Texas’ Steve Sarkisian floats theory on undefeated college football champions

The Texas Longhorns have advanced to the College Football Playoff in each of the past two seasons. 

The Longhorns are once again projected to make a run in this upcoming season’s playoff, but head coach Steve Sarkisian is doing what he can to temper some of those lofty expectations. Sarkisian also threw cold water on the notion that whatever team is crowned as national champions will finish the season with a perfect 16-0 record. 

“I don’t think we’ll see an undefeated champion,” during SEC Spring Meetings. 

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Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns speaks during SEC Football Media Days at Omni Dallas Hotel on July 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.  (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Sarkisian pointed to the difficulty of maintaining a fully healthy roster throughout the extended college football season. “It’s so difficult to stay healthy for so long. This idea that someone is going to go 16-0 in college football? If so, put a statue up.”

The 12-team playoff format debuted last season. After a team plays its full 12-game regular-season slate, they could qualify for their conference championship. Under last year’s format, conference champions from the Power 4 earned a bye. The 13-0 team would then need to win a quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship game to finish at 16-0.

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Sarkisian then recalled the vast differences in the current sport’s landscape and his time on the Southern California coaching staff in 2003. 

“Then we grew into a two-team playoff, and we grew into a four-team playoff, and now we’ve grown into where we’re at today,” he continued. “I think at the end of the day, we all just want the best teams to have an opportunity to compete for a championship. The length of the season, last year, we played 16 games and that was just to get to the semifinals. It would have been 17 to win a championship.”

Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns reacts during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Sarkisian also addressed the raised expectations Texas and quarterback Arch Manning will face for the 2025 season. Manning saw action at times last season, but Quinn Ewers’ jump to the NFL opened the door for him to become a full-time starter.

“Arch is a great player, but I hope for everybody here that we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Sarkisian said. “Let’s let this guy go play this year. Let’s let him have fun in finally getting his opportunity as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. It’s been a lifelong dream for this guy to do this.”

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The Longhorns suffered a 37-31 loss to Washington in the 2023–24 playoff semifinal. After defeating Clemson in the first round, Texas survived a double-overtime thriller against Arizona State in the quarterfinals. But, the Longhorns could not get past the eventual champions — Ohio State — in the semifinals.

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