After trouncing Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday, the College Football Playoff Committee granted Texas its first appearance in the four-team playoff. Texas is ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation, with a matchup against No. 2 Washington in the Sugar Bowl ahead of them. 

“I think our guys have earned it,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We’re playing our best football right now at the best time.”

The Longhorns will get a rematch with the Huskies, who defeated them 27-20 in last year’s Alamo Bowl. The two will travel to New Orleans to play in the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 1, vying for a spot in the National Championship in Houston. 

“I was worried about us not getting in,” Sarkisian said. “You just don’t know, that’s one of the challenges of the committee.”

The CFP Selection Show aired at noon EST and started with the playoff teams picked in descending order. Michigan earned the first spot, Washington the second, Texas the third and Alabama the fourth. The Crimson Tide will face the Wolverines at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day as well. 

The Longhorns finished the calendar year with a 12–1 record and a Big 12 Championship victory in Arlington in their final year in the conference. 

“It’s unreal, I get goosebumps every time thinking about it,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers said. “Everyone was going crazy… there’s no better feeling for those guys.”

Sarkisian and the Longhorns will have almost a full month to prepare for the high-powered, undefeated Huskies, with a chance at a spot in the National Championship just one win away.