In the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, the Texas Longhorns found themselves on the outside looking in, and the inclusion of one team in particular has this analyst cross with the committee.

If Texas pulls out a win over Texas A&M or Georgia, it could make the College Football Playoff with three losses.

College football analyst Josh Pate broke down why the Longhorns are in a 'precarious' situation over the next several weeks.

But after a statement 23-6 win over the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and a few clutch overtime wins against the Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Horns have proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the college football world after the latest win over Vanderbilt.

Loser: The ACC. Virginia “fell” two spots from No. 12 in the AP to No. 14 in the CFP, with that big September win over former No. 8 Florida State now looking merely decent. No. 15 Louisville and No. 17 Georgia Tech “fell” one each.

The Texas Tech football team is off to its best start since 2008. The Red Raiders are awarded with a spot in the CFP rankings for the first time.

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A league that hasn’t won a national championship in two decades and scraps for a piece of the spotlight that shines brighter on the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference is basking in the possibility.