Steve Sarkisian isn’t interested in seeing Ohio State pay a price for Saturday night’s trip to Austin.
After Texas erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Buckeyes in a thriller, the Longhorns coach said the College Football Playoff selection committee should value the fact that Ohio State agreed to play the game in the first place.
“I hope Ohio State does not get punished for that game Saturday night,” Sarkisian said. “They played a heck of a game.
I mean, it’s 24-23. They lose on us scoring with 25 seconds to go in the game.
I hope that if they end up being a 9-3 team, the committee can appreciate the fact that they came to Austin, Texas, in September when it was 100 degrees and played us in that environment and played a heck of a game. And so they should not be punished.
Quite frankly, Ohio State should be rewarded for playing in this game against us.”
Texas’ comeback, powered by Arch Manning and three long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, pushed the Longhorns to No. 1 in the polls. Ohio State fell from No. 1 to No. 6 in the AP Top 25.
The result also dropped right into a larger debate that’s been hanging over college football: whether top programs should keep scheduling heavyweight nonconference games when they already face a full conference slate.
Texas and Sarkisian have been central to that conversation. The Longhorns went to Ohio State last season and lost 14-7, then finished 9-3 and missed the Playoff.
Sarkisian believed Texas was treated unfairly by the selection committee after that loss. That team also fell to Florida, which ended up 4-8, and SEC champion Georgia in the regular season.
Texas, though, beat Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, all top-15 teams in the final AP rankings.
Across the sport, coaches and administrators have been wrestling with the same question, especially in the SEC and Big Ten: is it worth stacking a tough nonconference game on top of a nine-game conference schedule?
The Big Ten has pushed for playoff expansion from 12 to 24 teams in part because more access would encourage more aggressive scheduling. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has suggested that if the CFP grows to 24 teams, P4 schools should be required to play at least 10 games against other P4 teams and Notre Dame.
Sarkisian made it clear he sees Texas as a program built for games like Saturday’s. He also pointed to what the win meant at Darrell K Royal Stadium, where Texas beat a No. 1 team at home for the first time since 1950.
“The brand is the brand, and surely there’s a lot of teams that would want to play us in the event, right? In those games,” Sarkisian said.
“And obviously television loves to have the brand on television and the viewership and all the things. And we’ve got a locker room full of players that come here to be part of those types of games, and we’ve got a fanbase that loves to watch us compete at the highest level in those games.
I’ve said this all along. We want to play in those games.
There’s so much about those games that matter for a lot of reasons to be part of those games.”
Texas already has future nonconference series scheduled with Michigan and Notre Dame.
For now, though, the immediate ripple effect of Saturday’s game reaches beyond the polls. Texas still has six SEC games left against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, while Ohio State has five games remaining against ranked Big Ten opponents.
That’s why Sarkisian sees the Buckeyes’ loss differently than most. In his view, the punishment shouldn’t come from the committee for showing up in the first place.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Added To Texas Wildest Postgame Controversy Yet
The aftermath of Texas 24-23 comeback win over No. 1 Ohio State did not stay focused on the field for long. Steve Sarkisians postgame interview became a talking point after he cut off reporter Holly Rowe, and the moment quickly spilled into the kind of strange, over-the-top discourse that follows a marquee victory when the stakes are already sky high. The result itself mattered plenty, lifting Texas to No. 1 in the updated AP poll, but the tone around the celebration shifted almost immediately.
Arch Manning soon found himself dragged into the chatter after weighing in on an AI-generated video that falsely showed Sarkisian slapping Rowe. His reaction made clear he was not treating the situation with much gravity, even as the clip added another layer to an already messy postgame scene. For Texas, the football part of the night was the headline it wanted, but the strange side story around its coach and quarterback is the one still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian's Awkward Ohio State Moment Took A Strange Turn Online
Steve Sarkisians postgame exchange with Holly Rowe after the Ohio State game was already unusual enough to draw plenty of attention, with Texas fans and onlookers replaying the moment as soon as it hit social media. The Longhorns coach abruptly cut off the ESPN interview and sprinted away, turning a routine TV hit into one of the first viral oddities of the season for a program that tends to live under a microscope.
The story took an even stranger turn when Arch Manning said he had seen AI-generated videos making it look as if Sarkisian slapped Rowe, a fabrication that quickly circulated online after his comments. It was a reminder of how fast a bizarre real-life clip can get distorted once the internet grabs hold, and how little room there is for nuance once a strange moment from a marquee Texas game becomes meme material. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Gets One Last Real Test Before Big 12 Play
TCUs final tune-up before Big 12 play brings a familiar face to Fort Worth, with Arkansas State visiting for what should be a useful barometer for both teams. The Red Wolves have shown a balanced offense so far, leaning on multiple running backs and receivers, while mixing in enough defensive looks to keep an opponent honest. For a Horned Frogs team trying to sharpen itself before the conference grind begins, its the kind of late-September game that can reveal more than the matchup on paper suggests.
The most interesting wrinkle is under center, where Arkansas State is being led by Trey Owens, a transfer quarterback with Texas ties and a chance to settle in after a bumpy start to his career path. The Red Wolves also bring a strong secondary and a defense that changes structure, but their run defense has been a vulnerability through the first two games, which gives TCU a clear area to press. Before Big 12 play arrives, this one offers the Horned Frogs a final look at a team with enough moving parts to make the afternoon matter. [Read more 🡒]