Joel Klatt reacts to Texas' spot in first College Football Playoff rankings

Joel Klatt believes the committee’s placement of Texas at No. 11 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings says as much about the sport as it does about the Longhorns themselves.

On the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the FOX analyst explained that while some fans might be frustrated, the ranking reflects how decision-makers are weighing strength of schedule and non-conference ambition more heavily in 2025.

“I thought that the biggest takeaway from these rankings is Texas at No. 11,” Klatt said. “That tells us a lot about how the committee is valuing not only Texas, but obviously the SEC, and rightly so. But them at No. 11, I think, is going to draw some people’s ire, and it’s also going to solidify what others think about what Texas is and what they could be during the course of the back end of the season.”

Klatt defended Texas’ résumé, pointing out that one of its losses, which came against top-ranked Ohio State, came on the road in the season opener with a new quarterback under center: “When I see where they’re sitting, I absolutely get it,” he added. “Their loss was the opening week of the season to Ohio State on the road, which is right now the No. 1 team in the country.”

He went on to reveal that conversations among commissioners and committee members behind the scenes have increasingly emphasized rewarding programs that challenge themselves outside their conference: “The strong push is to make sure that we’re valuing teams that schedule difficult non-conference games,” Klatt explained.

“We need to get to a place in college football where we encourage games like that in the non-conference, because if we’re just going to penalize a team like Texas for playing that game and losing that game, then we’re going to lose that game on the schedule.”

For Klatt, the message is clear. Texas’ ranking isn’t a punishment, it’s a reflection of respect. The committee doesn’t want to dissuade marquee matchups like Texas-Ohio State from happening again, and while the Longhorns sit just outside the top 10, their schedule still gives them room to climb.

“We don’t want that in college football,” Klatt concluded. “The power brokers in college football want to value that game being played first and foremost. So losing that game is not going to hurt Texas all that much.”