Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian Makes Bold Prediction for CFB's Future

The college football world is changing rapidly, and unfortunately, many traditions seem to be falling by the wayside. Classic rivalries and regional conferences are among the most prominent victims of the changing landscape, but they're far from the only ones.

When speaking at the annual SEC spring meetings in Florida, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian named another potential victim of the expanded playoff: undefeated champions.

“Now, more than ever, the length of the season,” Sarkisian said. “Last year, we played 16 games. That was just to get to the semifinals. We would’ve been 17 to win a championship. So, the idea, I think we’ve all got to wrap our brain around. I don’t know if we’ll ever see an undefeated national champion again. If we do, that’s a really good team.”

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian raises the trophy as he celebrates their win over the Arizona State Sun Devils. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Five of the final six national champions in the four-team College Football Playoff era went undefeated, with four of those teams going 15-0. In the first year of the 12-team playoff, however, two-loss Ohio State ended up going on a run at the right time to claim the national championship. The Buckeyes were the first two-loss national champion since LSU in 2007, widely considered one of the most chaotic seasons in modern college football history.

If Sarkisian is correct, champions with multiple losses could soon become the rule, not the exception.

“Because it’s just so difficult. It’s difficult, yes,” Sarkisian said. “Because of the quality of the opponents you play, but it’s so difficult to stay healthy that long. You’re going to have teams and years like we had last year where you lose your starting quarterback. How do you respond to your quarterback being down…

"I think you’re going to see teams more and more now, two losses, three losses, maybe even four losses that get in — not very different than the NCAA Baseball Tournament and what that looks like. Vanderbilt is the number one seed. There was a point this season where they were 11-10.”

If a team does manage to go 16-0 in this era, though, it would be a sight to behold.

“This idea of somebody is going to go 16-0 in college football. Man, put a statue up somewhere of that team because I just don’t know if that’s going to happen again,” Sarkisian said.