It took a decade and several head coaching changes, but the Texas Longhorns earned their first invitation to the tournament in the four-team College Football Playoff final selection show.
The committee got it right and did it the hard way. Only one undefeated Power 5 conference winner was eliminated from the tournament in the 10-year process (the CFP expands to 12 teams next season). Despite a 13-0 record, Florida State fell to No. 5 in the rankings behind Michigan, Washington State, Alabama and Texas.
The Longhorns moved from seventh to third place in one week, with Alabama's win over Georgia on Saturday definitely helping. This makes Texas' biggest win against Alabama on Sept. 9 (34-24) an even bigger victory in the committee's eyes.
The Longhorns will play undefeated Washington in New Orleans on January 1st (a rematch of last year's Alamo Bowl), while top-ranked Michigan will play Alabama in Pasadena, California.
The argument against the Seminoles was based on both their weak schedule (55th in the nation) and, more noticeably, the injury suffered by Heisman candidate Jordan Travis. FSU won without him at quarterback in games against Florida and Louisville the past two weeks, but it didn't look like the same team.
“Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks,” CFP Chairman Boo Corrigan told ESPN. “Without Jordan Travis, without the offensive power he brings, they're a different team, and the committee voted Alabama No. 4 and Florida State No. 5.”
Some believed that Florida State would receive the invitation, marking the SEC's first snub. That was never likely to happen, considering Alabama has won 11 straight games since the loss at Texas and defeated the No. 1 team in the nation on Saturday. Combine this with the fact that SEC teams have won the last four national titles and six of nine during this run of the four-team tournament, and after Saturday's upset, the conference has one. There was no real reason to think we wouldn't get an invite either. .
This is the first time both the Pac-12 and Big 12 are in the playoffs. Washington is the third team to advance from the Pac-12, and the Huskies are entering the final year of the conference's current configuration. Texas is the sixth team in the Big 12 to advance, as Oklahoma has advanced to four CFPs and TCU reached the national championship game last year.
The Longhorns were receiving a lot of attention from the outside world a week ago and were ranked No. 7 in the CFP. Close wins over Houston and TCU weren't exciting, and I'm not sure how much Saturday's 49-21 win over Oklahoma State in Arlington helped. The Cowboys were teetering on the road to the title game, losing 45-3 to UCF and needing two overtimes to beat BYU 40-34 at home. However, the Texas win and Alabama's stunning loss to Georgia moved the Longhorns' resume to No. 3 in the CFP poll.
There will be a 12-team playoff next year, so you don't have to worry about undefeated teams in the four major conferences, or champions who have lost once or twice. The controversy will persist, but it will be limited to who gets the first-round bye and how many teams the conference gets in the tournament.
Texas faces a more difficult road entering the SEC, but at least they found a way to get into the CFP once before leaving the Big 12 for good. And as explosive as Steve Sarkisian's offense was down the stretch, Texas has a chance to do what neither Oklahoma nor TCU were able to do on the CFP trip.
“We are humbled and excited to have a seat at this table,” Sarkisian said.
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