Despite having two losses on the season, the Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 7 in the first College Football Rankings of the season. The rankings were released Tuesday night on ESPN. Texas is one of two 2-loss SEC teams in the top seven, joining Alabama who are ranked No. 5.

It appears the CFP committee is taking strength of schedule more into account this season. The Longhorns seem to be rewarded for wins over three ranked teams, Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

November 3️⃣ College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings
7️⃣. Texas Longhorns // @TexasFootballpic.twitter.com/47U7e7gdcH

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 4, 2026

Miami and Georgia are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the first ranking of the year.

Utah, Indiana, the Crimson Tide and Kentucky make up the rest of the of the teams ranked ahead of Texas. UCLA, BYU, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Ohio State make up the top 12 spots.

IF the College Football Playoffs started today🏆
Thoughts?🤔https://t.co/YjyMhNOOfXhttps://t.co/KhBzACw6Y1pic.twitter.com/W6OkIBUG61

— On3 (@On3) November 4, 2026

From a bracket standpoint, Boise State jumps up into the tournament from the No. 25 spot as the top ranked Group of Six school. That means if the playoffs were tomorrow, the Buckeyes would be out.

As encouraging as it is that the Longhorns are ranked No. 7, it does indicate that Texas has little room for error as the season moves on. The Horns play at No. 18 Missouri on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns land in Top 10 in first CFP Rankings reveal

Source: Yahoo Sports