The Texas Longhorns knocked off the Ohio State Buckeyes at home on Saturday night after trailing by 20 entering the fourth quarter. It was an impressive comeback and marked one of the biggest wins of Steve Sarkisian's Texas career.

It bucked a negative trend of failing to win the big game. On the Longhorns' third try in three years, they finally defeated Ohio State and earned the top spot in the AP Poll.

Now, Texas has a target on its back. They'll wrap up non-conference play against UTSA this week before embarking on the treacherous SEC schedule. But Sarkisian reflected on Ohio State's performance and their College Football Playoff aspirations.

Sarkisian Believes Ohio State Shouldn't Be Punished

On Monday, Sarkisian spoke about the implications of a loss for Ohio State and believes the CFP committee shouldn't punish the Buckeyes for this game.

"I hope Ohio State does not get punished for that game Saturday night. They played a heck of a game. I mean, it's 24-23. They lost on a score with 25 seconds to go in the game. I hope that if they end up being a 9-3 team, the committee can appreciate the fact that they came to Austin, Texas, in September when it was 100 degrees and played us in that environment and played a heck of a game," Sarkisian said, before adding: “And so they should not be punished. Quite frankly, Ohio State should be rewarded for playing in this game against us.”

Sarkisian held a similar opinion last season when Texas was 9-3. He advocated for the Longhorns to be a CFP team, adding that a loss to Ohio State shouldn't penalize Texas. Sarkisian echoed that sentiment for the Buckeyes.

“If they are 9-3, and depending on what happens to those other two, surely I hope they get rewarded for playing this game. If they don’t reward them for playing in the game, then all of us start playing FCS, Power Six, and then I don’t think that’s the product that we want in college football," Sarkisian said. "You guys love it, we love it, our fans love it, the players love it. Everybody loves those matchups. Well, if we want to continue with those matchups, we’ve got to reward the teams for playing those games.”

Ohio State's hypothetical CFP case would certainly depend on who they lose to. But no team with a 9-3 record has made the dance before. Then again, Ohio State could go 11-1 and leave no doubt, but Sarkisian's stance on the CFP criteria is clear.

“When you take in humans and they’re the ones that dictate who makes the playoffs. Like we’re not the NFL, where it’s all based on what’s your record, who did you beat. Those are the teams that make it. You make the playoffs based off of opinions of others, essentially, right? Unless you win your conference, and so there’s a fine line in that. What is the impact of that, and what are the metrics that they’re using to determine who makes the playoffs, and so that’s the risk reward,” Sarkisian said.

Ultimately, the Buckeyes' CFP fate is not an issue Texas should worry about. Yes, this was a massive win for the program, but there are still a lot of games left, and the Longhorns must take care of business.

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