Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has welcomed the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams but remains cautious about how conference championships will be decided under the new format. Speaking on Thursday during his weekly Zoom session with reporters, Sarkisian said the increased opportunity for teams to compete for a national title is a positive development, especially for squads recovering from early setbacks.
“Opportunity is great,” Sarkisian said. “More teams get an opportunity to try to win a national championship.” He pointed out that the expanded playoff could benefit teams dealing with injuries or early losses by allowing them time to regain strength and improve. “Maybe you may have had to endure an injury or two. Maybe your quarterback was out. You get them back, and now you’re healthy and you’re fresh and you’re better,” Sarkisian explained. “Maybe it gives you an opportunity early in your season to play some younger players, knowing, hey, maybe we have a couple of losses that don’t want to lose. But your team can get better and play your best football at the end of the year with an opportunity to make a run.”
The Texas Longhorns head coach’s remarks come as the college football landscape prepares for the 24-team playoff, which is expected to begin next season pending final agreements between the SEC, Big Ten, other conferences, and ESPN. The current structure will be scrapped, including conference title games, a change that raises questions for Sarkisian about the logistics of crownings and automatic playoff qualifications.
“How are you eligible? How are you not? Is it just the top 24?” Sarkisian asked. “I don’t know the specifics of it. I’m a little leery of not having championship games, if that’s what comes out of this.” The new format will force conferences, many with at least 16 teams, to reconsider how to determine champions without a title game, which Sarkisian indicated remains a concern.
Sarkisian also expressed enthusiasm about the potential for maintaining and even expanding high-profile nonconference matchups under the playoff’s new structure. The Longhorns have embraced such scheduling under his leadership, facing Ohio State and Michigan in recent seasons. Texas is set to host Michigan again next year and will meet Notre Dame in a home-and-home series in 2028 and 2029.
“What I like most about [expansion], without having really dug into it, honestly, is that we get to keep those nonconference games that I think we all really like,” Sarkisian said. “I know we do internally. I know our fans do. I know it’s good for college football that we’re playing Michigan next year and we’ve got Notre Dame the next two years after that. I’m excited that we get to keep those things.”
Texas suffered a narrow 27-24 loss to the Florida Gators on Saturday, a game Sarkisian described as one where the Longhorns “bled out.” Despite the setback, Sarkisian’s focus remains on adapting to the evolving playoff landscape and maximizing the team’s chances under the new system. The details of the 24-team format, including the role of selection committees and seeding protocols, continue to be worked out ahead of next season.
According to Yahoo Sports.