Five of the 13 FBS programs in Texas have reached the College Football Playoff since 2022. TCU was the first, knocking off Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl in 2022 before falling in a blowout loss to Georgia in the national championship game. The Texas Longhorns reached the semifinals in 2023 and 2024 and remain the only program with multiple appearances in the CFP. SMU cashed in quickly as a Power Four program, reaching the CFP and the ACC Championship game in 2024, while Texas Tech and Texas A&M made the 12-team field in 2025.
That leaves only Baylor and Houston without a CFP appearance within the P4 ranks here in Texas, though the Bears would’ve qualified in 2021 had the 12-team field existed back then. Houston has only been in the Big 12 for three seasons. And then there are the six teams from the Lone Star State in the G6, including the trio of Texas State, North Texas, and UTSA. The Mean Green were one win away from reaching the CFP in 2025. Texas State is now in the Pac-12 and UTSA was a dominant program from 2021-23.