Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns closed out the 2025 regular season with a 9-3 record, landing at No. 14 in the PFSN College Football Playoff rankings. A three-loss squad typically wouldn’t be seen as playoff material. Still, their 27-17 win over an undefeated Texas A&M (11-0) on Nov. 28 sparked arguments for their inclusion in the playoff discussion.
However, Texas ultimately couldn’t make the playoff, finishing just outside playoff contention at No. 13.
Steve Sarkisian Explains Why Texas Chose to Play in a Bowl Unlike Notre Dame
Notre Dame chose to skip a bowl game after being left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday. Despite closing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, Marcus Freeman’s team was overlooked due to two early losses, including the head-to-head defeat to Miami.
Meanwhile, Texas also could follow Notre Dame’s lead and forgo a bowl, as many believed the Longhorns deserved a playoff spot this year. However, Sarkisian said that option was never considered, as his squad is preparing to face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
“We felt like if we didn’t get into the CFP, being right on the cusp, we’d have an opportunity to go to a really good bowl game,” Sarkisian said. “When you think about the longstanding history of the Citrus Bowl, with a really quality opponent in Michigan coming out of the Big Ten, this was going to be a great opportunity for us, for our players, for our team.”
Notre Dame wasn’t the only eligible team to decline a bowl invitation. Kansas State and Iowa State had previously opted out following coaching changes. Soon after, schools like Florida State, Auburn, Rutgers, Baylor, Temple, UCF, and Kansas also chose not to participate.
Some argue these decisions could negatively impact bowl season, and Sarkisian offered his perspective on the trend.
“I don’t know about the ripple effect for everybody,” Sarkisian said. “We all have goals and aspirations of winning conference championships and being national champions, at least we do. But I also think that there’s an experience factor in all this.
“There’s growth. There’s development in all this. There’s camaraderie. There’s so much that goes into this that sometimes, a bowl game is about celebrating a season and finishing a season the right way.”
Texas defeated Michigan 31-12 in Ann Arbor, but Sarkisian said that this year’s Wolverines team is highly skilled on both sides of the ball and will present a real challenge.
The extra practices granted to bowl participants also allow Texas to develop its players further. Sarkisian said that the bowl game allows younger players to show their progress over the season while competing in an eligibility-neutral game.
