Texas received a No. 5 ranking and would be slotted as the sixth seed and play No. 11 Alabama in the first round of the new postseason format, according to the initial rankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee Tuesday night.

As expected, the Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. The Horns sit behind Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia and Miami in the list. Penn State, Tennessee,

College Football Playoff selection committee chairman Warde Manuel pointed toward Texas football's road wins at Michigan and Vanderbilt when explaining the committee's decision to place the Longhorns at No. 5 in the first rankings release of 2024.