Why Urban Meyer Thinks Texas Deserves to Make College Football Playoff

The former head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes believes that Texas has done enough to reach the playoff.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer broadcasts on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff prior to the NCAA football game between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday, former head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Urban Meyer joined Colin Cowherd's "The Herd" to discuss which bubble teams deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Meyer suggested that the No. 14 Texas Longhorns "deserve to be in" because the committee shouldn't penalize them for their season-opening loss to Ohio State.

The Longhorns fell to the Buckeyes, 14-7, at the beginning of the season in Columbus.

Urban Meyer: "Texas Deserves to Be In"

Former head coach Urban Meyer congratulates Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day in the final moments of the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Texas deserves to be in," Meyer said. "I would not penalize that loss against Ohio State. You can’t do that….If they didn’t play Ohio State, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

After Texas' loss to Florida back in early October, Meyer seemed to have a completely different opinion on the Longhorns stating that they wouldn't make the playoff.

Despite suffering another loss to the No. 3-ranked Georgia Bulldogs late in the season, Texas still finds itself on the playoff "bubble" with its recent win over No. 7 Texas A&M. The Aggies were ranked No. 3 in the country when the Longhorns beat them last Friday night.

Meyer's Thoughts on the Longhorns Carries Weight

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and team gesture after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Right now, if I'm Chris Del Conte and Sarkisian, there's a chance they're going to be left out of the playoff because they played Ohio State in Week 1," Meyer told Cowherd. "Why would you do that?"

Meyer makes a point that has been made by many recently, which carries a lot of weight. If programs are punished for scheduling tough opponents, there's no reason to match up against Power Four teams outside of conference play.

Unfortunately for Coach Sarkisian and the Longhorns, their playoff hopes rely on how heavily the playoff committee values facing Top-10 opponents. Texas has faced five Top-10 opponents this season and held its own with a 3-2 record. The Longhorns' losses came against the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country.

Meyer then went on to say that if the committee penalizes Texas for scheduling Ohio State, then the sport of college football would begin to see some of the worst out-of-conference games ever.

There's definitely a trade-off when it comes to scheduling ranked opponents in the out-of-conference schedule. While earning a ranked win before hitting conference play can do wonders for a program's strength of schedule and strength of record, losing that game, even to the best team in the country, can be detrimental to your college football playoff resume.

Among the debates about who should be left out of the playoffs, there's one looming matter that doesn't get addressed. Transparency. While the College Football Playoff rankings can provide us with an idea of what the committee will do on selection Sunday, every committee appears to value different things.

One group may prioritize strength of record, another may value head-to-head results, and another lean heavily on conference championship results and recent injuries. That inconsistency makes predicting the final few teams that make the playoffs almost impossible. It also leaves teams like Texas guessing when scheduling out-of-conference games in the future.