Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian gave a surprising take on the Longhorns’ opponent on Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats. Quarterback Quinn Ewers and the No. 3 team in the country are two wins away from securing a spot in the SEC championship game. However, a loss before the regular season ends could put the Longhorns in serious jeopardy of not making the College Football Playoff.
In his fourth year as head coach, Sarkisian spoke on the Paul Finebaum Show about how formidable the Wildcats are an opponent.
“You turn on the tape of Kentucky, and if you don’t look at the record, you could argue that, on the defensive side, this might be the most talented defense we have faced all year. You look at their other three games against the other top three teams in the CFP. 13-12 against Georgia, they couldn’t score a touchdown against Kentucky. They beat Ole Miss, and the game against Tennessee could have gone either way. You think about how talented they are and how well they’ve played well against many teams.”
Texas football has little margin for error over these next few weeks
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) celebrates after making a final first down to end the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Texas won 20-10.
The Longhorns have had a stellar first year in the SEC. Coming off its first Big 12 title since 2009, Texas football debuted in the last year of the four-team College Football Playoff. While Steve Sarkisian’s team would definitely qualify for a four-team and twelve-team bracket right now, dropping one of these last two games could prevent Texas from contending for a national championship.
Quinn Ewers and company currently have the 38th-best strength of schedule. The Longhorns have not won a single game against a Top 25 team. Their only game against a presently ranked opponent was a home loss to now-No. 10 Georgia.
Texas football is currently 9-1 and 5-1 in the SEC, tied for first in the conference. The Longhorns’ historic rival, No. 15 Texas A&M, is also 5-1 in the conference. Losing a game would give Steve Sarkisian’s team the same number of conference losses as Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, meaning that Texas’ chances of making the SEC championship would be slim.
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With Kentucky and Texas A&M on their schedule, the Longhorns will have one more opportunity at a quality win. Should they get to 11-1 and lose the SEC championship game, Texas will undoubtedly make the College Football Playoff. Punishing Steve Sarkisian’s program for playing an extra game would be very unreasonable from the committee. However, if Texas is a two-loss non-conference champ that didn’t even win the regular season crown and doesn’t have a single win in the Top 25, things can get complicated.
To sum it up, if you’re the Longhorns, you don’t want to lose another game in the regular season. Sarkisian understands that, and that’s why he is not taking any opponent for granted. The Wildcats are also a formidable team. Head coach Mark Stoops has shut down the retirement rumors and is determined to make a bowl game for the ninth consecutive season. To do that, the Wildcats must win out, which means that they will be coming into Austin just as motivated as the Longhorns.
Overall, Steve Sarkisian’s interview with Paul Finebaum reflects why Texas is back. His program has everything to play for ahead of it, but one slip-up can cost the Longhorns everything in this new college football era.
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