Texas HC Sarkisian Makes Detailed Case for CFP Bracket Spot, Defends Record in Video

Having wrapped up the regular season by handing Texas A&M its first loss of the season on Friday night, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian went into politician mode to make the case for his team to be included in the College Football Playoff.

Speaking to reporters after the Longhorns' 27-17 win, Sarkisian had a detailed argument ready to go for why his team is worthy of one of the 12 spots in the playoff field.

The most salient point Sarkisian made in his argument was that Notre Dame, which advanced to the championship game in 2024, made the playoff field last year despite having a loss to a Northern Illinois team that wasn't particularly special.

One key difference is the 2024 Notre Dame team only had one loss before the playoff, while Texas already has three. Two of those three losses were against arguably the top two teams in the country—Ohio State and Georgia. The latter game had a 35-10 final score in favor of the Bulldogs.

Texas' third loss was on Oct. 4 against a Florida team that fired head coach Billy Napier two weeks later after a 3-4 start. It doesn't help Sarkisian's case that the Gators haven't won since Oct. 18 and are 3-8 entering Saturday's finale against Florida State.

The math is going to make it very hard for the Longhorns to get in. It's hard to imagine a one-loss Texas A&M team, even with a head-to-head loss against Texas, not making the field.

Texas entered this week ranked No. 16 in the College Football Playoff top 25. Since Tulane at No. 24 is the highest ranked Group of Five team, it will receive an automatic bid, which also takes a spot away from the non-conference champion contenders ahead in the current rankings.

The teams that Texas would have to leap based on the current standings include Miami, Notre Dame, Alabama and Oklahoma. All four of those teams currently have two losses.

Alabama has arguably the worst loss of that group, falling 31-17 to Florida State in the season opener back in September. If the Crimson Tide were to lose on Saturday in the Iron Bowl against a 5-6 Auburn team, the door could open for Texas to have a chance.

Fans won't have to wait much longer to see the 12-team playoff field. The final rankings will be unveiled on Dec. 7 after conference championship weekend.