There are two main theories in scheduling non-conference games. You test your mettle against one of the elite programs in America or you keep it as easy as possible. Texas Football’s philosophy for years has been to schedule at least one elite program a year. But will that cost them a spot in the CFP this season?
This year, Texas faced Ohio State in Week 1 of the regular season. Texas lost that game 14-7. The Longhorns will face the Buckeyes again next year and Michigan in 2027. Then UT will start a home-and-home Notre Dame in 2028.
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For years, UT has been considered a model for college football scheduling. The Texas Athletic Department cooks up a good mix of smaller to medium size FBS teams with at least one huge marquee matchup with another college football power. Texas doesn’t play FCS (formerly I-AA) teams.
In the past, the Longhorns have played USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Alabama. Texas had scheduled Florida and Georgia in the future, but those were canceled after the Longhorns joined the SEC.
But this season it may have cost them. Where would Texas be ranked if they were 8-2 instead of 7-3? There are seven teams with 8-2 records ahead of Texas in the latest CFP rankings. One of those, Oklahoma, Texas has beaten.
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The CFP committee seems to waffle on strength of schedule. Much of that is the make up of college football right now. You have two big conferences that play a tough opponent almost every week.
“But by the end of the season, we’ll play, of our 12 regular season opponents, five of those teams will be Top 10 teams when we played them. So nearly half our schedule.” – Texas coach Steve Sarkisian
Then you have the other conferences advocating for the committee to look primarily at record because there’s no way their strength of schedule holds up. How to you balance the two?
Most teams are giving up on scheduling elite opponents. In fact, almost the majority schedule at least one game with a teams from the FCS (formerly Division I-AA). That is something Texas doesn’t do. UT has played one FCS opponent in the past and that was as a replacement.
But if you look at some of the opponents in just the SEC this week you’ll see Samford against the Aggies, Charlotte at Georgia, Eastern Illinois at Alabama, Mercer at Auburn.
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A few programs schedule in a similar way to Texas, like Michigan and Ohio State. But in a world where making the CFP is the minimum expectation for the Longhorns, there should be discussions in the University of Texas athletic office about whether it is the smartest way to build a schedule.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Did scheduling Ohio State cost Texas Football the CFP?
