then they play A&M and obviously that would."

Klatt then brought Texas' current resume to light. The Longhorns' best wins this season have come against the No.8 Oklahoma Sooners and the No.14 Vanderbilt Commodores. While Texas currently holds the No.6 strength of schedule in the country, Klatt reasoned that because there's never been a 9-3 team in the playoff, the odds of getting an at-large bid aren't in their favor.

"That team has yet to play a four-quarter game," Klatt said. "We haven't even seen them play well. If this committee values the eye test, I don't think Texas gets in on the eye test."

Even after Texas' 35-10 loss to the No.4 Georgia Bulldogs, there were some that still believed that the Longhorns could potentially get an at-large bid with a win over the Aggies at the end of the regular season. Klatt's observations certainly carry some weight. Even in some of Texas' wins this season, the Longhorns have been pushed to the brink by teams like Kentucky and Mississippi State.

While it would still be difficult to make it into the college football playoff with three losses, the Longhorns potentially having three top-15 wins would definitely help their case.

To close his weekly discussion on the current college football playoff rankings, Klatt briefly mentioned the committee's criteria when it comes to evaluating each program's resume. He added that if the committee doesn't plan to punish teams for scheduling tough opponents, it would make both Texas' loss to No.1 Ohio State and Michigan's loss to No.8 Oklahoma something to consider when talking about teams on the bubble.

Klatt also emphasized that even if a 9-3 team were to ever make the playoffs, he's not convinced this year's Longhorns would be the ones to set that precedent.

"Is this the team that we want to say 9-3 gets in?" Klatt asked. "Is this the Texas team — is this résumé, is this group — the team that you really want to pound the table for and set a new precedent to allow them into the playoff at 9-3 even with a Texas A&M win? I don't see it."