The Texas Longhorns’ 22-19 overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game on December 7, 2024 has significant implications for their position in the College Football Playoff. The loss prevents Texas from securing a first-round bye, which will be awarded to the four top-seeded conference champions.

This loss is expected to cause Texas to drop in the CFP rankings, potentially landing at No. 5 or 6. Teams placed in these positions do not receive a bye and must compete in the first round of the playoffs. The official CFP rankings, which will confirm Texas’ exact seeding and matchup, are scheduled to be released Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

USA TODAY Sports outlined two possible outcomes for the championship Saturday, which saw the Longhorns fall short in an SEC title game. In both scenarios, Texas finishes as a No. 6 seed and hosts a playoff game.

In “Scenario 4,” the sixth-seeded Longhorns would face Big 12 champion Arizona State, while the winner would face SMU in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

In “Scenario 5,” the setup remains the same, but the winner of Texas-Arizona State would face Clemson instead. Both scenarios assume losses for Texas and Oregon. However, if only Texas loses, they are expected to earn the No. 5 seed in the playoff round.

In the College Football Playoff system, the four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye and advance directly to the quarterfinals. The remaining eight teams – including the next highest conference champions and the overall selection – will face off in the first round.

This structure underscores the importance of conference championships, as only conference champions are eligible for the top four seeds and associated byes. Independent teams like Notre Dame are ineligible for these top four seeds because they do not belong to a conference.

The selection committee determines the rankings and seeds based on various criteria, including team performance, strength of schedule and other relevant factors. The final rankings will be published tomorrow.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: What spot will Texas get in the College Football Playoff after losing the SEC Championship?