Texas Lands At No. 7 In First CFP Rankings, Playoff Hopes Surge

Texas football has taken a significant step toward the College Football Playoff, and Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns have the selection committee's attention.

Despite two disappointing losses, Texas debuted at No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season, released Tuesday night.

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The placement puts the 6-2 Longhorns firmly in the projected 12-team postseason field and suggests the committee values Texas' impressive collection of victories over some of the nation's best competition.

The Longhorns have already defeated three teams appearing in the initial CFP rankings: No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 12 Ohio State and No. 13 Tennessee.

That's a resume few other teams can match.

Texas' 24-23 victory over Ohio State to open the season established the Longhorns as legitimate contenders. Subsequent wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss strengthened their postseason credentials, even as inconsistency threatened to derail their championship ambitions.

Losses to Oklahoma and Florida remain significant blemishes.

Neither team has produced the kind of season that would normally make a defeat easy to explain, although Florida enters the CFP rankings at No. 24.

Still, Texas' quality victories appear to have carried considerable weight with the committee.

Miami occupies the top position in the rankings, followed by Georgia, Utah and Indiana. Alabama sits fifth, Kentucky sixth and Texas seventh, ahead of undefeated UCLA and one-loss BYU.

For Sarkisian, however, the rankings aren't particularly meaningful unless the Longhorns continue winning.

"I haven't, and I won't," Sarkisian said Monday when asked whether he discusses the rankings with his players.

The Texas coach also questioned the value of releasing playoff rankings so early in November, emphasizing that his team's attention belongs on its next opponent.

That opponent is No. 18 Missouri, which hosts Texas Saturday in a critical Southeastern Conference matchup.

The Tigers are 6-2 and coming off a convincing 34-10 victory over Arkansas. A road win would give the Longhorns another ranked victory and strengthen their argument for a favorable playoff seed.

But the schedule doesn't get easier.

Texas still faces No. 14 LSU, Arkansas and rival Texas A&M before the regular season ends.

Winning those games would put the Longhorns in excellent position for an at-large playoff invitation and potentially keep their SEC championship hopes alive.

Another loss, however, could send Texas tumbling toward the playoff bubble.

The committee's initial rankings represent an encouraging endorsement of the Longhorns' body of work.

They aren't a guarantee.

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Texas has the talent, the resume and now the national recognition to compete for a championship.

The challenge is finishing the job. At No. 7, the Longhorns have everything in front of them. They just can't afford to give it away.