Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says Ohio State best team in CFB - ESPN

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said on Friday that Ohio State is «the best team in college football,» and the Longhorns will need their best performance in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 10 to beat the Buckeyes.

«I need Longhorn Nation to show out in Arlington,» Sarkisian said. «We're going to need everything we've got to try to win this game. Clearly, we're massive underdogs. Nobody's going to give us a shot.… This is the best team in college football, and we're going to have to make sure that we put our best forward to give ourselves a chance to win the game.»

Oregon was the No. 1 team in all six of this year's College Football Playoff rankings, with Ohio State No. 2 in the first four of them.

After crushing the Ducks, 41-21, including leading 34-0 in the second quarter, the Buckeyes are surging as they head to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Sarkisian said the offense, in particular wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, pose a huge challenge.

«They're both big physical players,» Sarkisian said. «They have length, they have speed, they have playmaking ability on the ball. They have really big catch radiuses. They've got the scheme to go with it, with Coach [Chip] Kelly and Coach [Ryan] Day, and they've got a quarterback who delivers on the ball. So you add all that up, these guys are impactful players that are real issues and we're going to have a hard time guarding 'em.»

Both teams are facing familiar quarterbacks. Texas' Quinn Ewers spent his freshman year at Ohio State before transferring back to Austin, and Will Howard faced the Longhorns with Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State.

"[Howard] snapped off about a 70-yard touchdown run against us a few years ago. So he has good speed, he's got