The Texas Longhorns have reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in their final season in the Big 12 Conference and the last season of the current four-team playoff format.
The Longhorns (12-1) finished the regular season 11-1 and annihilated Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game to win their first conference championship since 2009.
Now, they have a chance to compete for the national title for the first time in 14 seasons. The Longhorns lost the 2009-10 national championship to Alabama, and last won the title in 2005, thanks to an iconic performance by quarterback Vince Young in the game’s final moments.
The reward for a season of hard work is a rematch with No.2 Washington, which defeated Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl last season.
“We’re here to play the best football we can play to try to win a semifinal game to get into the national championship,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told the media earlier this week. “I think there’s definitely a workman-like mentality that this team has, but I want to make sure that they enjoy the experience as well because they’ve earned it.
Despite the previous result, the Longhorns believe their journey this season has prepared them for further success, particularly when it comes to hostile road environments and avoiding outside noise.
“We’ve played in some pretty tough environments,” Sarkisian explained. “We had to go on the road. Playing in Tuscaloosa was helpful for us, [and] playing in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington was good for us to not be too enamored with the outside and what was going on outside but staying focused on us.”
It’s that innate focus that Sarkisian believes has led to the significant improvements within his team this season. They’ve developed a connection that allows them to enjoy the game and a mantra that keeps them concentrated on their goals.
“We have a simple adage, ‘Be enamored with us,'” Sarkisian said. “We try to keep our focus internal so that, when the games come, it’s about what we’ve prepared to go do and not what might be going on around us. A lot of times when you get into these settings, the world around you is pretty chaotic. … We want to make sure that we’re a steady sea and that we’re focused on what we need to do.”
The adversity that the team has fought through all year — whether it’s the injury to starting quarterback Quinn Ewers or the loss to Oklahoma or some other battle — has given Sarkisian additional confidence in his team’s ability to perform in high-stake situations.
“We’re very calm when the moment comes regardless of the circumstances because adversity’s going to strike,” he explained. “It’s going to come in this ballgame, but us keeping our poise and composure is going to be critical to our success.”
Will Texas be able to respond to the challenge yet again against Washington’s dynamic offense?
The Longhorns and Huskies (13-0) will play in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in the second of two national semifinal games on New Year’s Day. The winner will play either No.1 Michigan (13-0) or No.4 Alabama in the National Championship Game at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Monday, January 8.