Texas CFP resume: Longhorns strengthen case with 4th-quarter win over Missouri

The No. 7 Texas Longhorns continue to pad their College Football Playoff resume. Arch Manning and the Longhorns went on the road to face a No. 18 Missouri team that had already beaten a Top-10 team in Florida earlier in the year at home.

Although the game was tied at 20-all entering the third quarter, the Longhorns impressive fourth quarter shut the door on the Tigers hopes for an upset.

Let's take a peek at how Texas got it done, and what it means for the Longhorns' CFP outlook.

How Texas' huge fourth quarter spoiled Missouri's upset hopes

Although this game had an 11 a.m. CT kickoff time in Columbia, this one was a great game. Missouri led 10-7 after the first quarter, and Texas tied things up with a 27-yard field goal to tie it at 10 a-piece by halftime.

The third quarter was a shootout, as both offenses traded field goals and touchdowns to make it 20-all entering the fourth.

Three consecutive punts by both offenses gave way to an Arch Manning touchdown pass to Raleek Brown that gave the Longhorns a 27-20 lead.

The drive was helped by a bit of a controversial call, however. What was initially ruled as a Manning fumble resulted in a 12-yard Longhorn gain and a first down:

Former referee Terry McCauley said on X that the play should have been "clearly and Obviously an incomplete forward pass."

After the score, Texas' defense forced a Missouri punt after a quick three-and-out. The Longhorns drained just 1:36 off the clock and punted the ball back to Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons with 2:06 left. Simmons had thrown for 252 yards and two touchdowns and was having a great game. But he did take a big hit on Missouri's previous drive, having to come out for a third down play before a Tigers punt.

But Texas' defense stepped up big. On 3rd-and-6, Simmons hit his receiver Cayden Lee on what looked like a first down completion. But Texas defensive back Warren Robinson popped the ball out, and it was recovered by his teammate Graceson Littleton to give Texas the ball right back.

Texas closed the door on a possible Missouri upset with an eight-yard touchdown run by Brown to make it 34-20 with 1:25 left.

Texas' big road win should boost the Longhorns' CFP hopes

Texas has two losses, but coming into this game was ranked inside the Top-10. Now with the win against Missouri, Texas now has two road wins over ranked opponents, including the Sept. 26 win over current No. 13 Tennessee. The Longhorns' biggest win is the Week 1 come-from-behind victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State. Texas also defeated No. 10 Ole Miss at home a couple weeks ago.

The Longhorns also have remaining games that can pad their resume, including next week's game on the road against LSU.

Texas' final two games will come against Arkansas at home and Texas A&M on the road. Both of those teams having losing records in the SEC. Of course, Texas' losses against unranked teams in Oklahoma and Florida aren't the best. But the number of quality wins the Longhorns have stacked up make those not matter near as much.

Don't look now, but Texas might have one of the strongest CFP resumes in the nation.