5 Reasons Why Texas Should Be In the College Football Playoff (and what happens now)

This is written as Texas is wrapping up its start-to-finish blasting of Oklahoma State for the Big 12 Championship. It’s also before the SEC, Big Ten and ACC championships kickoff, and knowing that Washington is already in as the Pac-12 champion.

So why, and how, should 12-1 Big 12 Champion Texas be in the four-team playoff? Here are 5 reasons, but first …

(NOTE: This totally changes depending on what happens the rest of the day. I'm trying to make the Texas case - I'll do the What 4 Teams Deserve To Be In thing later, and the 5 Reasons Why Florida State Should Be In, if needed and when warranted.)

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5. There’s a chance this piece is totally irrelevant by the time you read it, because …

Depending on when you’re seeing this, here’s the path to how this should work - again, before the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC championships get going.

Washington is in, and let’s assume Michigan wins - more on that in a moment. If Florida State loses to Louisville, it’s done. Washington, the other two spots are sorted out between Michigan and the SEC, and Texas is the 4. There wouldn’t be any real debate.

Again, assume Michigan wins, that would make it four unbeaten or one-loss Power Five conference champions, and FSU is out. Easy peasy.

But let’s assume for the sake of this whole argument to work, it’s a debate for the 4 spot. One more hypothetical here …

4. The SEC Championship plays a role

If Georgia beats Alabama in a few hours, Texas is in trouble. If Alabama wins, then it’s Game On. Washington, Michigan, and if Florida State is 13-0, Florida State. Alabama - that just beat No. 1 unbeaten Georgia - or Texas that whacked Bama a few months ago in Tuscaloosa, or is Florida State out?

I’m honestly not sure how the committee would go, but the easiest thing to justify - which is what they like - would be Michigan, Washington, Texas, Florida State. No, I can’t imagine a world in which the College Football Playoff wouldn’t include the SEC Champion, so let’s dive into the arguments for Texas …

3. 12-1 Big 12 Champion

One play.

It’s not like Texas got whacked by Rice, and it’s not like Oklahoma steamrolled through in a Red River blowout. Texas lost to Oklahoma in an always crazy rivalry game on the final OU drive in the final seconds of a wild 34-30 game.

And yes, Oklahoma is good. That wasn’t a bad loss in any way - it’s about as forgivable as it gets.

And yes, there were too-close calls against Kansas State, TCU, and Houston, but this is where watching the games makes a difference. Texas was rolling against K-State until it lost focus in the fourth. Same thing with TCU up 26-6 in the fourth.

Texas did need a late score to get by a bad Houston team, but that’s hardly a disqualifier - get the road win in a conference game.

2. The talent is there

Not to school shame, and give all credit to 2022 TCU for getting the national championship, but the talent wasn’t there like it is with this Texas team. None of the Oklahoma teams that made the CFP were quite this good across the board - that’s debatable, though.

This team is every bit as NFL great at Georgia, and Michigan, and Washington, and Florida State. When it comes to the “four best teams” and however you want to categorize that, you’re not wrong with Texas.

And then when it comes to the “deserve” factor …

1. Texas 34, Alabama 24 …

September 9th. In Tuscaloosa.

Don’t just blow this off as being a lifetime ago, and Jalen Milroe not being great yet, and Alabama not being up to speed, and …

Blah, blah, blah.

The Big 12 was FAR better this year head-to-head against other Power Five conferences than the SEC - the SEC was the worst, by the way - and yeah, the entirety of the season counts in the College Football Playoff debate.

Technically, according to the College Football Playoff penultimate rankings, Washington has the two best wins of the season being No. 5 Oregon twice, Michigan has the second-best win over Ohio State, Oklahoma has the third-best win over Texas, and Texas has the fourth-best win over Alabama.

BUT TEXAS PUT BAMA THERE.

The only reason Oregon and Ohio State are higher is because they fit. They had to be below Washington and Michigan, respectively, and Texas HAS to be ahead of Alabama.

(Again, this is written just as the SEC Championship is getting going.) The calculus changes if Bama beats Georgia, but if Texas gets more credit for beating Bama now, then it should get that credit …

Let’s wait until we we how things go in Atlanta.

No. 1 in the nation in third down conversions. No. 4 in total offense, No. 11 in scoring offense. No. 1 in the Big 12 in total defense. Texas really is just that good.

So let me put it this way, not knowing how the rest of Saturday goes.

Texas being in the final four-team College Football Playoff - if and however it happens - wouldn’t be wrong. It could win the whole thing.