How Can Texas Longhorns Make The College Football Playoff Following Loss To Oklahoma?

While the path isn't clear, there is a way for the Longhorns to make it to the final four of the College Football Playoff.

One can either look at life through rose-colored glasses or only see the eternal pit of nothingness. 

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian tends to be caught in the middle entering the bye week. 

The No. 9 Longhorns (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) still somewhat control their destiny to Arlington following a heartbreaking 34-30 loss to the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown. Heck, they even partially control their pathway to the College Football Playoff, albeit they'll need help from a few outsiders to make the route more clear. 

“We went into the season with the goal to be champions, and those goals still remain,” Sarkisian said at his weekly press conference Monday. “There's no divisions in the Big 12. The two best teams get to go play for a championship, and we control that with what we do and how we play. Naturally, nobody likes to lose the game, but we’ve got to go handle our business — and we're more than capable of doing that.”

The Sooners (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are in the Big 12 driver's seat at the season's halfway point. They've also earned it, especially after second-year coach Brent Venables scoured the transfer portal and recruiting trail for top-tier defensive talent. 

A win each week pushes Oklahoma closer to Jerry World. The same can be said for Texas — which does not face another current Top-25 team for the remainder of the season — but there is a slight caveat that could foil the plans. 

The West Virginia Mountaineers. 

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (No. 8) rushes in for a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas  / USA TODAY

While the Mountaineers (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) might also boast a loss, theirs came out of conference in the season-opener against the Penn State Nittany Lions. And while West Virginia doesn't play Texas in the final year of the current Big 12, it does face Oklahoma on Nov. 11. 

A victory Norman, plus winning out secures Neal Brown's "last place squad" a shot for a season's sweep over the Sooners in a rematch come early January. 

There still is hope for the Horns should the Mountaineers secure an upset. Any loss for West Virginia by another opponent would force the Big 12 to look at tiebreakers. The Longhorns are currently tied with Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU, Kansas State and Oklahoma State in the one-loss column. 

This could be promising for Texas, as it plays every team on the schedule minus Oklahoma State. And in a tiebreaker scenario, the Longhorns hold the edge over the Jayhawks thanks to a 40-14 win in Week 5 at home. 

Should the Mountaineers and Longhorns each finish with one loss in conference play, the Big 12 will essentially use winning percentage against common conference opponents followed by a conference strength of schedule as tiebreakers. The Longhorns, which secured a top-10 win over Alabama on the road in Week 2, would hold the edge. 

Of course, none of this matters if Texas can't run the table through games against lesser competition. And yes, there are reasons for self-doubt, especially when looking back at history. 

Texas has not finished 11-1 or better in the regular season since its national championship appearance in 2009. Under Sarkisian, the Longhorns have posted a 5-8 record following the Red River Showdown. 

“We do talk about the big picture, especially during a bye week, so that they can understand the lay of the land,” Sarkisian said. “And then we drill back down into what's of importance right now. What do we need to do to make sure that we put ourselves in that position down the road?”

The Longhorns hit the road following their bye week to take on former Southwest Conference foe Houston at TDECU Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on FOX.