Texas coach Steve Sarkisian just threw a bold shot at the CFP committee. After a striking 27-17 home win against the Aggies, Sarkisian isn’t backing down in his playoff rant. After facing a formidable non-conference opponent, Ohio State, and winning against the Texas Aggies, Texas deserves a playoff spot despite not being a 10-win team. And if the committee fails to recognize their worth this time, Sark isn’t backing down from taking harsh actions.

“If you really look at the body of work and the SEC and what we have to go through every week, if you look at the nonconference schedule, we go to Ohio State in Week 1 and lose by 7 and we outgained them by nearly 200 yards. We’ve got a really good football team, and it’d be a disservice to our sport if this team’s not a Playoff team when we went and scheduled that nonconference game. Because if we’re a 10-2 team, it’s not a question. But we were willing to go play that game. ”

Steve Sarkisian said to Molly McGrath. “So, is that what college football’s about? Don’t play anybody and just have a good record? Or play the best and put the best teams in the Playoff? We’re one of the best teams.”

Going up against the No. 1-ranked defensive squad in the season opener isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. And Steve Sarkisian clearly wants the committee to consider that. However, if they fail, there’s a high chance that Texas will not schedule challenging non-conference games in the future. And Sarkisian’s plea makes sense, as Texas produced 336 total yards against Ohio State’s 203 yards and also recorded 166 rushing yards against their 77 yards.

Even though Texas didn’t make it to the SEC championship, it still has a slight chance to make it to the playoffs. With a nine-win season and three top 15 wins over Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M, their resume looks solid. Additionally, two of their three losses were against top teams, Ohio State and Georgia. But the only game that can affect their chances is their road loss against Florida.

The playoff committee will release its rankings on December 1, and after their win over the Aggies, Texas might move to the No. 12 spot. Looking at history, any three-loss team rarely gets in the playoffs, but Clemson was an exception last year after winning their conference. So, Steve Sarkisian’s hope can turn into reality.

Now, with that, the Longhorns also need teams between 10 and 15 playoff ranks to lose. Now, if No. 15 Michigan loses against Ohio State, they will fall in the charts, and No. 14 Vanderbilt has already lost against Texas, so both might come down. Then, no.11 BYU and no.13 Utah might get passed after the Longhorns’ dynamic win over the Aggies. Now the remaining obstacles are no. 10 Alabama and no. 12 Miami. Now to make it to the top, Steve Sarkisian’s team needs Auburn to beat Bama and Pitt to beat Miami.

With playoff concerns, Texas faces a major loss.

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas gets a major hit

The Texas Longhorns did win against the Aggies, solidifying their playoff berth, but lost their key defensive player in the game. Cornerback Kade Phillips left the game with an injury and never returned. He was seen limping on the sidelines without a helmet, adding concern to the starters’ list for the Longhorns. As they already went into the game without Anthony Hill Jr.

Phillips took over the starting role, replacing Jaylon Guilbeau, and showed promising results. During their game against Arkansas, he recorded 4 tackles and a career-high two pass breakups. Entering the Aggies matchup, he had 14 total tackles and five breakups on the season. Steve Sarkisian praised his progress in Georgia’s game.

“I was really proud of Kade on some plays,” Sarkisian said. “And there were some growing pains for Kade Saturday night. You know, they throw a hitcher out in front of him at the end of the first quarter, and he makes a tackle. It’s about a gain of six yards. The very next play to start the second quarter, they tried him on a double move, a hitch and go. And he stayed on top. He defended it really well.”

For now there’s no update on his injury status, but let’s wait and see if he returns for the Longhorns’ playoff run if they get in at all.