Predicting the 2025 Playoff: No. 7 Texas ...Middle East

Back. That’s what 2024 established.

I should back up and provide some context in case you haven’t connected those vague dots. The 2024 season established that Texas is back. Consecutive semifinal berths clinched that, and it helped that Texas played a pair of 60-minute games in both instances. The Longhorns are back to being a national power. It’s no longer a joke that you can make, nor is it a premature take.

Texas is back, folks.

Starting as a top-2 team for the first time since 2009 could be on the table, and not necessarily just because the Arch Manning era has finally arrived. The Texas defense is stacked at every level, and Texas could have one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in the country. Sure, it helps Texas’s Playoff chances that Manning’s undiscovered ceiling is part of the conversation, but it isn’t the only part of the conversation.

A 3rd consecutive Playoff berth — something that only Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Michigan have accomplished — feels imminent for the Longhorns.

A few things are worth noting before we break down individual Playoff paths. One is that while we’re still in the 12-team era, I’m anticipating a change in 2025. I believe that we’ll get rid of the stipulation that the 4 byes/top-4 seeds will go to the 4 highest-ranked conference champs. One year in, I predict that all parties will get on board with changing that. These rankings, which I’ll roll out over the next 2 weeks, will reflect that anticipated change.

In other words, I won’t try to confuse you with seeding. This will just be based on where they’ll show up in the final Playoff poll. Just in case you forgot what Playoff field entails, here’s a refresher:

Does that all sound good? Good.

Here’s the projected 12-team field so far:

Let’s continue with 7-seed Texas:

Why the Playoff path exists

If you’re doubting Texas’s potential to get there, remind me which one of these things are true:

It’s “E.” It’s always “E.”

That’s a lot to like without even saying anything about Manning. That’s why he’s entering an ideal situation. Not only does he have Steve Sarkisian in his ear and the SEC’s lone returning 1,000-yard rusher (Tre Wisner) to hand the ball off to, but he’s got a defense that is capable of doing plenty of heavy lifting. Anthony Hill Jr. and Michael Taaffe should start on every preseason All-America list, and Colin Simmons shouldn’t be far behind them after he tormented SEC offenses as a true freshman. That unit is the top returning group in the sport, and it’s why Texas starting at No. 1 in America doesn’t sound so crazy.

But even if Texas can’t beat the defending champs in Columbus, let’s not forget that the schedule still sets up extremely well. Traveling to Georgia will be a major challenge, and Florida won’t be a picnic, either, but Texas should be favored by double digits in every other game on the schedule. A 10-2 regular season feels well within reason, even if there are some growing pains for Manning in his first year as the starter.

The potential roadblock

Certain teams could be worthy of making the Playoff at 9-3, and Texas might not be one of them. The same reason why Texas’s Playoff path lines up well is also why it could have little margin for error. And I say that acknowledging that beating Ohio State in Columbus or beating Georgia in Athens would be quite the flex. But go ask 3-loss teams like 2024 Alabama or 2024 Ole Miss what it meant to take down Georgia. Those teams still needed to be 10-2 because their résumés lacked depth.

What could get Texas to 9-3, you ask? Lack of continuity on the offensive line.

It was an obvious strength each of the last 2 years during Texas’s rise, and this year, it’ll replace 4 of 5 starters. While I’m bullish on Kyle Flood’s ability to develop that unit — don’t sleep on Trevor Goosby becoming an All-American left tackle — we still need to acknowledge that it’ll be a first-time starting quarterback operating behind a relatively inexperienced offensive line. That could lead to costly sacks and turnovers, especially with some of the elite defensive lines that are on that schedule.

If you don’t believe that can happen, go back to the 2024 Ole Miss example again. That team had eventual first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart (who broke plenty of Arch Manning’s uncle’s records), a top-2 scoring defense and an extremely favorable schedule … yet it still didn’t make the Playoff. Why? The offensive line was a liability that struggled both in protection and in establishing a consistent rushing attack, and Dart’s late-game decision-making wasn’t at the level it needed to be.

Texas doesn’t need to have a complete meltdown to follow that script.

Odds that they win a Playoff game

It feels weird saying that my preseason No. 1 team only has a 72% chance of winning a Playoff game, but hear me out.

Texas will play with fire in plenty of games this year. There could be plenty of 24-17 victories that force Manning to make a clutch throw late, and he’ll get it done. When the Longhorns arrive in the Playoff, there won’t be this sense that it’s a juggernaut that’ll do exactly what Ohio State did last year. They’ll win games in which the defense and ground game do plenty of the heavy lifting instead of asking Manning to attempt 35-40 passes.

There won’t be some 17-point spread on Texas hosting Texas Tech in the first round of the Playoff. Why? The strength-on-strength matchup will be Texas’s defense against Texas Tech’s offense, both of which were top-4 scoring units in 2024. Maybe Clemson’s impressive showing in Austin last year will linger, and some will wonder if Texas could be on upset alert against its former Big 12 foe. Let’s not forget that last year’s Big 12 champ (Arizona State), was a 4th-and-13 stop away from sending the Longhorns home in Atlanta.

But Texas will avoid that and continue its pursuit of its first national title in 20 years.

Predicting the Playoff will continue on Saturday with No. 6 … a Big Ten juggernaut.

Predicting the 2025 Playoff: No. 7 Texas Saturday Down South.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Predicting the 2025 Playoff: No. 7 Texas )

Also on site :

• EU queen Ursula preached transparency – then did backdoor deals with Big Pharma
• This Season of ‘SVU’ Was a Clunker — But Next Season Is Very Promising!
• We are approaching 70 days without a single aid truck entering Gaza, warns Egypt’s FM