College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction: Could Texas Crack the Top Five?

Just when it seemed like Texas' College Football Playoff hopes couldn't get much better, Saturday delivered another reminder of how unpredictable this season has become.

And once again, the Longhorns were among the biggest beneficiaries.

Texas improved to 7-2 with a 34-20 victory over No. 18 Missouri, securing its fourth victory over a ranked opponent and strengthening one of the nation's more compelling playoff cases.

But while Texas took care of business, several teams ahead of it weren't as fortunate.

With the second CFP rankings set to be released Tuesday evening, it's only fair to ask: Are the Longhorns a top-five team?

Texas' Resume Gets Stronger

The selection committee made one thing abundantly clear when it released its initial rankings last Tuesday: Texas' two losses weren't nearly as devastating as some might have expected.

Despite sitting at No. 10 in the AP Poll released a couple of days earlier, the Longhorns debuted at No. 7, ahead of several other teams with better records - including undefeated UCLA.

And while the committee doesn't necessarily have to follow the same reasoning this week, Saturday gave it another reason to believe in Texas.

Texas now boasts four victories over teams in the initial CFP rankings: No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 18 Missouri.

More importantly, the Longhorns have a compelling argument when compared directly to programs ahead of them.

One of the most obvious is Indiana.

Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers entered at No. 4 without a victory over an initial top-25 team. Their lone loss came to Ohio State - point Texas.

With Indiana enjoying a bye week, the Longhorns added another quality victory to the comparison.

Of course, nothing guarantees the Longhorns will suddenly leapfrog the Hoosiers. Indiana has the better record, and the committee may be giving them some post-championship benefit of the doubt.

But considering its willingness to reward strength of schedule, there's a legitimate case.

Texas' Ceiling

While seven is a lucky number, fans shouldn't get too attached. Texas moving past Kentucky seems almost inevitable following the Wildcats' 34-6 loss to Tennessee.

But the path to the top five gets murkier.

Georgia and Utah have done little to suggest they should fall. In fact, it could very well be those two headlining Tuesday's rankings. And although Alabama shares Texas' record, the committee favored the Crimson Tide last week, and their 31-13 victory over LSU only tightened their grip on a top-five ranking.

That leaves Saturday night's marquee matchup participants - Notre Dame and Miami.

The Fighting Irish entered at No. 11, but their victory over previously undefeated Miami provided the signature win they had been missing.

But one signature victory doesn't necessarily outweigh an entire body of work.

Notre Dame's next-best victories came against Wisconsin and Michigan State, neither in the initial top 25. And while its lone loss came to No. 9 BYU, the Cougars have lost two of their last three and now see their playoff hopes hanging in limbo.

Miami presents a different question.

The Hurricanes entered Saturday at No. 1, but their 33-20 road victory over No. 16 Wake Forest remains their only win over an initial CFP-ranked opponent. Without an undefeated record to lean on, Miami's resume suddenly looks less impressive next to Texas'.

Prediction: Texas Climbs to No. 5

There's an argument for Texas to climb higher.

But finishing ahead of Notre Dame, Miami and Indiana might be asking too much.

Indiana's record, Miami's unbeaten run until Saturday and Notre Dame's signature victory all give the committee reasons to keep at least one ahead.

And while the Longhorns' four ranked victories are difficult to ignore, placing Texas ahead of all three would be quite the overreaction to a single weekend.

Still, Texas has done more than enough to warrant a climb, and for now, a two-spot jump to No. 5 seems like the most reasonable outcome.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction: Could Texas Crack the Top Five?.