Steve Sarkisian: Leaving Texas out of College Football Playoff would be 'a disservice to our sport'

On Friday, Texas handed Texas A&M its first loss of the season, running away with a convincing 27-17 triumph. After the game, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian explained why he believes Texas deserves a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“That team is undefeated, No. 3 three in the country. A lot of the pundits out there think they’re the No. 1 team in the country. We just beat them by 10,” Sarkisian said. “If you really look at the body of work, and you look at the Southeastern Conference of what we have to go through every week, you look at the non-conference schedule we played, to go to Ohio State in Week 1 and lose by seven when we outgained them by nearly 200 yards—we got a really good football team.

“It would be a disservice to our sport if this team is not a playoff team when we went and scheduled that non-conference game. Because if we’re a 10-2 team, it’s not a question. But, we were willing to go play that game. So, is that what college football is about? Don’t play anybody and just have a good record, or play the best and put the best teams in the playoff. And, we’re one of the best teams.”

With the win, Texas improved to 9-3 this season and 6-2 in conference play. The Longhorns have three wins against teams that were ranked in the top 10 at the time of their meeting (Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M).

However, many fans believe Texas doesn’t belong in the CFP conversation because it has three losses. As Sarkisian mentioned, one of those losses came against Ohio State, which is currently the No. 1 team in the country.

Texas fell 14-7 against the Buckeyes in a Week 1 showdown. No team other team this season has finished a game within 18 points of Ohio State.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that Texas suffered a 29-21 loss to Florida on Oct. 4. The Gators were 1-3 entering the SEC matchup. Just 14 days later, Florida fired head coach Billy Napier.

Texas showed no signs of being a team capable of losing to Florida on Friday night. In the win over Texas A&M, the Longhorns racked up 397 yards of offense, compared to the Aggies’ 337.

Texas’ defense squeezed two turnovers out of Texas A&M. Additionally, the Aggies had no answers for Texas running back Tre Wisner, who exploded for 155 rushing yards on just 19 carries. The CFP bracket will be revealed on Dec. 7 during the annual selection show.