Steve Sarkisian sends strong message to Ohio State

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are back in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Unlike last year, it was a little more difficult to get there this time.

But after defeating Clemson and winning a double-overtime game against Arizona State, Texas is still in the mix to win a National Championship. Head coach Steve Sarkisian was extremely complimentary of the Longhorns’ opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in a statement he made Friday.

“I need Longhorn Nation to show out in Arlington. We’re going to need everything we’ve got to try to win this game,” Sarkisian said via ESPN.com.

“This is the best team in college football,” he said of the Buckeyes. “And we’re going to have to make sure that we put our best forward to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Ohio State bulldozed through the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oregon Ducks in their first two College Football Playoff games. After those truckings, they are unsurprisingly the unanimous favorite to win the National Championship this year now.

But we’ll see how they play against Texas. The Longhorns are one of the nation’s most talented teams and clearly one of the most battle-tested.

So it’s sure to be an exciting game.

There’ll be plenty of attention on this game with two powerhouse programs, the Longhorns and Buckeyes, pit against each other. And with a trip to the title game on the line, it’s going to be a fun ride.

[ESPN]