Texas Longhorns Stand Pat at No. 7 in College Football Playoff Rankings

In this story:
AUSTIN, Texas -- Another week, another College Football Playoff rankings release, which means yet another No. 7 ranking for the Texas Longhorns, who found themselves in that slot once again Tuesday in the final rankings reveal before the real thing on Sunday.
No. 7 Texas (11-1) will play No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington on Saturday.
Here's the top 10 of this week's CFP rankings:
No. 1 - Georgia Bulldogs
No. 2 - Michigan Wolverines
No. 3 - Washington Huskies
No. 4 - Florida State Seminoles
No. 5 - Oregon Ducks
No. 6 - Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 7 - Texas Longhorns
No. 8 - Alabama Crimson Tide
No. 9 - Missouri Tigers
No. 10 - Penn State Nittany Lions
Asked again by the media on Monday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian continued to show confidence in his team as a CFP contender but reiterated the importance of focusing on Oklahoma State first.
"Why wouldn't I?" Sarkisian said when asked if he believes his team is a CFP contender. " ... I don't know why I wouldn't think we're a College Football Playoff contender. We'll talk more about that I'm sure after the game Saturday, but we're in great position. But what I also know is we have to take care of our business. There is no College Football Playoff topic if we don't play really good Saturday."
Win or lose in the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma State, it's highly unlikely that Texas will remain at No. 7 come Sunday when four teams are officially chosen to compete in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns would vault themselves into top-four territory with a win and would obviously fall out of CFP contention with a loss.
A loss for Texas would end two separate championship hopes in one fatal blow and would put a major damper on a season that's delivered the best the Longhorns have had to offer in over a decade.
Texas and Oklahoma State kickoff from AT&T Stadium at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.
Texas Longhorns Big 12 Championship Preview: Oklahoma State Cowboys
Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7
Follow ZachDimmitt7