One of college football’s great blue blood programs has had its ups and downs this season, but one prominent voice thinks they’re playoff material right now.

And that will even be the case if they lose a third game going forward. Naturally, that team comes out of the SEC.

Paul Finebaum names potential 3-loss playoff contender

“Texas is a playoff team if they finish 9-3. They have a win at Tennessee. They beat Ohio State. And they won that game [against Ole Miss],” Finebaum said to Matt Barrie.

He added: “You know, if you’re looking for carnage, park yourself in Baton Rouge at Tiger Stadium, because that’s where Alabama and Texas will next visit in terms of these monster games, and much will be determined.”

Where the SEC hopefuls are right now

Currently, the preseason No. 5 team in college football still has two losses, but bounced back from that two-game skid with a solid performance against then top-ten Ole Miss.

That game showed that the combination of an elite defense and Arch Manning playing up to his hype can actually put Texas in position to do something special this season.

They did erase a 20-point deficit against the No. 1 Buckeyes. They did play a solid defensive game on Rocky Top. And they did eventually overcome a talented Ole Miss team and force Trinidad Chambliss into a career-worst three giveaways.

On the other hand, they also lost two games against unranked opponents, both of which Manning’s turnovers played a consequential hand in.

Whichever of these dynamics comes to dominate the narrative around Texas in its final few games will determine whether or not it deserves a spot in the playoff.

Are they a playoff team right now?

Right now? Yes, the Longhorns played their way back into our 12-team College Football Playoff bracket projection coming out of the weekend.

But that projection depends on them staying at two losses and winning out. 

If anything goes wrong at LSU, and Lane Kiffin’s team beats Alabama the week before, then that will fundamentally shift the playoff metric back in the Tigers’ favor, and likely away from the Longhorns for good.

LSU has a say in this, too

Three of the Longhorns’ final five games are on the road, including that Nov. 14 trip to resurgent LSU.

“I don’t know why Texas isn’t a legitimate 9-3 team, even if it loses to LSU,” Finebaum said. 

“We’re talking about a really incredible schedule. And I realize there’s a couple more games, and their schedule could not be weirder the way they play all these home games and then go on the road for the end of the season. 

“It’s a flawed team, but I’ll take it against a lot of the stuff I’ve seen around college football.”