Steve Sarkisian Sends Emphatic Message to College Football Playoff Committee

After the Texas Longhorns win over the Texas A&M Aggies, head coach Steve Sarkisian gave his thoughts on his team's chances to make the College Football Playoff.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on prior to a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After the third top-10 win of the season for the Texas Longhorns, this time handed to their bitter rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies, 27-17, the dialogue has already begun on whether the Longhorns did enough this season to sneak their way into the College Football Playoff.

Steve Sarkisian, head coach of the Longhorns, gave a fiery response on TV when he was asked by ESPN's Molly McGrath about the future of his team's fate when the committee meets. The often reserved coach didn't hold back in his answer, saying if his team were left out, it would be a "disservice" to the sport.

At 9-3 and left out of the SEC Championship, the Longhorns and their fans will have to wait until Sunday, Dec. 7, to find out the fate of their team, but Sarkisian has already begun lobbying for them to make it.

Texas Longhorns College Football Playoff Resume

Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Kobe Black (6) and teammates react after making an interception during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

“It would be a disservice to our sport if this team is not a playoff team when we went and scheduled that non-conference game," Sarkisian said. "Because if we’re a 10-2 team, it’s not a question. But, we were willing to go play that game. So, is that what college football is about? Don’t play anybody and just have a good record, or play the best and put the best teams in the playoff. And, we’re one of the best teams.”

The Longhorns are the only team in the country with three wins over top-10 teams (at the time of playing) in the country, and look to continue their firsts as they hope to be the first three-loss team included in the Playoff. With no games left on the schedule for the Longhorns, they will need some chaos or perhaps just good fortune from the committee to determine their fate.

“That team [Texas A&M] is undefeated, No. 3 in the country. A lot of the pundits out there think they’re the No. 1 team in the country. We just beat them by 10,” Sarkisian said after the Longhorns win. “If you really look at the body of work, and you look at the Southeastern Conference of what we have to go through every week, you look at the non-conference schedule we played, to go toin Week 1 and lose by seven when we outgained them by nearly 200 yards—we got a really good football team."

The argument remains, and could set a significant precedent for the rest of the country, that there would be no point in scheduling challenging out-of-conference games if there is no benefit to them, and they only hurt. While some teams, like the Alabama Crimson Tide, got the benefit of the doubt in their week one loss, the Longhorns haven't gotten the same treatment, and are now on the outside looking in.

The Longhorns will have to wait until next Sunday to hear if their season will continue, but if it were up to Sarkisian, based on their body of work and, more importantly, their wins, they would be in.