Sidelined from the CFP, Texas faces Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Coach Sarkisian discusses future scheduling after this marquee matchup.
After missing out on its third straight College Football Playoff appearance, No. 13 Texas' consolation prize is a trip to Orlando, Florida, to play in its first-ever Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
The Longhorns will be taking on No. 18 Michigan on New Year's Eve in one of the marquee non-playoff bowl games. It's not what Texas wanted, but it's a chance for its fans to see it play against another top-quality opponent before turning the page on the 2025 season.
READ MORE: Florida Faceplant Dooms Texas: Longhorns Left At No. 13 And Out Of CFP Dance
Although the Longhorns' omission from the CFP seemed inevitable, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team held out hope that the committee would value its strong strength of schedule and three top-15 wins come Selection Sunday.
It didn't, which now raises the question -- How does this affect Texas' future non-conference scheduling?
Sarkisian said on Wednesday that the Longhorns will honor the return games against Ohio State next season, and Michigan in 2027, but anything after that is fair game.
"I love playing in those games. I don't like the repercussions of playing those games if I don't get rewarded for playing those games," he said. "I think anything beyond that is up for discussion. CDC and I have already had that discussion. We need to take a good, hard look at what our non-conference schedule looks like beyond the next two years."
"There's a little bit of a different shift now that we're in the Southeastern Conference."
Notably, Texas is scheduled to play Notre Dame in a home-and-home series during the 2028 and 2029 seasons. After Sarkisian's recent comments, those games could be in serious jeopardy.
For now, full attention goes to ending the season strong against the Wolverines. In the CFP era, many players with hopes to play at the next level have opted out of bowl games due to their "meaningless" nature.
The Longhorns have a few players who fall into that category, including linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., offensive tackle Trevor Goosby, corner Malik Muhammad, safety Michael Taaffe and tight end Jack Endries, to name a few.
However, Sarkisian doesn't expect opt-outs to be a problem.
READ MORE: Sean Miller Reflects on His First Nine Games as Texas Head Coach
“Every player on our team, whether they’re going to the draft or not, needs to play in this game. It’s another opportunity to build their resume, to put things on tape that the NFL can lean into, that can help them evaluate them for the draft,” Sarkisian told the Dallas Morning News.
“We’re going to play a quality opponent, regardless of who it is, so they can work on their craft here in December and maybe put a little better product on the field for them.”
That's one thing to look out for in the weeks leading up to their bowl game.
Regardless of who participates, the contest will provide younger players, who are expected to play a larger role next season, an opportunity to shine.