Let’s look at this thing strictly from what happened on the field. A novel idea, I know. 

Texas beat Arkansas 20-10 Saturday in Fayetteville, an uninspiring effort that continued to underscore the Longhorns’ slog to the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. 

Two weeks ago, in the same stadium against the same Arkansas team, Ole Miss humiliated the Hogs 63-31. A week ago, Ole Miss embarrassed big, bad Georgia by 18.

Yet if you looked at the current CFP rankings, the gap between Texas and Ole Miss is as wide as Florida State’s dreams of joining the Big Ten and reality. 

And this is the problem with the playoff rankings — and more specifically, the selection committee that clearly abides by the rule of he who loses less, gains more.

Look at the Texas schedule, there’s nothing there. No signature win, no impressive run of games or undeniable statement that proves the Longhorns deserve their No. 3 ranking. 

Then there’s Ole Miss, and in the CFP committee’s eyes, it’s clearly more than the beatdown of Georgia that leaves the Rebels at No. 11 in the poll. And by more, I don’t mean the 24-point win at the hottest team in the SEC (South Carolina). 

By more, I mean losses. Ole Miss its has two, Texas has one. 

Wait, it gets better. 

Texas lost at home to Georgia — the same team Ole Miss handed its worst regular-season loss since 2018 — where it was 23-0 in the second quarter before Texas could exhale. Where coach Steve Sarkisian was so flustered, he benched starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers, and by the third quarter, both Ewers and Arch Manning wanted no part of the Georgia defense.

Ole Miss lost at home to Kentucky and at LSU, both on fourth-down prayer throws. Without those two improbable plays, Ole Miss is unbeaten. 

And that’s the rub with the committee. There’s no nuance in the rankings, no examination of teams and common opponents and degree of difficulty. 

The exact reason why the playoff was expanded to 12 teams.

This blatant avoidance of what’s playing out on the field is bad for the College Football Playoff, and bad for the game. There’s too much money involved in the process ($1.2 billion annually) for the committee to get this wrong. 

The easy response is relax, there are three more weeks for this thing to play out and the committee to get it right. But that’s not the point. 

Because if this is how the committee deliberates and comes to these specific conclusions, what does that mean about the rest of the poll? If something so blatant as this is ignored, where else will it happen again?

These committee decisions are critical because the No. 7-10 slots in the poll will be so close, the aforementioned arguments will be deciding factors in who hosts a playoff game, and who travels. 

If a team from the south travels to a team from the midwest, and plays a December game in sub-freezing temperatures and possibly snow, or plays at home in the 50s.

If the committee can’t see something as simple as Texas’ best win is against Colorado State of the Group of Five or at Vanderbilt, and that Ole Miss has beaten Georgia and South Carolina, what else will the committee ignore for the sake of one less loss?

The hard work and heavy lifting happens on the field. Not the secluded and secretive selection committee room. 

It’s no different than the confounding Bowl Championship Series rankings, where computer polls – each with its own weighted and secret formula – helped decide who played for the national title. 

Think about this: we’ve taken the most important process of the college football season, and put it in the hands of athletic directors and random businessmen and women on the committee. 

Rule No. 1, everybody: big wins are more important than a gut-punch of a loss.

A novel idea, I know.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

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We’re raising our glass to all the Texas restaurants recognized by the Michelin Guide this week. Here’s to the hard work and dedication of those who won, and to an even better run of awards next year.

Michelin recognized 15 Texas restaurants with a 1-star distinction, 44 with the Bib Gourmand award for good food at a good price, and another 57 with Recommended status, our colleagues reported.

From steak — chicken fried or otherwise — to brisket, smoked sausage and Tex-Mex, the Lone Start State has been home to fantastic food since long before Michelin arrived. All the same, it’s exciting to see our local cuisine recognized on an international stage.

There were no 2- or 3-star winners in the state, and Deep Ellum’s Tatsu is the sole 1-star winner for Dallas, but we’re not discouraged. After all, this is our state’s first year as part of the guide. The longer Michelin is in Texas, the more restaurateurs will do their best to wow the meticulous food critics. Texas’ food scene will keep improving, and our fantastic food writers will be here to tell you all about it.

We’re glad Michelin didn’t ignore Texas’ barbecue scene in favor of more traditional white-tablecloth establishments. Four out of the 15 stars awarded this year went to barbecue joints, our colleagues reported. Sadly, Mexican and Tex-Mex had a smaller showing in North Texas, with only two of the 28 restaurants recognized serving these quintessential cuisines. We hope more of them will appear on Michelin’s lists next year.

There have been a couple of little hiccups along the way. Two similarly named Dallas restaurants owned by the same parent company, The Charles and Mister Charles, got mixed up for a Recommended rating. And in a second incident, Michelin removed Kâu Ba, a Viet-Cajun restaurant in Houston, from the guide after discovering that it had temporarily closed ahead of the award ceremony.

But the good far, far outweighs the bad. There’s even a chance for economic gain with Michelin’s arrival. After the guide arrived in Atlanta, many restaurants that were recognized saw a jump in sales, our colleague reported. Even after the hype died down, some restaurants continued to outperform their pre-Michelin baselines. And to a smaller extent, Atlanta’s entire food scene saw a boost in sales. We’re hoping the Michelin Guide has the same effect for Dallas-Fort Worth.

All this is happening at a good time. Food culture is front-and-center for many Americans, and it feels as though there’s a self-proclaimed “foodie” around every corner. Look no further than the titanic success of FX’s The Bear to see what we’re talking about.

So here’s to the great round of Michelin awards, and a fantastic future for Texan food.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com