Within the past two seasons, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has led his team to two conference championship games, a Big 12 title, and two consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearances.
He guided the Longhorns through their inaugural season in the SEC, and he helped the transition into one of football’s most demanding conferences look seamless.
However, as he enters his fifth season on the Forty Acres, Sarkisian still has a major order of business to attend to.
Sarkisian’s ultimate goal
The Longhorns have occupied a lot of media attention ahead of the 2025 season, and after missing the College Football Playoff National Championship by one game for two consecutive years, it appears they have something to prove.
Sarkisian wants the UT Tower lit burnt orange with “1” illuminated on it, which occurs when one of Texas’ sports teams wins a national title.
“Getting the Tower lit up and getting a ‘1’ on the Tower is the ultimate (goal),” Sarkisian said to ESPN’s Rece Davis. “The hard part here is we’re so good in a lot of sports. Softball wins it this year, and they put the ‘1’ up. Swimming and diving wins the national championship, they put the ‘1’ up. A year ago, volleyball wins it and they put the ‘1’ up. Women’s track and field, they put the ‘1’ up.”
The success Texas has achieved in these various sports indicates how high the bar is at times for different Longhorn teams, and with that high bar comes pressure. Sarkisian has expressed support to other teams on campus throughout his career, but he hopes that his team can earn its own “1” on the tower after the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship.
“As much as we’re doing some great things, at the end of the day, you want to be the one that’s taking the picture with your team with that Tower lit up with the ‘1,’” Sarkisian said. “That would be a great moment.”
What stands between the Longhorns and the title
In order for Sarkisian’s dreams to come to fruition, a lot has to go as planned.
Texas faces opponents like Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia this year, and they will have to claim victories pretty consistently and decisively if they are to earn selection into the College Football Playoff.
“It’s good to have dreams,” Sarkisian said. “Like I tell the team all the time, the difference between dreams and reality is action. We’ve got to take action every day to get us closer to that dream.”
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