Sarkisian’s strength-of-schedule jab draws Texas Tech challenge

Schedule us – After Texas was left out of the College Football Playoff despite a No. 13 ranking and a 9-3 regular season, coach Steve Sarkisian publicly pressed the case for factoring strength of schedule. His comments during a Touchdown Club of Houston appearance quickly m

Steve Sarkisian didn’t sound pleased when Texas watched the College Football Playoff field go by without the Longhorns, even after finishing the regular season with a No. 13 ranking and a 9-3 record.

Texas played what it called a grueling slate, with games against Ohio State, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M. The Longhorns lost on the road to Ohio State and Georgia. but they closed the regular season with a 27-17 win at home over then-No. 3 Texas A&M. Still, a 29-21 loss at Florida during SEC play left a mark on the argument.

The season was rocky for Sarkisian’s team, and the broader timeline of the conference didn’t help. Florida fired head coach Billy Napier midseason and finished 4-8.

On Thursday, during an appearance at The Touchdown Club of Houston, a fan asked Sarkisian whether there was a way to get the CFP selection committee to factor strength of schedule into its decision-making. In response, Sarkisian took a jab at former Big 12 rival Texas Tech.

“Sarkisian said there’s a team in this state that plays in another conference that, if he played his 2s and 3s, his team would go undefeated, and they’ll make the playoffs this year,” the report notes, as posted by Anwar Richardson of orangebloods.com on X.

The answer didn’t just land—it bounced back.

Texas Tech Chairman of the Board of Regents and booster Cody Campbell fired back on X, tagging Sarkisian and Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte. “Schedule us then!” he posted. “We’ve been talking about it for years and we are more than willing!! @CoachSark @_delconte.”

Campbell’s reply put a simple demand behind the argument: if strength of schedule is the deciding factor, put the teams on the field and test it.

The stakes behind that demand are bigger than one comment. Texas Tech would, in this framing, have more to gain by putting Texas on its schedule than the Longhorns would. And Campbell’s post points to a tension in how strength of schedule gets used—especially when teams can avoid certain matchups.

The point being made with examples is that Power 4 programs have often received inflated rankings based on prior history. even as the committee’s human judgment weighs past reputation alongside current results. The text cites situations “as we had last year with Texas. Penn State. LSU and Clemson. ” where history and perception can matter as much as the math.

It also notes that teams like Texas can use the strength-of-schedule argument to exclude playoff-worthy teams from other conferences. including teams from the Group of 6. In other words. a preference for how the schedule looks can become a shield—one that doesn’t require the highest-stakes games to actually happen.

The larger debate, as the argument runs, is one that college football hasn’t resolved. Unlike the NFL, the sport doesn’t have a mathematical playoff path. The piece emphasizes that until there’s a super league with a clearer structure, human judgment will continue to shape the tournament.

For Texas, the challenge comes with added friction because the matchup has history. The Longhorns lead the series 55-18 and have won five of the last six meetings. If the dispute is really about proving strength on the field, Texas Tech’s message is direct: schedule it.

In the meantime, Sarkisian’s attempt to make strength of schedule central to the conversation now sits under a spotlight of the most basic question in college football—who’s willing to play whom, and when the cameras are on.

Steve Sarkisian Texas Longhorns Texas Tech Cody Campbell College Football Playoff strength of schedule Chris Del Conte Touchdown Club of Houston