Texas and Ohio State will meet Friday night in the Cotton Bowl with a berth in the College Football Playoff Championship Game on the line.
The Longhorns lost in the CFP semis last season, and Ohio State did the same two years ago. Texas is looking for its first national championship in 19 years, while the Buckeyes haven’t won one in a decade. Both head coaches, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Ohio State’s Ryan Day, have plenty at stake in terms of their personal coaching legacies at their respective schools.
As for who is under more pressure, most would have said Day as of a couple of weeks ago. He came into the College Football Playoff with fans breathing down his neck over a fourth-straight loss to Michigan and a lack of a Big Ten title.
That was before the Buckeyes ripped off impressive wins over Tennessee and Oregon. Those results, plus the lack of firepower from the SEC this season are why ESPN’s Heather Dinich actually thinks Sarkisian has more at stake on Friday.
“It’s 100 percent Sark, because he’s carrying the banner not just for his program but for the entire SEC,” Dinich said on Get Up this morning. “Look, it’s not a great year for the SEC. When Alabama and Georgia are not playing well and they have not been great–Alabama isn’t even in this conversation–the entire league took a hit, and I think it’s fair too to criticize it a little bit. So Sark, to me, is under pressure to carry the banner for the entire conference.”
Which head coach has more at stake in the CFP: Ohio State’s Ryan Day or Texas’ Steve Sarkisian? 🤔@CFBHeather and @finebaum weigh in ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5vJagsSTi5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 8, 2025
While Paul Finebaum, Dinich’s counterpart, argued that Day still has heavy expectations to deal with, he didn’t exactly try to debunk her claim about Sarkisian and the SEC.
“I still think Ryan Day has some pressure,” Finebaum said. “Now, I agree with Heather completely. I don’t think the weight of the world is on his shoulders anymore, but he has the best team. He has the most talented team. A lot of people have already given him the trophy, so I do think there’s pressure here.
“But Sark is also a very successful coach. A loss here wouldn’t really hurt him, but it would hurt the entire SEC.”
One thing is for certain: this game should be a dandy. These are probably the two most talented teams left in the field and now we’ll see them match up.
Texas and Ohio State will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
ESPN will broadcast the action.
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