Greg McElroy backs College Football Playoff committee placing Texas at No. 13, cites 'worst days'

For all intents and purposes, Texas was eliminated from College Football Playoff contention on Tuesday night. Hoping to sneak back into the race after taking down arch rival Texas A&M, the Longhorns came in at No. 13 in Tuesday’s rankings. And with teams such as Notre Dame, BYU, and Miami ahead, getting into the 12-team field appears to be impossible.

People in Austin are not going to be too thrilled with the decision, mainly Steve Sarkisian. But ESPN’s Greg McElroy was in agreement with the committee’s decision to put Texas at No. 13. He cited how UT plays on their “worst day” throughout the season. Nice wins pop up on the resume but other performances are why Texas will be outside looking in, according to McElroy.

“If you look at their Strength of Record, sitting at 12,” McElroy said. “Game Control, 17. They’ve played with their food a couple of times. Kentucky comes to mind, Mississippi State comes to mind. They didn’t look good in the first half of the season, lost to Florida. Steve Sarkisian makes a compelling argument and on their best day, yes, they can play with anybody. A&M, Vandy, Oklahoma. But on their worst day, they can play down to the level of competition. I think the committee appropriately places them at 13.”

Sarkisian tried his best to make a case for Texas. He spent multiple days after the Texas A&M on the campaign trail, explaining why he thought the Longhorns should be in. Plenty of other coaches have done as such, including Vanderbilt‘s Clark Lea and Miami‘s Mario Cristobal.

In fact, there was a pair of shots fired between Sarkisian and Cristobal. The former called out Miami running up the score on Saturday against Pitt, while Cristobal fired back by pointing toward a common opponent between the two, Florida. Texas lost in the Swamp early in the season, while Miami got a rivalry win over the Gators two weeks prior.

But McElroy also pointed to two games that resulted in wins for Texas. Overtime was needed to beat both Kentucky and Mississippi State on the road. Those two finished with a combined SEC record of 3-13.

So, a deserved ranking in the mind of the ESPN analyst. Sarkisian can now turn his attention to what is an important offseason on the 40 Acres. After making the College Football Playoff in two straight seasons, the goal is to make it just a one-year hiatus.