Texas Longhorns $50 Million Hot Seat Awaits Coach Sark After Shocking Loss

In a span of just a few days, Steve Sarkisian has plummeted from being in the penthouse to the outhouse ...

And when he takes a "seat'' in that outhouse he will find it to be "hot.''

"Coach Sark'' just went from coaching the No. 1 team in the country to being perched firmly on the proverbial hot seat over the course of eight tumultuous ticks on the caledar.

It was just a week ago when his Texas Longhons were the top-ranked team in the country heading into the rivalry game against Oklahoma as a solid favorite.

Sarkisian’s squad lost, 27-24 as it blew a 17-7 lead while "superstar'' QB Arch Manning couldn’t take proper care of the football, coughing up an OU pick-six in the fourth quarter before tossing another interception to set up the Sooners' winning drive.

This Saturday, Texas was at home against another underdog in Florida. The Longhorns again owned a far lead (17-3 in the first half) and Manning once again blew a late-game chance to be a hero ... but he fumbled the football with 1:58 remaining in the game.

And they lost. Again. By a score of 27-24. Again.

The shortcomings of the highly-touted Manning are another story altogether (don't worry, we'll analyze those, too, along with the concept that he might deserve to be benched). 

But Sarkisian’s future in Austin deserves analysis.

Yes, expectations in Austin have been sky-high; what else is new?

But this is a championship-level defense and Manning is supposed to be a championship-level QB. That leaves Sark as the centerpiece of blame for back-to-back failures that surely have Longhorns power-brokers double-checking that buyout number (either $36 million or $50 million, depending on the report) should they opt to dump Sarkisian.

And yes, those same power-brokers are likely daydreaming right now about whether to place a phone call to, say Nick Saban.

On the other hand: Sark's record at Texas is 52-22. And while a brutal slate awaits - one computer is spitting out the idea that the Longhorns’ chances of making the College Football Playoff just dropped to 48 percent in part due to upcoming tests against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU - the NCAA system still allows for the rescuing of this season.

Said Sark: "I just told the team downstairs what I need them to do is to hang together, stay tight. Our culture is very strong. They need to hang together."

If they do?

Texas, which will now drop from No. 7 to greater depths, could win out, make the CFP and heck, could win it all!

But for now? The fall temperatures in Texas are cooling ... but the Sark hot seat is just getting warmed up.