Texas missed the CFP, but unlike Notre Dame and others, Steve Sarkisian says the Longhorns are all-in on the Citrus Bowl and fired up to face Michigan.
The 12-team College Football Playoff bracket finally dropped, and as expected, the Texas Longhorns were nowhere to be found.
What came next across college football, though, surprised just about everyone. Notre Dame, one of the highest-profile snubs alongside Texas, decided to decline any bowl bid altogether.
Baylor, Iowa State and Auburn followed suit, with the Cyclones even getting slapped with a $500,000 fine for backing out.
In an era where opt-outs and protests are becoming part of the postseason landscape, it was fair to wonder if Texas might consider a similar stance. Steve Sarkisian shut that down immediately.
Shortly after the bracket was revealed, Sarkisian met with the media and made it crystal clear that the Longhorns are playing ... and they're embracing it.
"No, we did not (consider dropping out of the bowl game)," Sarkisian said. "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."
That "really good bowl game" turned out to be the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, where No. 13 Texas (9-3) will face No. 18 Michigan (9-3) on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. CT in Orlando.
Two helmet brands, two 9-3 teams, and a chance for Texas to grab a 10th win and send a message on the national stage.
Sarkisian didn't treat it like a consolation prize.
"You think about the long-standing history and tradition of the Citrus Bowl, with a really quality opponent in Michigan, coming out of the Big Ten, and this is going to be a great opportunity for us," he said.
There's also a simple reality. Last year, Texas went straight from the SEC Championship Game into the Playoff. There was no real "bowl experience," no week-long festivities, no reward trip, just pressure. Sark wants his players to get that part of college football back.
"I think that part of playing college football is getting some of that bowl experience," he said. "If we could have earned a bye, we could have gotten a little different experience, but we didn't. So, I want our guys to enjoy this, and I feel like it's the right thing for us to do for a lot of reasons."
While other programs protest, Texas is choosing to compete, and if the Longhorns handle Michigan in Orlando, they'll finish with double-digit wins and a very loud rebuttal to the committee's decision.