College Football Playoff Committee Should Pay Attention to What Steve Sarkisian Said

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is confident that his team deserves to be in the College Football Playoff for a third straight season.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talks with quarterback Arch Manning during a timeout in the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is making it crystal clear: he believes his team belongs in the College Football Playoff.

No. 16 Texas picked up its third Top-10 win of the season on Friday in a 27-17 victory over the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies in one final statement to the CFP committee.

While Sarkisian's comments about Texas' CFP resume during the postgame ESPN interview drew most of the initial attention, he added to this while meeting with the media shorty after in the team press conference.

Steve Sarkisian Says Texas 'Absolutely' a Playoff Team

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian pauses during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Sarkisian reminded everyone that, with the win over Texas A&M, the Longhorns are now the first team since the 2019 LSU Tigers to beat three Top-10 teams in the same season.

That LSU team is considered one of the college football squads of all time, as they would go on to win the CFP National Championship. This year's Texas squad is far from the Joe Burrow-led Tigers, but reaching such a notable and exclusive milestone certainly deserves attention.

"I think we're absolutely a playoff team. There's a couple things in here that to me, are really telling stats. We're the first team since the 2019 national champion, LSU team to beat three top-10 ranked teams in the same season during the regular season. So let's just chew on that for a second."

Sarkisian added that he hopes the CFP committee will not "punish" the Longhorns for scheduling Ohio State in the season opener and suffering a 14-7 loss against a Buckeyes team that has been ranked No. 1 in the country ever since.

He also pointed to Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois at home last season before eventually recovering and making it to the CFP National Championship. His point? A bad loss doesn't necessarily define a team's chances.

"We're willing to go play those games," Sarkisian said. "I just hope we don't get punished for doing that, and this whole idea that, hey, well, you lost to Florida. Well, the team that played for the national championship last year, lost in Northern Illinois at home. They were good enough to go play for a national title. So I have no doubt in my mind that the team we have in that locker room downstairs is a playoff football team and worthy of an opportunity to play for a national championship."

The Longhorns have some good arguments to make but it still might not be enough. Time will tell what the committee thinks.