Texas has worked its way back into the conversation just in time for the first College Football Playoff bracket reveal of 2026.
The Longhorns, sitting at 6-2, have climbed back into the AP Top 10 after what has been a wild season. That puts them squarely in the mix when the initial 12-team field is unveiled Tuesday night, and the expectation here is that Texas will be in it.
The projected bracket has Texas landing at No. 8, tucked into a field that features Miami, Utah, Georgia, UCLA, Indiana, BYU, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas Tech and Boise State. In this prediction, the Longhorns are one of four SEC teams in the bracket, joining Georgia and Kentucky, while Ole Miss, Alabama, USC and Wake Forest are listed as the first four out.
Even with losses to the then-unranked Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gators, Texas still brings a resume that stands out. The Horns are the only team with three ranked wins so far this season, and that kind of strength of schedule could carry real weight with the committee.
There’s also the simple reality of the Texas brand. The Longhorns name tends to matter in these discussions, and the belief here is that the committee will lean harder on the quality wins than on the two upset losses.
The rest of the projected field breaks down with three Big Ten teams - UCLA, Indiana and Ohio State - three from the Big 12 - Utah, BYU and Texas Tech - and Miami as the ACC’s lone representative. Notre Dame is projected as the independent, while Boise State gets the Group of 6 spot to represent the Pac-12 and the rest of the “little” guys.
The first College Football Playoff bracket reveal is set for 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov.
- After that, the rankings will be updated weekly until Selection Sunday, following the conference championship games.
In Other News...
Texas Is Getting A Missouri Team With One Less Distraction
Missouri has tried to quiet the noise around Eli Drinkwitz as the Tigers turn their attention to the stretch ahead, including a matchup with Texas. Drinkwitz addressed the Florida State opening directly in a press conference, saying he is not a candidate for the job and making the point clear enough to remove the speculation that can hang over a program this time of year.
For Texas, that means the Longhorns should see a Missouri team focused on football rather than on coaching carousel chatter. Drinkwitz already has long-term security after signing an extension through 2031, and with one of the sports bigger paychecks in hand, Missouri can keep its attention on the field as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Faces A Brutal Truth Game Against Texas
Arch Manning and Texas are heading into a Week 10 SEC matchup that carries real weight for both sides, but for very different reasons. The Longhorns still have four regular-season games left and need to keep stacking wins if they want to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, which makes every remaining Saturday feel like a must-hold serve.
Missouri, meanwhile, is staring at a far less forgiving path. With two losses already on the ledger and a brutal stretch of games still ahead, the Tigers are in the kind of spot where the margin for error has all but disappeared. Unless they can pull off multiple upsets, a playoff berth is starting to look like a long shot, which only raises the stakes of this meeting in Austin. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Heads To Missouri With A Depth Problem Fans Will Feel
Texas is heading to Missouri for its second true road game of the season, and the trip comes with a roster hit that could be felt well beyond Saturday. Steve Sarkisian acknowledged the Longhorns will be undermanned, but he also pointed to the next wave of players as the group that has to absorb the load and keep the season moving.
The bigger concern is not just who is unavailable now, but how long the absences might linger. Injuries to Hollywood Smothers and Graceson Littleton may be serious enough to keep them out for the regular season, which would leave Texas leaning even harder on its depth at a point in the year when every road test starts to matter more. [Read more 🡒]