It has been 165 days since the Texas Longhorns were excluded from the 12-team College Football Playoff and forced to face the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.
Consider Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is still upset that the selection committee did not prioritize strength of schedule as much as the committee’s regulations require, effectively dismissing three top-ten victories for the Longhorns. Sarkisian made a statement on Thursday at the Houston Touchdown Club in response to a question about scheduling, which sparked outrage right away.
There is a team in our state in another conference that has a schedule that I believe, if I played with our twos and threes, we might go unbeaten, and they will most likely make the College Football Playoff this year,” Sarkisian said.
Texas Tech, according to ESPN’s strength of schedule statistic, played the No. 46 schedule in the country, significantly lower than Texas’ No. 9 schedule.
Last year, head coach Joey McGuire’s team competed against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State, and Oregon State in its non-conference schedule. In 2026, the program will face off against Abilene Christian, Oregon State, and Sam Houston.
The Red Raiders will play UAPB, New Mexico, Stephen F. Austin, and Wyoming in the following two seasons, in addition to having one opening each year.
Cody Campbell, Texas Tech’s mega contributor, reacted angrily to Sarkisian, demanding a series between the long-time league opponents.
But, with Texas scheduled to play Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame in the next four years, the Longhorns have already committed to playing challenging schedules every year, which will be exacerbated by the SEC’s switch to nine conference games.
So, why is it Texas’ duty to resolve a glaring problem that Texas Tech created years ago by scheduling non-conference competitors who have no chance of competing for the College Football Playoff in the future?
Bringing up scheduling disparities is consistent with Sarkisian’s offseason theme, which has included sparking yet another controversy by mocking Ole Miss’ academic requirements.
“Our conferences are not equal, therefore your conference schedule is different. The criteria for what you play outside of conference are different, hence strength of schedule isn’t the same, according to Sarkisian before the dinner. “How do you compare apples to apples when it’s actually apples to oranges? And how do you then place 16 people in a room for them to choose which at-large organizations should exist?
Sarkisian is irritated by the lack of knowledge into the committee’s decision-making.
“My biggest objection is the selection committee,” Sarkisian remarked to USA TODAY last week. “There is no openness on exactly what the group is doing. We must figure that out. “
Tony Petitti’s remarks from Big Ten meetings: CFP growth, CSC adjustments, and more
Tony Petitti, the Big Ten commissioner, addressed the Big Ten spring sessions this week and had some rather forceful opinions on the sport’s future. He persisted in his desire to expand the playoffs to 24 teams, much to no one’s surprise. He stated that 16 is not an option and that he is happy with staying at 12 or increasing to 24. He also addressed the prospect of a 10-game conference schedule, rather than the current 9-game schedule, if the playoff were to grow to 24 teams. One more topic of note that he brought up was the College Sports Commission. He stated that adjustments must be made to the CSC. Andy Staples and Ross Dellenger discuss all of his remarks and examine what each means for the game. They also preview the SEC spring meetings, speculating on what similar talks would take place.
Later, Andy and Ross check in on Baton Rouge, where a familiar face has returned. Coach Ed Orgeron has returned to LSU to join Lane Kiffin’s staff. Coach O is the third coach in the last decade to return to LSU after being dismissed. The other two are basketball coaches, Johnny Jones and Will Wade. The men debate how this happened and what influence it will have on Kiffin’s program.
All of this and more on today’s College Football Enquirer.
