Texas Just Gave the CFP Committee Another Reason to Take Notice

The No. 7 Texas Longhorns stay the course as the 2026 regular season turns to its final stretch, as the Longhorns keep building momentum through the middle of the season to help fuel their run through the home stretch.

The Longhorns stay hot as they win their third straight game after taking down the No. 18 Missouri Tigers 34-20 in a back-and-forth affair that required big performances from several players, securing a big-time road win in the SEC, which is never easy.

Texas now adds another huge notch to its belt as its collection of wins and overall body of work is becoming so grand that a spot in the College Football Playoff shouldn't just be a maybe for the Longhorns; it should be a given.

Texas' Collection of Wins is possibly the Best in the Nation

Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) runs the ball during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Longhorns checked in at No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings, and while a 6-2 record at the time, felt like Texas received a much better ranking than initially imagined, especially with teams like an undefeated UCLA and a one-loss BYU right behind it.

Texas' resume was undoubtedly unusual for the committee to evaluate; on the one hand, the Longhorns have one of the best collections of wins among any team in the country. The Longhorns have three wins against teams that ranked in the Top 15 of the first CFP rankings.

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However, the Longhorns' two losses were, understandably, a major argument in keeping them lower in the rankings with back-to-back losses to unranked opponents in Oklahoma and Florida a few weeks ago.

Now with their win against Missouri, the Longhorns keep on rolling and continue to make their resume be amongst one of, if not the best in the country as they now have four wins over AP Top 25 teams this season, the most in the country.

And when Texas faces some of the better teams in the nation, it rises to the occasion, as Saturday's win also marks the sixth straight win against ranked opponents for the Longhorns.

The Longhorns will be hard to keep out of the postseason, not because of the logo or the brand that Texas has, which is one of the biggest arguments detractors have against Steve Sarkisian's team, but because of the body of work and the product his team has put out on the football field.

Texas's wins over No. 12 Ohio State, then No. 1 at the time, were as close to full strength as possible, unlike now, No. 13 Tennessee in Knoxville, which teams like Alabama and Kentucky have been unable to do, No. 10 Ole Miss, which was a response after two straight losses and the most recent win over Missouri should secure the Longhorns a spot in the CFP, outright.

No team behind the Longhorns, regardless of record, has a better body of work than they do, and with the few teams ranked ahead of them, their resumes are also looking a bit empty compared to Texas'.

Texas looks to keep padding its resume with a road trip to Death Valley, taking on an LSU Tigers team fresh off a loss to Alabama, and another ranked win will certainly make the Longhorns' case for the CFP much more undeniable.

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