Sure the world is on fire, but let’s talk about what’s really important: football.
The first College Football Playoff rankings are out, and the University of Texas Longhorns are in the thick of things. The Longhorns landed in the No. 5 spot, just behind the University of Oregon, Ohio State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Miami.
Penn State University, the University of Tennessee, Indiana University, Brigham Young University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Alabama, and Boise State University fill out the rest of the Top 12.
Some analysts, however, think that Texas is a bit of a pretender. Matt Hayes from USA TODAY Sports called Texas one of the most “overvalued” teams in the rankings, pointing out that the Horns were blown out at home by Georgia last month. UT’s most impressive win was holding off underdog Vanderbilt University. So Texas has some work to do.
Meanwhile, what does this mean in the first-ever expanded playoffs, where 12 teams, instead of four, get to go to the postseason?
Well, if we apply this ranking to an actual playoff bracket, Oregon, Georgia, Miami, and BYU would get first-round byes, since they won their conferences. Meanwhile, Ohio State would slide down to the 5th seed, and Texas would fall back into 6th.
However, Texas still has four regular season games to go: home games with the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky, and road trips to face the University of Arkansas and Texas A&M University. If UT quarterback Quinn Ewers can wrangle four wins, Texas could wind up in the SEC title game, aiming for the conference crown and a bye week.
But if they slip up in one of these games, Texas might find itself booted from the Top 12 — and watching the playoffs from the couch.
