Despite defeating undefeated Texas A&M, Texas players and fans continue to hold out hope for a College Football Playoff spot.

Buck Ringgold

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Texas players, fans, still believe in a College Football Playoff berth after knocking off undefeated Texas A&M image

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TL;DR

  • Texas defeated rival Texas A&M 27-17, preventing an undefeated season for the Aggies.
  • Coach Steve Sarkisian argued Texas is a playoff team, citing wins against top 10 opponents and a tough schedule.
  • Arch Manning and Quintrevion Wisner were key offensive players in the victory over Texas A&M.
  • The Longhorns' strong performance and belief in their playoff chances are highlighted by the "Don't Stop Believin'" celebration.

Black Friday saw a truly Texas-sized postgame celebration at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Most Texas supporters remained in their seats, with some even swaying along to the music, whether it was the Longhorns' band or tracks played over the PA system.

Among the songs played, one stood out: the iconic Journey track from the early 1980s, “Don’t Stop Believin,” possibly a fitting choice considering the home team's ultimate performance.

Texas's 27-17 win against arch-rival Texas A&M prevented the Aggies from completing an undefeated season and also kept A&M out of next week's SEC championship game. Georgia will now face either Alabama or Ole Miss (and a brief aside, would that be sufficient to persuade Lane Kiffin to remain in Oxford).

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The "Journey" song played on Friday, with Longhorn fans remaining to sing it together, served as both a hopeful request and a celebration. Following the Longhorns' game against the previously undefeated A&M, the nation's third-ranked team, it was hoped that Texas, which was ranked 16th entering Friday, might secure a spot in the College Football Playoff, even with three defeats.

The Longhorns' coach, Steve Sarkisian, definitely believes so. He remained quiet about the matter at the beginning of the week, but he clearly made his argument during Friday's postgame press conference when questioned about it.

“I think we're absolutely a playoff team,” Sarkisian said in Friday’s postgame press conference. “I’m glad you asked, as I didn't want to have to be part of my opening statement. There's a couple things in here that, to me, are really telling stats.

“We're the first team, since the 2019 national champion LSU team, to beat three top 10 ranked teams in the same season during the regular season (A&M, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt). (Also) I think we have the number five ranked toughest schedule in the country. We've played the number one, the number three and number four ranked teams in the country (Ohio State, Texas A&M and Georgia, in that order).”

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The Longhorns concluded their regular season with a 9-3 record. They suffered defeats against Ohio State and Georgia, as well as Florida, a team that ultimately had a losing season and dismissed their coach. However, Sark focused more on the Week 1 loss to Ohio State than the defeat to Florida.

“We went on the road to Ohio State in Week 1 and lost to them on a one-score game, and we have the ball at the end of the game,” Sarkisian said. “We out-gained them by nearly 200 yards, and no one else has been close to a one score game against them.

“But I think more importantly, it's the message that, what do we want to send to the head coaches and the athletic directors around the country? You want us not to schedule Ohio State? Because if we're a 10-2 team right now, this isn't a discussion. We're in the playoffs, but we were willing to go up there and play that game.”

Regarding the setback at Florida, Sark also pointed to recent events to argue that, within the chaotic and unpredictable realm of college football, anything can happen.

“This whole idea that, hey, well, you lost to Florida,” Sark said. “Well, the team that played for the national championship last year (Notre Dame) lost to Northern Illinois at home. So you're going to punish us, and you don't want to punish them, but yet they still they were good enough to go play for a national title.

“So I have no doubt in my mind that the team we have in that locker room downstairs is a playoff football team and worthy of an opportunity to play for a national championship.”

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The Longhorn athletes also genuinely feel they're playoff deserving. Foremost among them is likely their most recognizable player, Arch Manning.

While Manning might not have met the enormous preseason expectations that positioned him as a potential Heisman frontrunner, he certainly performed exceptionally on Friday, particularly during the latter half of the game.

Manning connected on a touchdown pass, contributing to a Texas offense that amassed 24 points and 285 total yards during that period. Running back Quintrevion Wisner was also instrumental, rushing for 155 yards in the game, highlighted by a decisive 48-yard run on Texas' initial offensive snap of the second half.

However, Manning's most significant contribution might have been with his legs rather than his arm. As A&M intensified their pressure on the Horns, narrowing the score to 20-17 in the final minutes, Manning took charge, guiding the team through a decisive four-play, 63-yard drive.

The play concluded with a third-down run by The Aggies from their own 35-yard line, as Manning ran up the center and then outran the A&M defensive backs to the end zone. This extended the Longhorns' lead to 27-17, with 7:04 remaining.

The game was definitively won with two interceptions in the closing moments, made by Michael Taaffe and Kobe Black.

“Yeah, this team just, you know, never loses the fight, shows up every week. … We just keep fighting and keep continuing to get better,” Manning said. “It’s fun to be a part of celebration. That's awesome.

“You know, that's that's kind of why you do it, why you work so hard year-round, (for) moments like that. It's really cool.”

And Manning ended up giving Coach Sark the game ball in the locker room.

“I think it was correct to him; he had a really good halftime speech, just talking about pride and how we need some pride to go out and beat those guys in the second half,” Manning said.

Afterward, Manning was asked the ultimate question: Do the Longhorns merit a spot in the CFP?

“We're like, we're a good team, we play a lot of good teams,” Manning said. “We’re only getting better. And if you let us in, we can beat anyone.”

It appears the Longhorns will be joining their supporters in performing several renditions of “Don’t Stop Believin’” between now and Selection Sunday.

Senior Editor