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Greg McElroy believes Texas must win out to guarantee College Football Playoff

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•11/21/24•

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Texas is the No. 3 team in the country following Week 12, according to the latest College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings.

Texas is the only one-loss team left in the SEC, but that doesn’t mean they’ve clinched a playoff spot. Despite their record and ranking — ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes the Longhorns may need to win out during the regular season to secure its spot in the final field of 12.

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“I think Texas has to win out to guarantee themselves a playoff spot,” McElroy said. “Sounds crazy to think a team who is currently ranked No. 3 is potentially in playoff mode the next two weeks. But that’s where I think the world is.”

The SEC currently has eight teams ranked in the CFP Top 25 — and Texas has played none of them. Vanderbilt was No. 25 in the AP Poll when they beat them by three points in Nashville, and Oklahoma was ranked when they beat them in the Red River Rivalry. However, those two teams are a combined 11-9 and are nothing to write home about when it comes to impressing the selection committee.

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“If you really look at their resume, they haven’t really earned that spot that’s almost exclusively on the eye test,” McElroy continued. “And if they were to win against Kentucky this week, which is expected and then lose to [Texas] A&M next week, their best win might very well be a 6-6 Vanderbilt team.”

A win against Texas A&M in College Station to round out the regular season cannot be understated. In McElroy’s eyes, that could be what gets Texas in the field of 12 instead of having to win the SEC Championship to earn a playoff spot. They could even potentially afford to lose in Atlanta in that scenario.

First, Texas must take care of business against Kentucky on Saturday. The Wildcats have proven to be a trick opponent for the SEC’s playoff contenders having defeated Ole Miss, lost to Georgia by one point and trailed Tennessee by three points late into the fourth quarter.

They’ll hope to have a more decisive result this weekend. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET live on ABC.