Steve Sarkisian insists ‘it would be a disservice to our sport’ if Texas misses CFP
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The members of the College Football Playoff committee definitely have some tough decisions to make here in a little over a week.
The Texas Longhorns, who beat No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 to spoil the Aggies undefeated season on Friday night, are one of the biggest problems for the committee. The Longhorns have now beaten 3 top 10 opponents (at the time of the game) while suffering losses to Ohio State, Georgia and… 3-8 Florida. We’ll discuss that last loss further down the page.
Following Texas’s win over the Aggies, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian told ESPN that, “it would be a disservice to our sport if this team is not a playoff team.”
Every coach is going to lobby for their team — that’s Sarkisian’s job, after all — but even at 9-3 the Longhorns’ argument isn’t as absurd as you might think.
Let’s introduce some context first. Texas fell to Georgia and the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, in a close loss to open the season. The Longhorns were less competitive against Georgia; The Bulldogs demolished Texas 35-10 in Athens.
Then there’s that ugly Florida loss, which is a main argument for those opposed to Texas making the College Football Playoff. How can the 9-3 Longhorns possibly make it over 10-2 Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, BYU or Texas Tech? Especially considering Miami boat-raced the Gators in their matchup earlier this season.
It really boils down to this: Do you value wins over Playoff teams or the number of losses a team has? Texas currently has more wins over top 10 competition than any other team in the country, and as Sarkisian pointed out postgame, the team that played for a national championship last season lost to Northern Illinois.
Texas has also won 6 of its last 7 with wins over Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M across that stretch – it’s hard to realistically say the Longhorns aren’t playing like one of the 10 best teams in the country right now.
But at the same time, losses simply have to matter, right? Vanderbilt and Oklahoma didn’t lose to a 3-8 team, nor have Notre Dame, BYU or Texas Tech. Miami’s worst loss on the season came to Louisville, which will still play a bowl game this year. Finally, keep in mind the Longhorns needed overtime to beat both Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Really, it’s far too early to call the race for or against Texas with all the chaos that is still to come. Just as an example, if Alabama loses to Auburn later on Saturday and Miami falls to Pitt, this conversation becomes a lot easier. What’s even more intriguing is this: If it did come down to Texas or 10-2 Vanderbilt/Oklahoma for a Playoff spot — both of which lost to Texas this season — who gets the bid?
Some food for thought as you sit back and watch what should be an excellent Rivalry Week slate.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
