Steve Sarkisian, Mario Cristobal trade barbs over CFP seeding
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Steve Sarkisian and Mario Cristobal will have to sweat out Selection Sunday to see if their respective teams have made the College Football Playoff.
Texas gave itself a massive boost in its regular-season finale. The Longhorns, ranked 16th in the CFP Top 25 going into Week 14, topped No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 for their sixth win in seven tries. Meanwhile, Miami, at No. 12, dominated Pitt 38-7.
The Hurricanes ended Saturday’s game hoping that they picked up some much-needed style points to impress the Playoff selection committee. Despite matters being well in hand with less than four minutes to go, Carson Beck delivered his third passing touchdown of the day with 41 seconds left.
That was the perfect opportunity for Sarkisian, who’s naturally campaigning hard for his team to make the 12-team field, to level a blow toward the Hurricanes.
“Is this about beating quality teams and showing how good of a team you really are by beating quality teams on the field?” the Texas head coach asked rhetorically on the SEC Network, according to CBSSports.com’s Brad Crawford. “Or is it don’t play good teams, put up a bunch of yards, put up a bunch of points and make it look good (and) throw fade route touchdowns with 38 seconds to go when you’re ahead 31-7 so that the score looks better.”
Cristobal responded in kind on Tuesday.
“That’s funny. We had one common opponent: Florida dominated Texas 29-21, a team we beat convincingly 26-7. That settles that debate,” Cristobal told On3’s Brett McMurphy.
Talking season’s definitely upon us with just days to go until the Playoff field is unveiled. While Sarkisian and Cristobal’s comments won’t necessarily change the committee’s mind, at least they’ve gotten to get some things off their chest.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
