Texas clings to playoff spot. See who's in, who's out, and the surprising teams battling for supremacy.
The No. 10 Texas Longhorns (7-2) are in the College Football Playoff field for now. The Longhorns entered the tournament after the BYU Cougars fell from the rankings.
Here's a look at the current field.
In The Field
- Ohio State 9-0
- Indiana 10-0
- Texas A&M 9-0
- Alabama 8-1
- Georgia 8-1
- Texas Tech 9-1
- Ole Miss 9-1
- Oregon 8-1
- Notre Dame 7-2
- Texas 7-2
- Miami 7-2
- South Florida 7-2
Last Two Out
1. Oklahoma 7-2
2. BYU 7-2
There are several interesting takeaways from the poll. The first is at No. 6 in the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tech jumped from No. 8 to No. 6 after defeating the now No. 12 BYU Cougars. However, their resume might not be as impressive as that of No. 7 Ole Miss.
Ole Miss has done all that could be asked of them. The Rebels defeated No. 11 Oklahoma on the road and nearly upset No. 5 Georgia on the road. The eye test would certainly tell you Ole Miss is the better team, but the committee thinks otherwise.
Oregon checks in at No. 8 after a close win against then No. 20 Iowa on the road, 18-16. And while it still counts as a win on Oregon's record, the Ducks had to kick a last second field goal to win it. The lack of quality wins moves the team to No. 8 despite only having one loss.
Notre Dame slots at No. 9 after a dominant performance against Navy (7-2). Like last season, the Irish are winning back the playoff committee after a slow start in 2025. Making the national title last season likely earned some benefit of the doubt.
Notre Dame wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. (15), cornerback Cree Thomas (20) and others celebrate after winning a NCAA football game 49-10 against Navy at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in South Bend.MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesComing in at No. 10 stands the Texas Longhorns who are 7-2 on the season. Texas is winning over doubters in its own right. The Longhorns had about as rocky a five-game beginning to the season as they could have. Texas started 3-2 with losses to the only two quality opponents they faced in No. 1 Ohio State and unranked Florida. After a four-game winning streak and victories over playoff hopefuls in Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, Texas looks like a different team.
The No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (7-2) and No. 12 BYU Cougars (8-1) fall just outside the tournament as the first two teams out. Despite being in the playoff committee's 12 best teams, they stand outside the field to accommodate automatic bids to the ACC leading Miami Hurricanes (7-2) and the Group of Five's best in South Florida (7-2). Oklahoma may need to defeat No. 4 Alabama on the road to make it into the tournament.
The lack of undefeated challengers in the G5 ranks challenges the legitimacy of their inclusion in the 12-team playoff.
First round playoff matchups would go as follows:
No. 12 South Florida at No. 5 Georgia
No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Texas Tech
No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Ole Miss
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oregon
For now, Texas is solidly in the field. It will look to improve its footing with a road win over Georgia this weekend.