The Texas Longhorns, once considered the SEC’s juggernaut, have not impressed since Quinn Ewers return and have been under the scope of many around the league. On that note, the College Football Playoffs Selection Committee chair Warde Manuel made something clear on the Longhorns’ legitimacy after being ranked on sixth place in the initial postseason standings.
On Tuesday night, the CFP Selection Committee announced the first mock bracket on the 2024 extended playoffs. As expected, many were upset with the rankings. Though ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, the Longhorns popped up in the bracket on sixth place and would hypothetically face No. 11 Alabama in the first round.
Amid the revolt generated by the CFP first rankings, the Selection Committee’s chair Warde Manuel held a teleconference in which he explained the reasoning behind each berth. Manuel sent a clear message on the ‘burnt orange’ and how the Committee evaluated their performances.
“Well, I think Texas has looked good all year in terms of how they have played,” Manuel said, per Sports Illustrated. “They have won on the road at Michigan and went to Vanderbilt and won. As we’ve seen, Vanderbilt is a very good team this year. Their only loss at home was to No. 3 Georgia.“
“We don’t look at it as being fragile or not. We are going to judge each week with a clean sheet and approach it, and we look forward to watching how Texas plays as the season progresses.”
What the message means for Texas
The message was well-taken in Austin. The Longhorns do not feel the pressure to over-perform in its upcoming schedules. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has been on the eye of the storm since his return as he has not been able to replicate his pre-injury form. With many fans calling for Arch Manning to take his place.
However, Ewers can rest assured the Horns’ playoffs berth will not rely on him playing lights-out. Get the job done, go 4-0 to close out the NCAA season and the Longhorns will punch their ticket to the Postseason.
CFP Initial Bracket
Four teams earn a bye-week under the expansion in the College Football Playoffs. The remaigning eight programs face off: 5-12, 6-11, 7-10, 8-9. The playoffs will kickstart on December 20. The better seeded teams will host a home game in the first round, making for electric atmospheres in the postseason.
In the second round and onwards, the games will be played at neutral sites in traditional Bowl stadiums. The National Championship Game will take place on January 20 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Mock Matchups
According to the Initial CFP bracket, the following games would be played in the opening round:
- No. 5 Ohio State vs No. 12 Boise State.
- No. 6 Texas vs No. 11 Alabama
- No. 7 Penn State vs No. 10 Notre Dame
- No. 8 Indiana vs No. 9 Tennesseee
The top four teams:
- No. 1 Oregon
- No. 2 Georgia
- No. 3 Miami
- No. 4 BYU