Joel Klatt compares CFP resumes of Florida State, Texas

In the College Football Playoff’s final season in its four-team format, there are up to eight teams that college football analyst Joel Klatt can see making the final cut.

An SEC Champion Georgia, Big Ten Champion Michigan and Pac-12 Champion Washington or Oregon are expected to be in with victories this weekend, but the fourth spot is more than up for grabs — but one conference could be left out.

Would it be an undefeated ACC Champion Florida State team? Or one-loss, Big 12 Champion Texas?

“If you throw up Florida State’s projected resume and Texas’s projected resume, what you would have is a Texas team with the best overall win in the country. Hands down,” Klatt said. “They would be a conference champ, they won on the road at Alabama. They get the kicker of Kansas State which entered into that top 25. They would have the Oklahoma State win in the conference championship game — but what they wouldn’t have is the ability to avenge the Oklahoma loss.

“I think it’s gonna hurt them a great deal that they’re not playing Oklahoma in the conference championship game and they’re playing Oklahoma State. I think that the committee is going to lean Florida State, but I would lean Texas.”

Klatt said that if the two matched up head-to-head right now, it wouldn’t even be close. Texas would be a two-score favorite easily over the Seminoles, who are still figuring out their identity without star quarterback Jordan Travis under center.

At the same time, it comes down to what the selection committee wants to give us. If Florida State can win big over Louisville in the ACC Championship game, does that get it done for the ‘Noles? Or does that even matter, as they barely escaped a bad Florida team on the road last week and were still slotted in the top four ahead of this weekend’s slate of title games. That all might not even matter if Alabama loses, according to Klatt.

“I’ve been most nervous for Texas and you can see through all of these scenarios, that’s the team that starts to get pinched,” Klatt continued. “That’s the team that starts to get pinched and then you’re starting to see that. They’re sitting behind Ohio State. They’re sitting behind Oregon, they’re sitting behind Florida State. Their only benefit of the doubt is that they beat Alabama.

“I think Texas’s best shot, to be quite honest with you, is if Alabama wins. Because at that point, Alabama going [in] drags Texas into the College Football Playoff because they’ve got to go. They beat them.”

Several scenarios could end up being played out when the weekend’s conference title slate is said and done, but Texas’ lone loss against the Sooners could be what eventually holds the Longhorns back when the final CFP rankings are revealed.