When the Red River Rivalry game ended at the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 11, both Texas and Oklahoma's seasons seemed to be in major trouble.

The Longhorns already had two losses under their belt in matchups against Ohio State and Florida . Overtime wins over SEC bottom-feeders Kentucky and Mississippi State only added to the frustration. Oklahoma lost to Texas and dropped at home against Ole Miss two weeks later as the offense grinded to a halt.

But in the expanded College Football Playoff, teams can shake off a bad stretch and rise back into the mix. On Tuesday, the first College Football Playoff Rankings featured Texas at No. 11 and Oklahoma at No. 12. If the season ended today, the pair would be the first two teams outside of the postseason field. And with big matchups ah

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