Texas is moving on up.
The Longhorns jumped up one spot to No. 6 in the second College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, receiving recognition from the selection committee after another hard-fought win against a conference opponent.
Texas climbed from No. 7 after defeating then-No. 18 Missouri 34-20 on the road Saturday. Missouri dropped four spots to No. 22 following its loss.
The Longhorns sit right behind Notre Dame, which jumped six spots to No. 5 after defeating previously undefeated Miami. Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA occupy the top four positions, respectively.
Despite its two losses, Texas has earned its current spot through the quality of its victories. Hunter Yurachek, chairman of the CFP selection committee, addressed the Longhorns’ position during Tuesday’s post-ranking press conference, pointing to their schedule as a reason for their placement.
“I think the committee has given Texas a lot of respect in spite of those two losses to unranked teams because of the quality of their schedule and the wins they have over Tennessee, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Missouri,” Yurachek said.
Yuracheck’s comments speak volumes about the committee’s commitment to valuing strength of wins. With their victories over No. 8 Tennessee, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 Ohio State and No. 22 Missouri, the Longhorns are the only team in the country that has accumulated four wins over teams currently ranked in the committee’s top 25. And they have been rewarded with a spot in the current CFP field.
However, the ugly losses against Oklahoma and Florida, of course, remain a significant part of the committee’s evaluation. Another surprising loss could hinder Texas’ playoff hopes.
And while the committee’s ranking at the end of the year is the ultimate decider of which teams earn a playoff bid, head coach Steve Sarkisian has been reluctant to put much emphasis on the committee’s weekly evaluations. Instead, he’s focusing on the matchups ahead.
“Obviously, going on the road to play at LSU at night, another top-25 matchup for us,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “I think one of the keys is, something that we’ve been harping on, is taking practice to the game. … Ultimately, having the poise and composure on the road, and doing it with a real sense of confidence, because that’s going to be needed Saturday night as well.”
Sarkisian’s approach has been to let Texas’ performance speak for itself.
Following the Missouri win, he pointed to the Longhorns’ success against top-ranked teams and their two road wins as evidence of the team’s ability to compete against the country’s best.
“A tough win on the road against another top-20 opponent, … I think the next closest team in the country has two, and (it’s) our second top-25 win on the road,” Sarkisian said after the victory. “Like we say all the time, we’re big-game hunters and we’ve showed up again today.”
This week’s LSU matchup at Tiger Stadium is another opportunity for Texas to strengthen its resume. A fifth victory against a currently ranked opponent would further support the case Sarkisian has made for his team.
But for now, Texas has just made another step in the right direction for playoff contention.
