Jeff Howe

Texas Tech fans will never admit it, but as much as they view Texas as a heated rival, the feeling will never be mutual. Texas Tech isn't Texas A&M and it sure isn't OU. It isn't even Arkansas. At best, for Texas fans, Tech is on the same level as Baylor and TCU, which is several notches below the Razorbacks on the ladder of rivalry importance.

Texas shouldn't be held responsible for Tech's garbage non-conference schedule. Regarding the conference schedule, the Hateful 8 suckled at the teat of Texas and Oklahoma for over a decade and did it while pissing and moaning. No more free lunches. The Longhorns' and Sooners' watch has ended. It's your job, Tech, to hold that Mickey Mouse league together with chicken wire and duct tape. Otherwise, go find a new home. It's not Texas' fault that the Red Raiders can't schedule anyone with a pulse in a non-conference game. You don't need Texas to schedule you. You need your athletic department to show some testicular fortitude instead of taking the easiest path to the CFP. That's what you're doing. We all know it. Just admit it. Tech fans can talk about Sark's record in the Big 12 or how Texas did from 2010-2022. It doesn't change the fact that if it wasn't for Texas and Oklahoma, the Red Raiders and the rest of the Big 12 would be holding hands with Oregon State and Washington State in no man's land right now. Hate Sark all you want, Tech folks. No matter how much you do it, you'll wake up tomorrow with reality still slapping you in the face. The truth hurts. Your non-conference schedule, while strategically smart, is a joke.

As much as it kills me to watch mediocre Big Ten football, so a lot.

FYI, I merged @JMarquette's thread with this one.

Here's the quote everybody is running with from the luncheon (not the press conference beforehand). Sark took a question from the crowd during the Q&A about the CFP putting more emphasis on strength of schedule. He even said something to the effect of wanting to be careful and understanding that some people in the room would understand what he was trying to say and some wouldn't, but here's his response: "There's a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I will argue that if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated. And they'll probably make the CFP this year. So, it's a problem. Scheduling strength is a problem."

Sark is done and I think we're done from Houston today.

A lot of the questions from the audience overlap. On non-conference scheduling, though, Sark said that there's a team in the state of Texas that plays a schedule Texas could probably play with its twos and threes, but the team playing that schedule has a good chance to make the CFP. That's what he's talking about regarding scheduling inequality.

Sark says he wants to retire a Longhorn after pointing out that his sixth season at Texas marks the longest time he's been at a job.

Sark on Texas drawing 9.2 million viewers for Citrus Bowl: "Either you love us or you hate us, you wish you were us and you want to watch us play."

You sign up to be at Texas to live up to, exceed and create a new standard.

Cohesion, connectivity and accountability will make the difference for Texas playing opponents like Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M on the road.

Sark: "This idea of being tough all day, it's got to be every day... every way we go."

Sark on last year's team: "We finally became the culture and the team that I wanted to be by about October."

Sark: "Our guys don't take basket weaving — in case anyone was wondering — and our guys go to class." Tongue firmly planted in cheek when delivering that line.

Turnover margin is the top statistic in football that determines wins and losses. "But you can't be No. 4 in turnover margin and No. 134 in penalties," he said.

Sark: "We need to reduce the dumbass penalties." A very loud ovation after that remark.

Sark: "Defensively, we need to create more havoc... That's why the addition of Will Muschamp was so huge, bringing him back as our defensive coordinator."

Sark: "We need to be a more explosive football team... So you've got to bring in explosive playmakers."

Sark, once again, applauds Arch for his grit and mental fortitude.

Sark loves the grit and determination last year's team showed, especially Arch, to bounce back from a 3-2 start and finish 7-1 to get back into the CFP conversation.

We're getting into the luncheon portion of the event. Sark was just introduced by Mattress Mack, and he's about to start his address. I'll pass along anything interesting from Sark.

That's it for Sark. We'll have the full video up later on the OTF YouTube channel.

Arch's physical and mental toughness stood out to his teammates. The Texas guys at the NFL Combine told teams that Arch was the toughest guy on the team, which says a lot about a team's quarterback.

"Fundamentally, he's so much cleaner right now," Sark said of Arch Manning. That should help Texas be better in the quick game and be more efficient on first down, he said.

Sark just wants the rules that everyone has agreed to to be properly governed. Whether that's the NCAA or another entity, Sark just wants the rules to be the rules and for there to be punishment or consequences for breaking them, rather than "running to a judge" to get an injunction to make a player eligible.