Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has continued to plead his case for the Longhorns to advance to the College Football Playoff. Following their win over previously undefeated Texas A&M on Friday, Sarkisian has called for the 9-3 Longhorns to make the postseason, even saying it would be a “disservice” to the sport if they didn’t.
As of now, the Longhorns sit at No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll and are just outside the 12 teams that would make the CFP. One of Sarkisian’s primary arguments for his team reaching the CFP is they have defeated three ranked teams this season in No. 13 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 7 Texas A&M.
"There’s teams that are ranked in front of us that haven’t played any top-10 ranked teams,” Sarkisian said. “My point to everybody is, is this about what your record is at the end? Or is this about beating quality teams and showing how good of a team you really are by beating quality teams on the field. Or is it don’t play good teams, put up a bunch of yards, put up a bunch of points and make it look good. Throw fade route touchdowns with 38 seconds to go when you're ahead 31-7 so that the score looks better. Is the committee watching the games or are they looking at a stat sheet at the end of the game?”
Sarkisian is referring to Miami at the end of his remarks, who scored a late touchdown in the final minute of their game against Pitt to win 38-7. Miami is also on the CFP bubble, and came in at No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
Mario Cristobal addressed Sarkisian’s comments later. He said, “They also gotta take a look at the fact of a common opponent between us and that particular coach. Seeing that we had the opportunity to really dominate that opponent while that opponent dominated them.”
Mario Cristobal responds on @CanesInSight …
— Greg (@G_Reg3rdLeg) December 2, 2025
“They also gotta take a look at the common opponent between us and that particular coach. To really dominate that opponent while that opponent dominated them.” https://t.co/DfrIfNWXT3 pic.twitter.com/FectNwZxsz
As Cristobal pointed out, Miami and Texas played a comment opponent this season—Florida. While Miami took care of the Gators 26-7, the Longhorns were upset by Florida. Additionally, Miami has defeated a top-10 team in No. 9 Notre Dame.
Beyond their common opponent, Texas simply wasn’t consistent enough this year to be a surefire CFP team. With teams from at least five different conferences making the CFP, there is little room for error. The Longhorns’ wins over Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M were impressive, but there losses to Florida, Georgia and Ohio State weren’t. Neither were their narrow overtime wins over SEC cellar-dwellers like Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Both Miami and Texas are on the outside looking in for the CFP, but the Hurricanes deserve to be ranked in front of the Longhorns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mario Cristobal Responds to Shade From Steve Sarkisian Amid Texas, Miami's CFP Bids.
