While on bye, Longhorns' playoff hopes hinge on unexpected upsets and critical conference showdowns. Which outcomes boost Texas' postseason dreams?
As Texas continues to rest for its second bye week of the season, fans of the Burnt Orange are going to have to shift their attention elsewhere. With a handful of playoff spots still up for grabs and a couple of key matchups on this weekend’s slate, Texas could find itself in the playoff bracket at the end of the week without having played a single snap.
Kicking things off is Texas Tech vs. BYU.
For the first time in 17 years, ESPN’s College Gameday will be in Lubbock, Texas, and for good reason. Arguably the biggest Big 12 matchup that’s not the championship game itself, No.8 BYU and No.9 Texas Tech are bound to put on a show, with the winner leaving Lubbock as the top team in the conference.
Luckily for Texas fans, they won’t have to be cheering on the Red Raiders. If fans want their Horns in the college football playoffs, they’ll want to see Texas Tech lose. Right now, Texas Tech sits three spots above Texas, but if they were to fall to the Cougars, they’d drop to 8–2, significantly decreasing their odds of making the playoffs.
With Texas off this week, the committee would likely pull the Red Raiders out from the top 12 and bump the Longhorns up a spot. But if Tech wins, the committee could be more inclined to let two 11-1 Big 12 teams into the playoff conversation.
Next up is Notre Dame and Navy.
Yes, Notre Dame is a 3-score favorite in this game. Yes, Notre Dame has 81 wins in this matchup compared to Navy’s 13. And yes, they’ll be playing this one at The House that Rockne Built. But who doesn’t love cheering for an underdog?
If Navy were to pull off the upset, then Notre Dame’s playoff hopes would end right then and there. You can already make the argument that Texas deserves to be above them, so a loss to an unranked Navy would simply be the final nail in the coffin. Even though the Midshipmen haven’t won a game against the Fighting Irish since 2016, they come into this matchup 7–1, looking to shake things up.
While Texas fans can root for whichever upsets help their case, the real key lies ahead. Even if the right dominoes fall this weekend, none of it will matter unless the Longhorns take care of business when they return to the field. Still, there’s no harm in cheering for someone else this week—especially if it helps Texas in the end.