Longhorns seek bookend title in Big 12 farewell against Oklahoma State before move to SEC

ARLINGTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Longhorns won the championship game in the Big 12's inaugural 1996 season and will now try to bid farewell to the conference with a bookend title.

"It's been a great journey, and I'm proud of all the parties involved, but I'm not satisfied yet," third-year University of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday. "We had to endure injuries and some really tight games. The fact that we have that opportunity to play for a championship means a lot because I know how much work we've put in."

On the way out, the seventh-ranked Longhorns (11-1, No. 7 CFP) are the league's last hope for the four-team College Football Playoff. Even with a win over No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3) in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, SEC-bound Texas would still need a lot of help to make the playoff.

"We'll talk more about that after the game. We're in a great position. But I also know we have to take care of business," Sarkisian said. "There is no College Football Playoff talk if we don't play really good Saturday and try to find a way to win that game."

The last time the Longhorns won the Big 12 was in 2009 to make the BCS national championship game, and their only other title was as the league's last national champion during the 2005 season.

"With us leaving the Big 12 and some of the great matchups over the years, for us to get to play (Oklahoma State) in the championship game is kind of fitting, knowing we're going to be playing OU every year going forward," Sarkisian, who is 0-2 against the Cowboys, said.

The 2023 Big 12 Championship kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The contest will be broadcast live on ABC13.

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