The Texas Longhorns' Steve Sarkisian is one of the many head coaches with sour grapes about teams like the James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave making the College Football Playoff's 12-team field.
While the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and BYU Cougars had a more convincing case to make the field, having lost just two games to Texas' three, Sarkisian still complained that his program shouldn't be scheduling tough opponents if the CFP selection committee's criteria values fewer losses over quality wins.
"Speaking on behalf of I'm sure every coach in the country, tell us what the criteria is and stick to the criteria," Sarkisian said. "If we're not going to value strength of schedule, then surely that's going to adjust what we do moving forward."
Auburn didn't get Texas coach Steve Sarkisian's memo
Not sure Sarkisian can speak for Alex Golesh, who doesn't seem like a man willing to cut corners in the head coaching seat at Auburn. Realistically, though, it's AD John Cohen who didn't get Sarkisian's memo.
Cohen took the Tigers' Week 1 home game in 2026 against the Baylor Bears and relocated it to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a move the fanbase admittedly loathed, scheduled Notre Dame for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, and scheduled the Miami Hurricanes for the 2029 and 2030 seasons.
That's not backing down. That's embracing the challenge as much as possible.
AU is doing a lot of that for the lucrative payouts, though. Texas doesn't need the money in the same way, and they've now been aggrieved by the CFP selection process. When teams like the Longhorns and Fighting Irish feel aggrieved, change comes quickly. Notre Dame has a guaranteed spot in the CFP field if it lands in the top 12 at the end of the season, regardless of autobids and conference championships (if those are even a thing next year).
Sark's unwillingness to battle the best is a far cry from the old school mentality of wanting to be the best by beating the best.
Auburn isn't likely to change their ways, though, for better or for worse.