CFP rankings 2026: Texas ranks No. 7 in first playoff rankings
AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 31: The Texas Longhorns huddle in the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Longhorns seem to have benefited from three of the year’s biggest wins, coming in at No. 7 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
November 3️⃣ #CFP Top 25 pic.twitter.com/brv5QU5Lhk
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 4, 2026
The Longhorns boast wins over three teams ranked in the top 15 of the initial rankings: No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 13 Tennessee—all still alive in the CFP race with four weeks left to play. Texas has a tough road ahead of it to close out the season, starting with No. 18 Missouri and followed by No. 14 LSU, both on the road. On top of that, they have the rivalry games with Arkansas and a road edition of the Lone Star Showdown with Texas A&M left on the schedule. Obviously, winning out guarantees them a spot in the College Football Playoff; a 10-2 record with wins over five ranked teams would be hands-down the best resume in the country. However, in a year of major upsets and turmoil, if Texas can manage to go 3-1 in their final four games, they will have one of the strongest resumes in the country — especially depending on who that one loss is to.
Texas currently has -130 odds to make the CFP field, according to FanDuel, No. 11 in their current odds, which includes that tough run ahead of them. Texas is a 2.5-point road favorite against Missouri this week, but ESPN’s matchup predictor has them with a 71.3% chance of winning that matchup. The following week in Death Valley will likely be much harder, with ESPN giving LSU a 59% chance in that contest.
If the season ended today, Texas would be slated for a home rematch against Ole Miss, with a win setting them up to face the Georgia Bulldogs in the second round of the playoffs.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.