Joel Klatt believes College Football Playoff is still in play for Texas after loss to Oklahoma

Some of the air was let out of the balloon on The 40 Acres this weekend with the 34-30 loss that Texas suffered at the hands of Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. However, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt doesn’t see any reason why the Longhorns still can’t accomplish what they want to.

Klatt broke down the scenario for Texas during his show on Monday. He did admit that, with the defeat to the Sooners, the Longhorns can’t afford to slip up again. With that said, winning out and getting revenge in the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma is more than enough in his eyes, especially with a win over the Crimson Tide still on their resume, for them to be right there in the conversation for the College Football Playoff.

“This is still a really good football team. I look at their schedule and I still think that they’ve got everything ahead of them,” explained Klatt. “Here’s why – While OU still has room now, they’ve got cushion and they’ve bought themselves that cushion? Texas doesn’t. They have no margin for error.”

“There is no earthly possibility, maybe this will come back to bite me but I just don’t think it will, that Texas runs the table, gets into the Big 12 Championship, highly likely against Oklahoma. Then they’ve got 60 minutes against Oklahoma to avenge their one loss of the year,” Klatt laid out. “If they do it? They not only beat the team they lost to but they still have the Alabama win. And, with Alabama playing a lot better, they would be a champ with one loss, a win over the team that they lost to in Oklahoma, and a win over Alabama. There’s no scenario where I see them missing the playoff if those things happen.”

This loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl is going to sting for Texas in more ways than one. Even so, it’s not a nail in their coffin. As Klatt continued, it only makes their path to the playoff, one that’s still available to them, a bit more difficult than it was a few days ago.

“While it’s disappointing for Texas, I do not believe it’s indicative of some sort of collapse. I do not believe it’s indicative that their season is now no longer important. I just don’t think that they have any margin,” Klatt said. “They’ve put themselves into a corner, they’ve backed themselves into that position, and now they’ve got to go play really well.”

Texas has a bye week ahead of them before their final six games of the season. At that point, they’ll be playing for their postseason lives in a likely rematch with Oklahoma. That’s why, assuming it’s those two teams who make it to AT&T Stadium, Klatt believes that Texas will remain in the mix until the very end.

“In a lot of regards, Texas outplayed OU and those mistakes led to the loss. I think that they can learn from that, I think that they can get better from that,” said Klatt.

“This is a team that I still believe in,” said Klatt. “I think everything’s ahead of them in this season.”