When Texas fell to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal on January 10, 2025, most fans saw a late physical collapse. But head coach Steve Sarkisian later pointed to a hidden problem that truly doomed the Longhorns in that Cotton Bowl matchup. It was not just the physical grinding on the field. Texas was running on empty mentally long before the final whistle.

“I felt like the year we played Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, we were tired,” Steve Sarkisian said via The Buckeye Nut. “And not necessarily physically tired, we were mentally fatigued as well. That’s a long season, man. These guys have been working in June and July and the summer.”

That mental fatigue showed up most clearly when Texas needed sharp execution the most. Trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns drove down to Ohio State’s 1-yard line with a chance to tie the game. But instead of remaining calm, the offense suffered a complete operational breakdown: a lost-yardage pitch, back-to-back rushed pass calls, and a fourth-down fumble returned 83 yards for an Ohio State touchdown.

Sarkisian later admitted that a team failing to score from the 1-yard line “probably doesn’t deserve to win.” The late-game decision-making errors were the direct byproduct of a team whose mental sharpness had been completely drained by a 16-game marathon.

Steve Sarkisian was already taking heat for the goal-line sequence immediately afterward.

“First and goal on the one, and we don’t score, you, quite frankly, probably don’t deserve to win that way,” he said following the defeat.

Texas had the chance, but Ohio State slammed the door. Then came another meeting that led to another loss. The Longhorns opened the 2025 season against the defending national champions and lost 14-7. The matchup was billed as one of the biggest games of the early season, but the Buckeyes’ defense terrorized Steve Sarkisian’s offense.

Arch Manning had only 38 passing yards before Texas got the ball back early in the fourth quarter. Ohio State eventually stretched its lead when Julian Sayin connected with Carnell Tate on a 40-yard touchdown pass with 13:08 left. The loss later became part of Steve Sarkisian’s larger complaint about the schedule. 

With Texas also losing to Florida and Georgia, the Ohio State loss became particularly costly in the playoff race. Steve Sarkisian didn’t hide his frustration.

“If we beat Ohio State (last year), we’re surely in much better place for the playoffs,” he said at SEC Media Days via On3’s Brett McMurphy. “If I don’t play Ohio State & play Jones Jr. High, we’re 10-2 & our losses are to Georgia & Florida & we’re a playoff team.” 

While Ohio State went on to win the national title and later beat Texas again in the 2025 season opener, that postseason Cotton Bowl loss remains the prime example of how schedule fatigue can sink a champion. Sarkisian noted at SEC Media Days that tough scheduling takes a heavy mental toll across a long year.

But as Texas prepares to face Ohio State again on September 12, 2026, that mental fatigue excuse is completely off the table. Coming into Week 2 of a fresh season, both teams will be fully energized and mentally sharp, leaving Steve Sarkisian with no hidden problems behind which to hide.