Longhorns appear to be in College Football Playoffs but a SEC championship over Bulldogs would make it sweeter
No. 2 Texas can clinch a first-round bye in the CFP by knocking off No. 5 Georgia in Atlanta
Texas is all but in the College Football Playoffs. At least, that’s how it appears in the penultimate rankings unveiled Tuesday.
The Longhorns (11-1) were ranked second and seeded second in the 12-team bracket as the potential SEC champions in the latest stab by the CFP selection committee to get it right.
All that’s clear is that No. 2 Texas knows it can clinch a first-round bye by beating No. 5 Georgia (10-2) in the SEC championship game at Merecedes-Benz Stadium.
At this point, most — if not all — CFP analysts believe that Texas would at least host a CFP first-round game should the Horns stumble against the Bulldogs.
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Granted, anything can happen on championship Saturday with multiple teams playing for respective league titles. But based on the rankings and seedings, Texas would play the winner of the Indiana-Georgia game in New Orleans.
A third Texas-Georgia game has been a potential scenario all season long. The Dawgs won in Austin 30-15 on Oct. 19. They’ll meet again Saturday. A third potential matchup would be a blockbuster with the winner advancing to the CFP semifinals.
Let’s say the Horns lose on Saturday. It’s likely they could drop to a No. 5 or No. 6 spot. In the current rankings, a potential No. 5 seed Texas would host No. 12 seed Arizona State, the projected Big 12 champion. A No. 6 seed would possibly host Alabama.
All of this is likely to get scrambled after Saturday. Buckle up.
