Where Past Texas Longhorns Teams Rank Among All Time CFP Teams

The College Football Playoff replaced the Bowl Championship Series ahead of the 2014-15 season, marking the start of a new era in college football.

64 teams have participated in the CFP since its inception, two of which belonged to the Texas Longhorns.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly has released a list ranking each of the 64 qualifiers in history, and here’s where Texas’ teams stand in his eyes.

2023 and 2024 Texas teams finish in bottom half

Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeye — Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) tackles Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (5) during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Longhorns made back-to-back CFP appearances in 2023 and 2024, losing in the semifinal round each time. In 2023, it was the Washington Huskies who took them out, and in 2024 they beat both the Clemson Tigers and Arizona State Sun Devils in the inaugural 12-team bracket before falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Connelly had positive things to say of Texas’ 2023 and 2024 teams and the years that they had, ultimately ranking them as the No. 38 and No. 36 best CFP teams in history, respectively. Between them was the 2022 TCU Horned Frogs team captained by quarterback Max Duggan.

Depending on who is being asked, these Longhorn teams could probably be ranked a little bit higher. However, what seems more relevant is discussing where they stand in comparison to 2025 CFP teams.

Where do this season’s playoff teams stand

Texas Longhorns football CF — Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) returns a fumble recovery for a touchdown after sacking Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Sawyer returned the fumble for a touchdown, and Ohio State won 28-14. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The bracket is obviously more forgiving now that 12 teams are selected to take part in the postseason.

However, it still seems a bit telling that several of this year’s playoff teams don’t seem to stack up at all when it comes to previous CFP participants. Six of the twelve teams in the 2025 bracket are in the bottom 15 on Connelly’s list (with six more being from 2024 during the first 12-team bracket year), indicating that Connelly believes most teams that have historically made the bracket would take them down.

Just five of this year's teams are ranked ahead of Texas’ two CFP teams, and they are as follows: Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers are ranked the highest out of the 2025 teams, but they still don’t break into the top 15 of all-time qualifiers. What this indicates about the current state of college football is up to interpretation, but it could certainly mean that this year’s field lacks the same strength that other CFP brackets have contained.

What this means for the Texas Longhorns is also hard to quantify, given the difficulty associated with comparing teams from different years and levels of competition, but it is interesting to consider the hypotheticals.

Some of the teams that beat them into this year’s CFP are ranked among the worst in history, a fact that’s likely at least somewhat aggravating for particular fans.

Despite the fact that the Longhorns weren’t included, it will be fascinating to see how this year’s CFP pans out.