College football analyst Paul Finebaum has lent a voice to Steve Sarkisian’s appeal to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Sarkisian made a case for Texas’ place in the CFP following the Longhorns’ victory against rivals Texas A&M Aggies on Friday.
The Aggies were undefeated before Friday’s matchup with the Longhorns, leading Steve Sarkisian to appeal for a playoff berth due to a tough schedule. Finebaum echoed this point on Saturday during his appearance on SportsCenter. The SEC Network analyst maintained that the Longhorns deserve a playoff spot despite ending the season at 9-3.
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According to him, it would amount to being punished for Texas not to make the playoffs. He said:
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“I think that Sarkisian makes a point, and it’s really about the first game. Texas decided to go to Ohio State and play a meaningful game in one of the biggest games of the year in college football. Had they played Kennesaw State, which Indiana played, or Oklahoma State, one of the worst teams in the country, which Oregon played, or some of these other competitors… they wouldn’t be in this situation. They had the bad loss to Florida, but they have the significant wins, which overcome that. So I think they’re gonna be penalized for doing the right thing, and that’s wrong. And in my mind, Texas belongs in the College Football Playoff, even with that record.”
How Steve Sarkisian’s Texas has performed this season
Steve Sarkisian’s team opened the season with a loss at Ohio State, subsequently losing to Florida and Georgia. However, the team has also recorded wins against ranked opponents like Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and most importantly, Texas A&M. Going by Sarkisian and Finebaum’s logic, these wins should outweigh the team’s losses.
However, there hasn’t been any three-loss team in the College Football Playoff so far, even last year when it switched to a 12-team system. If a three-loss team were to make the playoffs this year, Finebaum’s colleague, Roman Harper, thinks it wouldn’t be Texas. He said:
“Ultimately, I don’t think the committee wants to put a three-loss SEC team in… Yet. I think they wanna wait and see if Alabama gets in. And if Alabama loses the SEC Championship game, that would be their three-loss team.”
Georgia and Alabama will face off in the SEC championship game on Dec. 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Edited by Kayode Akinwumi
