Texas Longhorns Projected to Face Big 12 Rival in College Football Playoff

A new college football playoff prediction has the Texas Longhorns set to face the best teams in the state

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning passes the ball during the first quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns continue to control their own destiny in the 2025 season, with contests looming with two top-five teams in their next three games. With a bye week under their belt and the end of the season looming, conversations have started about where the Longhorns could find themselves in the College Football Playoff.

The latest projection from CBS Sports would send the state of Texas into a state of pure hostility and prove to be an incredibly tough path for the Longhorns in their aspirations to make the National Championship this season.

With a road game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and then the winner being sent to take on the Texas A&M Aggies, the Longhorns would have to get through their two biggest in-state foes in hopes of returning to the point they were at last season.

Lone Star Showdowns

Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko, left, shakes hands with Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian after the game. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 17-7. at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Longhorns are projected as the 10-seed in the College Football Playoff, which would put them on the road against the No. 7-ranked team in the playoff, the Texas Tech Red Raiders from the Big 12.

The Red Raiders have become one of the biggest stories this season, thanks to their use of the transfer portal and their projected $20 million football roster, which has given them a look that befits their status. They just won a top-10 showdown against the BYU Cougars, and with gameday there, they lived up to the hype, dominating the contest.

The Longhorns are familiar with the team out of West Texas, having played 73 times, including their first matchup nearly 100 years ago in 1928. Historically, the Longhorns have dominated the rivalry, winning 55 times, including their matchup in 2023 before they departed the Big 12 for the SEC.

In a matchup between old money and new money, both teams would pit their fan bases and the state against each other in the contest, and the winner would only have more in-state competition to deal with, as they would have to face the projected No. 2 seed, the Texas A&M Aggies.

For the Longhorns, they know their biggest rival, the Aggies, well. Reigniting the rivalry last season after joining the SEC, and if they were to meet up in the quarterfinals of the playoff, it would be their second time meeting this season, after the Nov. 29 matchup on the Forty Acres.

When it comes to the College Football Playoff, no one is expected to have an easy path to the National Championship, but having to face two of your biggest in-state rivals would make the Longhorns battle-ready, should they make it past them.

The Longhorns will travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT