No. 16 Texas beat No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 on Friday night in Austin, a win that immediately reshaped the College Football Playoff picture.
Texas finished with 397 total yards to Texas A&M’s 337, and Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning delivered a pivotal late touchdown run in the fourth quarter that swung momentum to the home side.
After the game, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian sent a strong message to the CFP committee.
“If you really look at the body of work and you look at the Southeastern Conference and what we have to go through every week, you look at the non-conference schedule we play to go to Ohio State in week one and lose by seven when we outgained them by nearly 200 yards, we got a really good football team and it’ll be a disservice to our sport if this team’s not a playoff team when we went and scheduled that non-conference game.”
“If we’re a 10-2 team, it’s not a question. But we were willing to go play that game. So, is that what college football is about? Don’t play anybody and just have a good record? Or play the best and put the best teams in the playoff? And we’re one of the best teams,” Sarkisian said.
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The victory moves Texas to 9-3 on the season and gives them a resume that, on paper, looks different today than it did 24 hours ago.
Their season includes a neutral-site win over No. 8 Oklahoma, a narrow 34-31 victory over No. 9 Vanderbilt, and Friday’s win over the previously undefeated Aggies.
The Longhorns’ three losses this year came against the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, the Florida Gators on October 4, and Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs on November 15.
Before Friday, the CFP selection committee’s top-25 list had Texas at No. 16 and Texas A&M at No. 3; those rankings will be updated next week, and this result must be incorporated when the committee meets again.
Under the 12-team format, the committee’s weekly rankings through December 2 and its final bracket on December 7 decide the field.
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This year, the CFP revised how it measures strength of schedule and record quality, rewarding teams for facing tougher opponents and reducing the sting of losses to elite programs.
That tweak gives weight to Sarkisian’s argument, as an early defeat at Ohio State hurts less when it’s accompanied by quality wins, and taking down No. 3 A&M gives Texas a fighting chance for the CFP.
