“We don’t talk that way”: Steve Sarkisian makes his opinion clear on being termed the “underdog” for the Ohio State clash

Steve Sarkisian and his Texas team will enter the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington on Friday night as underdogs. While the Longhorns have been one of the best teams this season, the momentum at which the Buckeyes have started the College Football Playoff is electric.

Ahead of the high-stakes encounter at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Steve Sarkisian addressed his team's "underdog" tag during his press conference on Thursday.

“We don't talk that way,” Sarkisian said. “It's a clean slate. The reality of it is, you don't get any points if you're an underdog. You don't get to say hey, we lost by five. You win. It doesn't work like that in our world. You have to win, either you win or lose the game.

“And so our job is to put forth maximum effort with great attention to detail to make sure we’re right in the mental frame of mind to compete, and then ultimately perform, and to perform in those critical moments."

Ohio State has undoubtedly been the most consistent team in the playoffs so far. The Buckeyes scored more than 40 points in the last two rounds against Tennessee and Oregon, giving them huge momentum for their game against Texas.

Steve Sarkisian on the advice he’s received from his mentors

For a game of this caliber, getting some important advice from the right sources can be crucial. Steve Sarkisian is lucky to have a couple of mentors with a high pedigree in the sport to turn to. He commented on what it's been like reaching out to the likes of Nick Saban and Pete Carroll.

Sark was a coach in Carroll's staff at USC during two different spells (2001-03 and 2005-08). Meanwhile, he also spent a few seasons under Saban at Alabama (2016, 2019-20).

“I was fortunate,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve been around two of the best, Pete Carroll and Nick Saban. In their own ways, very different, but at the end of the day, very similar because they’re both extremely consistent in who they were.”

“And I think that’s always the thing that I took away from those guys when we were in some of those bigger games, that they remained consistent with who they were. I think as a head coach, that’s our challenge to do that and then remain consistent with our players.”

Steve Sarkisian and his team missed out on the national championship game last season after losing to Washington in the Sugar Bowl. However, they are looking to avoid that disappointment this time against a team now considered the favorite to win the national title in Ohio State.