Johnny Manziel rules college football powerhouse out of CFP race after loss

Former Texas A&M star and Heisman Trophy winning QB Johnny Manziel has never been shy. In his current work on Nightcap , he took in the realm of college football after Week 12 and made a clear declaration. Texas's CFP hopes are gone, according to the man known as Johnny Football. Whether the season will bear out that assertion remains to be seen.

Manizel and co-hosts Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson and Shannon Sharpe were discussing Texas's 35-10 loss to Georgia when Manziel declared the Longhorns' Playoff hopes to be finished.

Johnny Football on Texas

Can we say this? This eliminates Texas from all talk of being in the College Football Playoff. See you boys next season in August.
Johnny Manziel

Sharpe cackled in delight as Manziel, conjuring up memories of his days as a rival of the 'Horns at Texas A&M, seemed to relish the downfall of the Longhorns. That said, Texas's Playoff dreams, while on life support, may not be totally finished.

Texas's CFP situation

Yes, the 7-3 Longhorns really needed to avoid a third loss (and a second conference loss) to say on the inside rim of the CFP field. But Texas still faces A&M to end the regular season in two weeks and ESPN's FPI still gives UT a 19.9% chance at reaching the CFP field. FPI pretty clearly regards four SEC teams as locked and loaded for the CFP, with Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama all at 83.9% or better chances of reaching the Playoff.

But a fifth SEC spot could still be up for grabs. Oklahoma has now jumped solidly to the lead in that race with a 49.2% shot at the Playoff. Texas is behind OU, with Vanderbilt as the only other real competitor (10.4% chance). Nobody else in the SEC is above an 0.8% shot.

How Texas can still reach the CFP

The recipe for Texas to prove Manziel wrong is fairly straightforward: the Longhorns need to best Arkansas and Texas A&M at home and they need the Sooners to take a home loss to either Missouri or LSU. At the moment, Texas's losses to Ohio State and Georgia probably don't really hurt the 'Horns chances. It's the loss to 3-7 Florida that leaves Texas currently on the outside looking in.

But Manziel's declaration of Texas postseason death could be a little too early. Suffice it to say that Johnny Football's usual interest in the Texas A&M/Texas battle probably jumps yet a little higher this season.

Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns are declared out of the CFP by Johnny Manziel. But Texas may still have a Playoff path. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images