Texas suffered their first defeat of the season against Oklahoma, losing 34-30 in the Red River Rivalry. This outcome has caused a shift in the College Football Playoff projection. However, despite the loss, the Longhorns do not drop as significantly as expected.
In fact, the Longhorns remain in the CFP projection as the highest-rated one-loss team, only sliding from No. 3 to No. 4.
In this projection, Texas and Oklahoma both win out, with the Longhorns avenging their loss to the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game. Both teams would finish the season with a 12-1 record. Ohio State, another one-loss team in this projection, would have an 11-1 record after a loss to eventual Big Ten champion Michigan in the regular season.
In this scenario, Texas gets the spot over Ohio State due to being a conference champion, as well as having a road win against Alabama in non-conference play. Although Ohio State also has a quality non-conference road win against Notre Dame, it falls short of Texas’ resume with a 12th victory and conference title. Notably, Oklahoma does not have any quality non-conference games on their schedule.
Florida State has moved up from No. 4 to No. 3, with Georgia and Michigan maintaining their positions at the top. The Bulldogs dominated Kentucky with a 51-13 victory, while the Wolverines crushed Minnesota with a 52-10 score.
College Football Playoff
|
Jan. 8 |
National Championship |
Title game | Semifinal winners |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl New Orleans |
Semifinal | (1) Georgia vs. (4) Texas |
|
Jan. 1 |
Rose Bowl |
Semifinal |
(2) Michigan vs. (3) Florida State |
Jerry Palm will be back with his complete, updated bowl projections on Sunday.
