Texas has gone from No. 1 in the country to No. 19 after two embarrassing losses. Is Steve Sarkisian officially on the hot seat in Austin?
What in the world is happening at Texas?
Just two weeks ago, the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in college football, undefeated and looking like legitimate national championship contenders.
Now, they’re 4-2, ranked No. 19 and watching their College Football Playoff hopes slip away.
And maybe it’s time to start asking whether Steve Sarkisian is the problem.
Texas has suffered back-to-back 27-24 losses against unranked Oklahoma and Florida, blowing double-digit leads in both games. For a program with championship expectations and one of the most talented rosters in America, that’s simply unacceptable.
And here’s what makes this situation even worse: Sarkisian is supposed to be an offensive genius.
Yet Texas has struggled to move the football consistently, and Arch Manning looks nothing like the superstar quarterback everyone expected him to become.
Manning has thrown for just 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions through six games. But at some point, shouldn’t the head coach responsible for developing him receive some of the blame?
You can’t call yourself an offensive mastermind when your offense is consistently holding your team back.
Sarkisian deserves credit for rebuilding Texas into a national contender, including consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. However, the Longhorns missed the playoff last season and are now in serious danger of missing it again.
And Texas doesn’t spend this kind of money to compete for meaningless bowl games.
Sarkisian reportedly has a buyout exceeding $50 million, making an immediate coaching change extremely expensive. But that doesn’t mean his seat should be comfortable.
With No. 7 Ole Miss coming to Austin this weekend, the pressure couldn’t be much higher. Another loss would drop Texas to 4-3 and put its playoff aspirations in serious jeopardy.
Nobody is suggesting Sarkisian should be fired tomorrow. But if Texas finishes another season without a playoff appearance, some difficult conversations need to happen.
Steve Sarkisian was hired to bring Texas back to the top of college football. Right now, he’s coaching a team that’s moving in the completely opposite direction.
And if things don’t change quickly, his job security might become the biggest storyline in Austin.
