Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has enough on his mind right now without adding another big-picture college football debate to the stack.
His team has dropped back-to-back games, including a loss to Oklahoma. The quarterback situation remains a point of concern, with a returning starter whose celebrity last name only adds to the scrutiny. And yet, in his media appearances this week, Sarkisian also found himself fielding questions about the College Football Playoff’s likely jump from 12 teams to 24 as early as the 2027 postseason.
Sarkisian didn’t sound opposed to the idea. If anything, he leaned into the upside.
“Opportunity is great,” Sarkisian said this week during a weekly Zoom call with reporter, per the Austin American-Statesman. “More teams get an opportunity to try to win a national championship.”
He expanded on that point by laying out how a larger field could help teams that have been hit by injuries or other setbacks early in the year.
“Maybe you may have had to endure an injury or two,” Sarkisian continued. “Maybe your quarterback was out.
You get them back, and now you’re healthy and you’re fresh and you’re better. Maybe it gives you an opportunity early in your season to play some younger players, knowing, hey, maybe we have a couple of losses that don’t want to lose.
But your team can get better and play your best football at the end of the year with an opportunity to make a run.”
Still, Sarkisian also raised a concern tied to the likely format change: the possible end of conference championship games, which the 24-team model would likely require if it goes into place.
The playoff discussion is just one part of the larger Texas conversation right now, with a wave of reporting circling the program this week. Coverage has centered on midseason grades for Sarkisian and Arch Manning, the state of Texas’ offense, the school’s planned home-and-home series with Notre Dame in 2028 and 2029, and the ongoing chatter around Manning’s demeanor and the Longhorns’ season-long margin for error.
There’s also fresh attention on the trenches ahead of Texas’ matchup with Ole Miss, where star edge rusher Colin Simmons is listed as doubtful, and where the Longhorns will try to deal with Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
In Other News...
Texas Still Has One Frustrating Question After That Gators Field Incident
A Texas fans ill-advised moment on the field has already brought a harsh consequence, with the university identifying the person involved and permanently banning him from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Athletic director Chris Del Conte said the fan is a local college student who attends a Florida school other than the University of Florida, adding another layer to a situation that quickly moved beyond simple postgame embarrassment.
What still hangs over the episode is the basic question of how he got that close to the action in the first place. Del Conte said he does not know who authorized the field access, and that uncertainty has fueled criticism from Texas fans who want a clearer explanation for how the whole thing was allowed to happen. For now, the school has dealt with the punishment, but the path that led to the incident remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Has A New Problem Fans Wont Like
Texas has spent the aftermath of its recent slide trying to figure out why a defense that was supposed to travel well suddenly looked vulnerable against unranked opponents, including a home loss to Florida. The drop of 18 spots in the Associated Press poll only sharpened the scrutiny, and the Longhorns issues on that side of the ball have become impossible to ignore.
Florida gave the blueprint for some of those problems, with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner leaning on boot-action concepts to keep backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. comfortable and the Texas defense off balance. The Gators mixed in a steady run game with play-action looks that created easy answers, and Texas never found a clean way to sort out the stress those plays put on its front and coverage. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fans Got Reassuring News About A Marquee Future Showdown
Texas fans got a useful update on one of the programs most attractive future nonconference matchups, with Steve Sarkisian confirming the Longhorns will still play Notre Dame in a home-and-home series in 2028 and 2029. The move fits with Texas broader approach to preserving big early-season games even as college football moves toward a 24-team playoff format that is expected to begin in 2027, easing some of the pressure that has historically led top programs to trim ambitious scheduling.
The dates are already set for Sept. 9, 2028, in South Bend and Sept. 22, 2029, in Austin, giving Texas a marquee trip and a return game in front of its own fans. It also lines up with the Longhorns stated preference to keep valued nonconference dates on the calendar, the kind of matchups that can still carry real weight even in a sport where the postseason picture is getting larger and more forgiving. [Read more 🡒]