Steve Sarkisian 'Wouldn't Be Surprised' If Texas Saw Ohio State in 2025 CFP Bracket

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian believes his team might get a shot at redemption from Saturday's season-opening loss to Ohio State when the College Football Playoff rolls around.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see [Ohio State] again," Sarkisian said after the 14-7 loss, per Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer.

Saturday's loss marked just the fifth time in program history Texas had played Ohio State, but also the second time the programs have faced off this year.

The Buckeyes and Longhorns last matched up in January, when Ohio State claimed a 28-14 win in the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl in order to advance to the national championship game.

Sarkisian will hope to see his team in the win column the next time he takes on Ryan Day's program, although his team's path to the playoff will be slightly more challenging thanks to the 0-1 start to the season.

The playoff bracket, which will feature 12 teams for the second time this fall, will be seeded based on each program's CFP Selection Committee ranking.

Rather than last year's playoff, in which the four conference champions received first-round byes, the four highest-ranked programs will automatically qualify for the playoff quarterfinals.

Whether Texas is able to recover in the CFP standings from the Week 1 loss— ideally by winning out, especially with a Week 10 victory over Georgia— will depend in large part on first-year starting quarterback Arch Manning.

Texas converted just one of five fourth-down attempts on Saturday, including a failed goal-line QB sneak in the third quarter. Manning's ability to step up in those situations going forward will be key to the Longhorns' hopes of bouncing back enough to impress the selection committee, starting with next Saturday's home opener against San Jose State.