Plus: It’s a slow news day, folks
For the second consecutive season, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has been named a finalist for this year’s Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, according to an announcement from the American Heart Association, the award’s sponsor, earlier this week.
Here’s how Inside Texas broke Sarkisian’s much-deserved recognition:
“Sarkisian has led the Longhorns to an 13-2 record, an SEC Championship Game appearance and his Longhorns are the only program to advance to the CFP in each of the last two seasons. The Horns are set to face No. 6/7/6 Ohio State in the CFP semifinals and the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With a 39-31 (2OT) win over No. 10/10/12 Arizona State in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Texas claimed the program’s first 13-win season since 2009 while tying the program record in single-season victories. It’s just the third 13-win season in texas-hosts-no-2-auburn-on-tuesday-as-sec-gauntlet-continues/” title=”Texas hosts No. 2 Auburn on Tuesday as SEC gauntlet continues”>program history (2005, 2009). Texas also has back-to-back 12-plus win seasons for the first time since 2008-09. It’s the program’s fifth 12-plus win season (2005, 2008, 2009, 2023, 2024). The Horns sport an 11-game true road game winning streak – the longest active streak by an FBS team. Since the start of the 2023 season, Texas is 25-4 with only four losses against AP top-12 opponents. Texas has also won 13 of its last 15 conference matchups and carries an 18-3 record at home over the last three seasons with its three losses coming against top-five ranked foes (No. 5/4 Georgia on Oct. 19, No. 1/1 Alabama in 2022 and No. 4/4 TCU in 2022).”
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS
Austin American-Statesman: Why mobile QBs like Ohio State’s Will Howard give Texas football fits
Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs. Ohio State: What Cotton Bowl said about winter weather for CFP
Austin American-Statesman: Golden: Can Texas football’s Quinn Ewers out-duel red-hot Will Howard?
Dallas Morning News: Everything to know about Texas-Ohio State: Quinn Ewers faces familiar foe in Cotton Bowl
Dallas Morning News: First 12-team College Football Playoff reminds fans to be careful what they wish for
Dallas Morning News: Can Texas kicker Bert Auburn redeem himself in Cotton Bowl after uncharacteristic misses?
Dallas Morning News: Previewing Texas-Ohio State: Longhorns could live or die by this X-factor
247Sports: Know Your Longhorn Foe: Cotton Bowl Q&A with Patrick Murphy as Ohio State and Texas are set to square off
247Sports: College Football Playoff predictions: Final picks for Ohio State vs. Texas, Notre Dame vs. Penn State
Inside Texas: Assessing four potential outcomes between Texas and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl
Inside Texas: Two Texas X-factors for Ohio State
Inside Texas: The most talented matchup of the year? What an NFL scout says about the skill of this year’s Cotton Bowl
ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION
Texas vs. No. 2 Auburn gamethread
With Cotton Bowl matchup against Ohio State, the career of Texas QB Quinn Ewers comes full circle
RECRUITING ROUNDUP
247Sports: Longhorns WR signee Jaime Ffrench talks late push from Florida, why he stayed strong with Texas
247Sports: Elite 2026 DL Bryce Perry-Wright points to Colin Simmons when discussing Texas development
247Sports: Texas, Baylor leading the way for 247Sports Top100 WR
Inside Texas: Javian Osborne names top-10 schools with Texas and Michigan leading the pack
SEC SHOWDOWN
Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball’s Arthur Kaluma collects career-high points vs. Auburn
Austin American-Statesman: Did Texas basketball get its first SEC win against No. 2 Auburn?
Good Bull Hunting: Iowa State transfer edge Tyler Onyedim commits to Texas A&M
Rock M Nation: Bates, Robinson lead Mizzou to victory over LSU
Red Cup Rebellion: Lane Kiffin had a point about Ulysses Bentley
Rocky Top Talk: Tennessee gets absolutely humiliated by Florida in Gainesville 73-43
Anchor Of Gold: Anchor Drop: Mississippi State tonight
Roll ‘Bama Roll: Happy Gump Day: Keon Sabb’s return makes Alabama’s secondary the strength of the 2025 defense
Dawg Sports: Dawgs Basketball: Kentucky by the numbers
A Sea Of Blue: Kentucky flattened by Georgia: 3 things to know and postgame banter
WHAT WE’RE READING
SB Nation: NFL teams asking if Bill Belichick would leave UNC already
SB Nation: Predicting the NFL Wild Card round based on which mascot would win in a fight
SB Nation: LeBron James’ dunk was so good it shouldn’t be possible for a 40-year-old
NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND
- Somehow, it’s a slows news day.
me headed north on I-35 to get to the cotton bowl pic.twitter.com/qAILi0wjfL
— Longhorn Lads (@LonghornLads) January 7, 2025
