The path for Texas football to make the SEC title game became a little clearer in Week 12, even if it didn’t become any easier.
Georgia’s win over Tennessee did little to help Longhorns in the College Football Playoff race, but it did drive home a point the team is well aware of: Win and you’re in.
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Texas (8-1, 5-1) held off Arkansas on the road and now must prepare for a game against Kentucky (4-6, 1-6).
The Longhorns’ defeat to Georgia in October is looming large right about now but if there is a such thing as a quality loss, UT certainly has one (which is good with the win over Michigan looking less impressive by the week). Georgia’s victory, though, further congests the mass of two-loss teams in the middle of the conference standings, meaning the Nov. 30 matchup between Texas and fellow first-place program Texas A&M will have huge postseason implications. But you knew that already.
As long as both the Horns and Aggies take care of business in SEC matchups they’re expected to be favored in next week, that Week 14 rivalry renewal will send one team to the conference title game, an eyelash from the playoff field; and it’ll leave the loser clinging to the unlikely chances of an at-large bid.
Here’s how the Georgia-Tennessee result affects the Longhorns:
While another impressive win for Georgia makes Texas’ loss look a tad bit better, it crystallized that the Longhorns best, and maybe only, path to the playoff is through the SEC title game. Now that Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia each have two conference losses — and more impressive wins than Texas — the Longhorns must avoid a second regular-season SEC defeat.
Tiebreakers would need to be hashed out and there’s still about a dozen conference matchups to be played, so much can change.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian said he won’t apologize for his team’s schedule in their inaugural SEC season, but Texas doesn’t want to leave its fate in the committee’s hands with its best wins being over Vanderbilt, Michigan and Arkansas.
Plus, the Longhorns are likely to lose tiebreaker No. 2 (record versus all common conference opponents among the tied teams) for the SEC title game, falling to the Bulldogs in their only game against other potential two-loss teams. Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia have each beat one of the other second-place programs.
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When comparing resumes, UT appears unlikely to climb over a two-loss Alabama and Ole Miss team for an at-large bid. If Tennessee ends with two losses, it’ll have nearly identical wins as Texas, except for a Vols’ loss to Arkansas and a win against Alabama.
It’s hard to imagine a higher-stakes regular-season matchup than Texas versus Texas A&M on Nov. 30.
MORE SEC:What Georgia’s win vs Tennessee means for Aggies in CFP
The Power Four conference champions will earn first-round byes. The remaining eight teams will play first-round games on campus sites, with the higher seed hosting. Beginning in the quarterfinal round, the games move to neutral sites organized by the New Year’s Six bowl games.
The Statesman’s David Eckert contributed to this report.
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