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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Texas enters Saturday's contest against Mississippi State with its College Football Playoff hopes back on track, but it can't afford to get too comfortable. The Longhorns rebounded from back-to-back losses against Oklahoma and Florida to beat then-No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 last weekend, lifting them to No. 11 in the latest AP poll with an overall record of 5-2 and 2-2 in SEC play.
However, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian recently took time to push back on the SEC's move to a nine-game conference schedule this season, arguing it's created more physical demands for players and could make it harder for quality teams to reach the CFP.
"Any way you slice it, it's eight more losses. So if you are fortunate enough to be part of that discussion from the committee, how much is the committee going to value one more conference game in the SEC, right? And what does that look like?" Sarkisian said during his weekly media session with reporters.
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"To some degree, we put the cart before the horse," Sarkisian added. "But that's OK, we're all competing our tail off, and I think there is some recognition for the level of competition that we're playing."
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Safe to say Sarkisian's comments weren't received very well by a lot of college football fans.
"I've never seen a conference full of coaches that cry and beg the committee like the SEC does," one user wrote.
"Sark acting like Texas was dragged and forced to join the SEC," another commented.
"Maybe don’t lose 2 games by November and it won’t be an issue," another user added.
"Either quit crying and coach your team or leave and coach in another conference. I’m sick of all these SEC coaches whining and crying when they literally expanded the playoff for you," one other replied.
"Friendly reminder that Texas chose to leave for the SEC…," another wrote.
"Steve Sarkisian: 'It really hurts our playoff chances having to play against competitive teams instead of FCS opponents,'" one other commented.
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The SEC moved from eight to nine conference games in 2026, giving every team another demanding matchup and increasing the chances of more losses across the league. With 16 teams, that extra game creates eight additional conference losses in total. It also adds to the physical toll of an already challenging schedule, something coaches worry could affect teams late in the season.
One thing Sarkisian failed to mention, though, is that the Big Ten and Big 12 already play nine conference games, and the ACC moved to nine this season as well, so the SEC isn't alone.
Texas already has two losses on the season, both to SEC opponents, with five conference games still left on their schedule: versus Mississippi State, at No. 23 Missouri, at No. 15 LSU, against Arkansas, and at Texas A&M. The Longhorns have already beaten then-No. 1 Ohio State, then-No. 14 Tennessee, and Ole Miss, giving them three wins over ranked opponents this season. If they add more quality wins to their resume, they've got a good shot at making the CFP. But another loss or two would make their path much more difficult.
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