Heather Dinich calls potential win over Oklahoma a 'baby step' for Texas' College Football Playoff chances

Ahead of the latest edition of the ‘Red River Rivalry’ kicking off on Saturday, Oct. 11, Texas still has yet to win a game against Power Four competition this season. That’s the kind of schedule it’s been.
The Longhorns opened the season ranked No. 1 in the country, but have fallen completely out of the rankings following losses to No. 3 Ohio State and Florida in their two lone games against P4 teams this season. Both losses came within eight points, but featured lackluster performances from quarterback Arch Manning.
Manning entered the season as the perennial Heisman Trophy favorite, but he just hasn’t looked like that player this season. In Texas‘ losses to the Buckeyes and Gators, Manning completed just 56% of his passes for a combined 433 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Although a win over No. 6 Oklahoma would be monstrous for the program in turning its season around, it would still be just a ‘baby step’ when it comes to making a push for the College Football Playoff. At least, that is how ESPN‘s Heather Dinich sees it.
“This would be a huge step in the right direction for Texas, but it’s also a baby step,” Dinich said on Friday morning’s ‘Get Up‘. “Think about this; this would be the first win against a Power Four opponent and their first win against a ranked opponent.”
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Texas might have to win out to sneak into College Football Playoff
“Members of the selection committee will look at how Arch Manning and that offensive line played against one of the best defenses in the country,” Dinich continued. “Also, remember Oklahoma has the No. 1 toughest schedule. So if the Sooners win, it’ll be cushion for them down the stretch.”
A win for Texas this weekend would put it at 4-2, staring down a schedule that features three ranked opponents (No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 10 Georgia and No. 20 Vanderbilt) in its final six games of the season. In order for Steve Sarkisian‘s team to make its third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance, it will likely need to run the gauntlet this season to finish at 10-2.
“That’s the No. 1 team in the preseason — and the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite — that has totally underperformed up to this point,” FOX Sports‘ Joel Klatt stated on Thursday. “And against Florida, it was bad. It was really bad. That defensive line absolutely took it to them. They’ve got to fix their offensive line. It was as bad as I’ve seen in a while.”
Texas leads the all-time series 64-51-5, but Oklahoma has won six of the last nine matchups. Kick-off for the latest edition of this rivalry game on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.