Texas' Season Might Be Over, But What Steve Sarkisian Has Built Is Here To Stay

The Texas Longhorns fell in their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance on Monday night. But this is just the beginning of what the Longhorns have in store for the future.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Texas Longhorns fell in a heartbreaker to the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff semi-finals on Monday night. 

It was a game they had every opportunity to win on a late final drive. It stings. It hurts. And it might be the end of this season. 

But for Texas, it is really just the beginning. 

USA TODAY

Steve Sarkisian has built something special in Austin. Two years ago, they were a 5-7 football team. A year later, they were 8-5. In Year 3, they were an incomplete pass away from playing for a national championship. 

In Year 4 heading into the SEC? They may just start the season ranked in the top two in the country. 

This Longhorns team was far from perfect. There were holes in key spots, a lack of depth elsewhere, and inexperience across the board. 

Nevertheless, the Horns found ways to win nearly every weekend. And had they buttoned up a couple of mistakes in the second half, they very well could be marching into Houston for a national title shot. 

But they didn't and now they are going into the offseason looking to sure up those weak spots. 

Turnovers Doom Texas In Second Half In Sugar Bowl Loss

And while we don't yet know who will be back in 2024, the Longhorns already have a boatload of talent coming in via the transfer portal and in recruiting (hello Colin Simmons and Trey Moore), that will make an immediate difference on Saturdays.

What's even more important, is that what Sarkisian has created is built to last. He has done it the right way, with the right culture and the right players.

From here on out, Texas is no longer a program that will rebuild. They will reload. And despite the devastating loss, it is only up from here. 

The SEC will be a different animal. A non-conference matchup with Michigan, and SEC tilts vs. Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M loom large. But they are built to navigate it. 

And if they take the same kind of leap from Year 3 to Year 4, as they did from Year 2 to Year 3, - and there is no reason to believe that they won't - the sky is the limit.