The Longhorns coach doesn't see any reward for the tough schedule his team played in 2025.
'Tis the season for college football coaches to lobby for spots in the 12-team College Football Playoff. And one of the most vocal coaches on the campaign trail has been Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, whose program is on the outside looking in while currently sitting at 13th in But, perhaps sensing a losing battle, Sarkisian, during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio earlier Tuesday, vented his frustrations with the apparent lack of a reward for a tough schedule.
why the Longhorns tough schedule, including a game against No. 1 Ohio State, should benefit them in the College Football Playoff.“Nobody that's being considered for the College Football Playoff has a better strength of schedule than ours,” Sarkisian said. “We're number five in strength of schedule overall and no other school from Ohio State down has a better strength of schedule than we do...” Sarkisian went on to point to the Longhorns' head-to-head victories over eighth-ranked Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt—which was a top-10 team at the time in which Texas played them—both teams that possess the same 6-2 record in SEC play as the Longhorns, as another feather in his program's cap. The Texas coach noted that his program played five opponents ranked within the top-10 this season, including No. 1 Ohio State, against whom the Longhorns acquitted themselves better than any other team in the country this season. Sarkisian perceives a lack of respect for the Longhorns' tough schedule from the College Football Playoff committee, which has him wondering why tough games such as the Buckeyes' contest should even be played. “...And I get it, we scheduled Ohio State,” Sarkisian continued. “We went and played that game. We lose 14-7. We get stopped inside the 5-yard line twice on two fourth downs. We outgain them by nerly 200 yards. We lose 14-7. We lost the game. But they've beaten nearly every other team they've played on their schedule by three scores. And so at that point it's like, why do we even play that game? “Because if we're a 10-2 team right now that played four top-10 ranked opponents with three wins still in the top-10, we're not even having a discussion right now. We're probably ranked sixth in the CFP. So my point is, why the hell am I going to play that game next year?”Sarkisian acknowledged the Longhorns' road loss to unranked Florida, saying the Longhorns “stubbed their toe” in that game. And it seems like the committee is having trouble overlooking that particular defeat.when asked if the Longhorns' loss to Florida is a main factor. “The committee has a great deal of respect for Texas and they've played an incredible schedule... But one key stat this week in the teams ranked in our top-15, there's 17 total losses for those teams. “Sixteen of those losses came against teams that are currently ranked or have been ranked in our top-25 this year. The only loss to an unranked team was Texas's loss to Florida at Florida, and really, Florida dominated that game... So it's not that Texas played Ohio State, it is Texas's loss to Florida that's holding them back.”Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.
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