Texas eyes SEC title contention. With a slim chance, they aim to topple top rivals and secure a championship berth in a dramatic season finale.
The Texas Longhorns (7-2) are still in the SEC title hunt. Despite a 3-2 start the Longhorns have climbed their way into the title race though it's a long shot they make the conference title.
Texas is 4-1 in conference and one of five SEC squads with one loss or less in league play. That gives the Longhorns a chance, though a slim one, to make the championship game.
The Longhorns' four title competitors all rank in the Top 6 of the College Football Playoff rankings. One of the teams is a longtime rival and familiar opponent.
The No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies sit atop the SEC standings with an undefeated 9-0 record and 6-0 record in conference play. A&M has been fortunate not to face anyone else in the top half of the conference dodging all of Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Tennessee. They still have one tough matchup left on their schedule.
Texas A&M travels to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns in Week 14 in what will be a defining game for the Aggies' season. A&M did secure a win over No. 10 Notre Dame earlier in the season, but has not been tested outside of that early matchup. With South Carolina and Samford as the next two games before Texas, it's likely they enter the final game undefeated.
Texas longhorns edge rusher Ethan Burke (91) stops Texas A&M running back Amari Daniels (5) on fourth and goal at the 1-yard line during the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field. Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn ImagesNo. 4 Alabama also has an undefeated conference record at 6-0 with wins over Georgia and Tennessee. No. 12 Oklahoma poses perhaps the only real threat to upend the Crimson Tide's SEC title bid and even that seems unlikely.
No. 5 Georgia comes in next in the standings at 8-1 overall and 6-1 in SEC play. Like A&M, Georgia will face Texas in the season's final three games. The Longhorns have the opportunity to knock the two out of the title race with head-to-head matchups, but the next team on the list is unlikely to lose again in the regular season.
No. 6 Ole Miss has two SEC games left on its schedule with a 5-1 record in conference play and a 9-1 record overall. It probably isn't going to lose either of their last two games. The Rebels face the Florida Gators, who just lost in blowout fashion against the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who sit at 5-5 on the season.
Texas still has a slim chance to make the SEC title game, but it will need Alabama and/or Ole Miss to lose. Both seem unlikely. Albeit a 10-2 finish with wins over Texas A&M and Georgia would solidify Texas as perhaps a Top 5 team in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns will hope to close the season with that billing over the next three weeks.