Quinn Ewers shines as No. 7 Texas makes its playoff case in Big 12 title game win over No. 19 Oklahoma State

No. 7 Texas showed why it has a case to make the College Football Playoff in a 49-21 win over No. 19 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game.

The Longhorns (12-1) jumped on the Cowboys early and led 35-14 at halftime thanks to a great performance by QB Quinn Ewers. The junior threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns in the first half as Oklahoma State’s defense couldn’t do much to slow down the Longhorns’ offense. Ewers’ only blemish of the half was an interception that set up Oklahoma State’s second touchdown of the half.

Ewers found four different receivers for his TD throws in the first half. That group included Big 12 defensive player of the year T’Vondre Sweat. The defensive lineman was wide open in the back of the end zone to give Texas a 21-7 lead over the Cowboys.

Ewers finished the game 35-of-46 passing for 452 yards as Texas simply tried to run down the clock in the second half. Ewers set a career-high for pass yards in a single game while also setting the Big 12 title game record for the most passing yards.

The victory gives Texas its first Big 12 title since 2009 as the Longhorns head for the SEC in 2024. Texas last won the Big 12 in 2009 when it needed a last-second field goal to take down Nebraska 13-12 and advance to the BCS championship game.

Since then, Texas had made the title game just once since the contest was restarted in 2017. The win also means Texas will finish the season with, at most, two losses. The Longhorns had lost at least four games in every full season since losing to Alabama in the national title game in the 2009 season and went 7-3 in 2020.

Oklahoma State (9-4) finished second in the Big 12 thanks to wins over Oklahoma and Kansas State. But the Cowboys were one of the nation’s most up-and-down teams. OSU lost 33-7 at home to South Alabama in Week 2 and also lost 45-3 at UCF.

But with Texas bottling up star rusher Ollie Gordon II during the first half and QB Alan Bowman unable to make plays down the field, a comeback was impossible for the Cowboys. Especially with Gordon hampered. He appeared to be dealing with a lower right leg injury during the second half.

Texas had an injury scare of its own early in the fourth quarter. Star WR Xavier Worthy had to be helped to the locker room after turning his left ankle while being tackled near the sideline. Worthy was down in considerable pain after the hit and later returned to the sideline on crutches and with a boot on his foot.

If the injury isn't too serious, Worthy should be ready for Texas' next game. No matter where Texas ends up in a bowl game, the Longhorns aren't going to be playing for another four weeks or so.

Will Texas make the playoff?

The Longhorns certainly have a credible playoff case — and would be a shoo-in to get into the field in most seasons. Texas’ only loss of the season came to No. 12 Oklahoma, it beat No. 8 Alabama in Week 2 and also beat No. 25 Kansas State.

But no team lower than No. 6 in the penultimate rankings has jumped into the playoff field. Plus, there are three undefeated teams ahead of the Longhorns in the rankings. Texas got some help from Alabama as the Crimson Tide knocked off No. 1 Georgia. But it’s possible the committee could jump No. 8 Alabama over Texas after the SEC title win. Georgia could also stay in the top four ahead of the Longhorns despite the loss.

Florida State started its No. 3 quarterback in Brock Glenn and it didn't matter as the Seminoles defense completely shut down Louisville en route to a 16-6 win, preserving their perfect season.

If Texas ends up missing out on the playoff, it's simply because the Longhorns had their best season in over a decade in the most crowded year in the history of the four-team playoff. Never before had eight Power Five teams entered conference championship weekend with one loss or fewer. A season ago, just five teams did and only the top four teams in the final rankings had fewer than two losses.