As the Longhorns landed at No. 13 in the latest CFP rankings, the playoff dream seems all but gone. Still, Steve Sarkisian didn’t hesitate to echo Kirk Herbstreit’s message about playing big games. While the 14–7 loss to OSU stands as one of the significant reasons for Texas’ failure to reach the playoffs, the Texas head coach made his stance clear about scheduling those non-conference matchups for next season.

“We’re going to honor Ohio State and Michigan. We’re going to honor those return trips,” said Sarkisian during Wednesday’s press appearance. “I think anything beyond that is up for discussion.”

Even though the loss to OSU this year was tough, and despite major victories over Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma, Steve Sarkisian stated Texas wouldn’t avoid challenging games. They played at Michigan in 2024, host OSU in 2026, and welcome Michigan to Austin in 2027.

While those games aren’t going anywhere, Herbstreit has even said those big matchups need to happen, win or lose.

“If that’s all we’re doing, we’re not taking into consideration where you played or when did you play at prime time on the road in Athens or Columbus or State College? If you’re not taking that into consideration and you’re just counting losses, then hell yeah, don’t play anybody. Play the easiest games,” said Herbstreit bluntly on Tuesday on his show, emphasizing that losses shouldn’t be the ultimate focus.

Instead, Herbstreit believes big matchups in CFB need to happen because they reveal far more about a team. Sark also assured, saying, “We’re excited to play those games. Our coaches are looking forward to those games. It should be highly competitive ball games with great teams.”

But there’s still room for change.

Non-conference games may have hurt Texas back in the Big 12 days, but now, in the SEC, they’ll play nine conference games in 2026 and must schedule at least one power-conference opponent in their three non-conference slots. Now, if the CFP committee doesn’t take that into account, the schedule might speak for itself.

“I think we’re very aligned. I love the big brand games,” said Sarkisian. “I don’t like the repercussions of playing those games if I don’t get rewarded for playing those games. I think CDC is in line with that too, so we’re very aligned.”

It highlights Sarkisian’s dissatisfaction with the CFP committee. Despite facing OSU, that loss was heavily weighed. Texas now looks likely to be out of the playoff race. Here, conference bias comes into play. Imagine a Pac-12 or ACC team with a tough non-conference loss was ranked relative to an SEC or Big Ten team with a weaker schedule. That doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

This season, Miami sits at No. 12 with two losses, while Alabama holds the No. 10 spot with the same record. However, in the ACC, Miami must navigate tougher non-conference matchups. Despite a challenging schedule, the final results still have a significant impact on rankings.

By pointing this out, the head coach also raised questions about scheduling OSU again, revealing some of the hidden challenges in CFB.

Steve Sarkisian’s firm stance on Ohio State and the state of CFP

Steve Sarkisian is openly questioning the value of facing OSU this season and next. Here, the Texas head coach pointed directly to their 14–7 loss to the Buckeyes as a key reason Texas missed the projected 12-team bracket.

“We lost 14–7. We lost the game,” said the Longhorns’ head coach. “But they’ve beaten every other team on their schedule by three scores. At that point, it’s like, why do we even play that game?”

Looking ahead, while the Longhorns are set to host OSU in 2026 after flipping the series, Sarkisian didn’t mince words.

“So the point is, why the hell am I gonna play that game next year?” said Sark.

While his comments signal frustration with scheduling practices, he spoke out on the issues in CFB.

“There’s probably some real issues that we need to hunker down on,” said the head coach. “These are really severe issues that until we get guardrails around them, like, who’s enforcing the rules right now. Who’s adhering to the rules right now? I don’t really know that either.”

We’ll see whether Sarkisian’s voice brings any changes or not.