Texas Longhorns' head coach Steve Sarkisian is not the one to mince his words. During his appearance at the Touchdown Club in Houston, he took a subtle shot at the NCAA's scheduling.

Steve Sarkisian made his intentions clear about his rival Texas team's strength of schedule. Reporter Anwar Richardson discussed how Sarkisian talked about the team's chances to reach the College Football Playoffs compared to the Longhorns.

"There’s a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I would argue if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated," Sarkisian said. "And they’ll probably make the CFP this year."

According to a report from On3, Sarkisian said this indirectly about their state rivals, Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was perceived to be a subtle jab at their weak schedule compared to Longhorns’ SEC slate.

Sarkisian argued that the Longhorns could go undefeated using their backups in Texas Tech's schedule. Despite the situation, he insinuated that Texas Tech would still make the College Football Playoffs in 2026.

The strength of schedule shows disparity. While the Longhorns play in the SEC, they would face elite opponents like Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M. On the other hand, the Red Raiders have an easier schedule in the Big 12 Conference.

According to ESPN’s strength of schedule metric, Texas Tech would play in a schedule which is ranked 46th in the nation. This is well behind the 9th ranked schedule imposed on Texas.

This scheduling conflict takes us back to 2025, when Texas Tech reached the College Football Playoffs. They went 11-1 and won the Big 12 Championship. However, they would go on to lose to Arizona State in the regular season and Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals.

Sarkisian's Longhorns finished 10-3 and ended up missing the CFP. However, Sarkisian doesn't only have an issue with the NCAA's strength of schedule.

Sarkisian Shares His Thoughts On Potential Playoff Expansion

Apart from taking a shot at Texas Tech, Sarkisian also revealed that he prefers going back to the old ways when it came to the football playoffs.

"I’ve gone on record saying I’d rather go back to four. Here’s my issue: I understand why people want to go to 24," Sarkisian said. "But we are now in a world where fanbases are living under this umbrella of playoff-or-bust."

Sarkisian believes that the original four‑team CFP (2014–2023) was when collegiate football was at its peak. Back then, teams had to prove their worth on the gridiron to qualify. The matchups would make regular season games meaningful.

Despite the financial value it brings with the added revenue, Sarkisian believes it undermines marquee matchups. As playoff access becomes too broad, it will lower its value or importance.

Currently, the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 conferences support 24 teams. However, the SEC prefers 16 teams. The current situation supports the 12-team format, which will reach its third year in 2026.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Rishab Nandi