The burnt orange hypetrain was forcibly halted at a scarlet red stoplight the last time we saw it. But when Ohio State beat Texas in that Cotton Bowl, there may have been a figurative passing of the baton. Bringing up that egregious play call from Steve Sarkisian on 1st and Goal that transpired into a strip sack on Quinn Ewers probably still flares PTSD in and around Austin. But the Longhorns faithful can perhaps take solace from a revelation in its aftermath, heading into fall. A positive bit of news has tagged along with a rather peculiar comparison.

If there was one blemish, one ‘yeah, but’ over Ohio State’s dominant run to the National Championship, it’ll be the construction of the roster. More particularly, the NIL funds they expended to facilitate the assembling of their Avengers. Ryan Day did his best Nick Fury impression, but it exacted a cost. The Buckeyes’ roster was allegedly the most expensive roster in the history of college football. It set them back a whopping $20 million. This is impossible to prove since NIL deals aren’t public information, but there’s no smoke without fire. It’s been credibly reported and then discussed ad nauseam. Make no mistake, it’ll be naive and borderline delusional to suggest Ohio State only succeeded because of their spending. But it sure was a factor. Enough of a factor for Steve Sarkisian and Texas to follow the blueprint.

Sark and the Texas brass saw OSU and said, ‘We’ll do you one better.’ Their 2025 roster, which they hope repeats what Ohio State achieved, will cost a reported $40 million. That additional ~20 million comes courtesy of the House Settlement, which will allow for revenue sharing. So while Ryan Day merely had NIL to weaponize, Steve Sarkisian has a double-barreled rifle. A blueblood program going through a championship drought and pushing all its chips in the middle is something CFB is experiencing two years in a row. Alas, it turns out this isn’t even all of Texas’ stack. There’s a lot more where that came from. Over the Crain & Company YouTube channel, the hosts discussed the 10 richest NIL collectives in the collegiate sports landscape. UT-A-based Texas One Fund’s position in the hierarchy spawned two things among the hosts. Shock, and a fascinating comparison.

The Texas One Fund came in at 3rd place across the country. Ahead of Oregon, aka Nike U. And only behind Ohio State and Tennessee. The exact funds in the collective are unknown, but there’s one other thing that contextualizes just how big a brand Texas is. As well as how they can afford to field the most expensive roster in the sport once revenue sharing is introduced. Blain Crain said Texas Athletics’ revenue across their sports programs was $331.9 million last year. The highest nationally. *Pause for effect*.

His co-host, Jake Crain, balked at the figure and joked how it’s more than some countries’ GDP! It was he who made that aforementioned comparison. Which, depending on the individual, could be perceived as distasteful or simply what it was meant to be something he said in jest.

“[Texas] is one of the Saudi Arabias of College Football,” remarked Jake Crain. “[They] just got all this money. ‘Do I want a toilet made out of gold? Do I want an AI robot chick walking around?’ [They] can afford it, and [also] go get a great quarterback [or] go get an offensive lineman.” Well, Steve Sarkisian’s operation isn’t quite backed by oil money. But it sure does hold that kind of equity and power in the college sports realm. $331.9M in revenue heading into a rev-share era opens possibilities for Sark and co. that didn’t exist prior. It’s no surprise they’re putting pedal to the metal and maximizing this with the reported $40 million on the football team. Sarkisian’s tryst with trumping Ryan Day is a multi-faceted can of worms in itself. The Saudi Arabia comparison aside, let’s delve into that more tangible affair.

Steve Sarkisian will potentially go through the same tribulations Ryan Day did

It was the Houston Chronicle that reported Steve Sarkisian-led Texas is planning to spend $35-40M on their 2025 roster. The report also stated the school plans to spend the maximum allowed limit of $20.5 million via revenue sharing. This proposed cap in the House Settlement, come to think of it, is the only thing keeping Texas from going supernova.

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have definitely faced criticism for leaning on NIL en route to the championship. Criticism based on plenty of rationale that’s both fair and fallacious. But with Texas following the same modus operandi, the pressure is now on Steve Sarkisian. Sark has been knocking on the door with consecutive CFP appearances. So having the financial backing to push him and his team over the line means the onus is on him to make that jump from the final 4 to the Natty. You can guide the horse to the river, but you can’t make it drink the water.

It’s somewhat poetic that Texas opens its season in Columbus against Ohio State. The first test of what they’d hope is a championship roster will be against the current occupants of the throne. It’ll be fascinating to see how things transpire. At the end of the day, Steve Sarkisian and his players need to perform on the gridiron. Spending money doesn’t guarantee success, and that’s a novel thing about sports that’ll perpetually remain true.