Texas ranked No. 17 in initial College Football Playoff rankings

For the first time since the inception of the College Football Playoff system in 2014, the Texas Longhorns are included in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, as Tom Herman’s program comes in at No. 17.

Texas is one of four Big 12 teams included in the initial playoff rankings, along with No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 13 West Virginia, and No. 24 Iowa State.

Though a two-loss Longhorns team would need a tremendous number of dominos to fall to ultimately finish within the top four when the national semifinal parings are determined on Dec. 2, Texas will be presented with opportunities to improve its positioning in the playoff rankings.

On Saturday, the Longhorns will host West Virginia, and Iowa State still remains on Texas’ schedule for a Nov. 17 meeting in Austin. Furthermore, if Texas can make its way to the Big 12 Championship, the likely opponent would be Oklahoma, which the Longhorns beat in the Red River Showdown weeks ago, 48-45.

The playoff rankings will be updated every Tuesday.