The 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP) reveal on December 7 delivered a gut punch to Texas fans, amplifying the state’s deep-rooted football rivalries.
For the third consecutive year, the Texas Longhorns (9-3, ranked No. 13) were shockingly omitted from the 12-team field, despite a resume boasting three top-10 wins, including a 27-17 Lone Star Showdown victory over archrival Texas A&M on November 28.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian, who had lobbied aggressively for inclusion, expressed disappointment but respect for the committee’s call during a post-announcement press conference.
“There’s obviously a level of disappointment of not making the CFP,” Sarkisian said. “We put a body of work on the field and stated our case; they made their decisions of who they felt was deserving and worthy, and you have to respect that,” Sarkisian said, per KXAN.
The snub stems from Texas’s three losses—to No. 2 Ohio State, unranked Florida, and No. 1 Georgia—despite a 6-2 SEC record and the first team since 2019 LSU to notch three AP Top 10 regular-season victories, according to the Dallas Morning News.
CFP chair Kristina Martin noted that the committee weighed factors such as game control and strength of schedule, ultimately favoring teams like No. 9 Alabama (10-3) and No. 10 Miami (10-2) for the final at-large spots.
As consolation, Texas heads to the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on December 31 in Orlando, facing No. 18 Michigan (9-3)—a rematch of their 31-12 Longhorns win in Ann Arbor last September.
The matchup offers a showcase for young stars like quarterback Arch Manning, who threw for nearly 3,000 yards in his final seven starts. Still, opt-outs loom large amid injuries and transfer portal temptations, as highlighted by the Austin American-Statesman.
Meanwhile, joy erupted in College Station as the Texas A&M Aggies (11-1) secured their first-ever CFP berth as the No. 7 seed, earning a home first-round clash against the No. 10 Hurricanes on December 20 at Kyle Field.
The Aggies’ path was paved by an 11-game win streak, kicked off by a thrilling 41-40 road upset over then-No. 6 Notre Dame on September 13—their first ranked road victory in over a decade. However, a late-season 27-17 loss to Texas dropped them from bye contention, seeding them behind Ole Miss and pitting them against a familiar foe.
Miami, which also edged Notre Dame 27-24 in the season opener, leapfrogged the Fighting Irish (10-2) in the final rankings due to head-to-head ties, sparking widespread debate.
The bracket’s drama has fueled conspiracy theories and fury across Texas, with #TexasFootball surging statewide on X. Fans vented over perceived biases—like the committee’s initial oversight of Florida’s brief No. 13 ranking—labeling it a “false claim” that doomed the Longhorns, as one viral post from @amuse noted with over 10,000 views.
SNUBBED: The CFP relied on a false claim that Florida was never ranked to justify leaving the Texas Longhorns out of the playoffs. 😡😡😡
CFP Chair Hunter Yurachek told reporters the Longhorns fell short because their loss came against a Florida team that “was never ranked.”… https://t.co/A84Rgal5gG pic.twitter.com/FU1gJZdtE8
— @amuse (@amuse) December 4, 2025
Aggies supporters reveled in the irony, with @billyliucci posting, “And there you have it. Texas A&M. Miami. College Football Playoff. Kyle Field. Let’s do this, 12th Man.”
Yet, A&M’s road toughens quickly: a potential second-round date with No. 2 Ohio State awaits, making their title path the bracket’s steepest, according to USA Today.
As the holiday cold front chills the Lone Star State, this CFP chaos underscores Texas’s football dominance—and its heartaches. With the Longhorns eyeing redemption in Orlando and Aggies fans packing Kyle Field, December’s bowl season promises more Lone Star fireworks. Will Manning dazzle or Underwood steal the show? Only time—and perhaps a few controversial calls—will tell.