TOM HERMAN

Bijan Robinson spent far too much of last season watching others play football.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas' football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, “'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Texas expects quick results from Sarkisian, recent winner of the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

The move comes just a few hours after Texas announced the firing of Tom Herman after four seasons with no Big 12 championships. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas was tired of waiting for Tom Herman to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders. Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four winning seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator. He will be Texas’ fourth head coach since the program’s last Big 12 championship in 2009. Of note, Sarkisian was a USC assistant when Texas beat the Trojans for the national championship in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – Texas has been tested all year, but losing senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger to a shoulder injury was an obstacle the Longhorns never anticipated. 20 Texas overcame Ehlinger’s injury to beat Colorado 55-23 in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. Ehlinger missed the second half after sustaining a shoulder injury in the second quarter. Thompson started the second half in place of Ehlinger and led Texas to a touchdown on its opening possession. Texas: The Longhorns found a capable replacement for Ehlinger in Thompson.

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, file photo, Texas head coach Tom Herman, center, walks on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas has ended widespread speculation about coach Tom Herman’s future, announcing Saturday he will return in 2021 for his fifth season with the No. With the close of the regular season, I want to reiterate that Tom Herman is our coach," athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement released by the school. Herman has three seasons remaining on a guaranteed contract that is due to pay him more than $6 million per year. Texas is 6-3 this season after its scheduled regular-season finale Saturday at winless Kansas was canceled for the second time because of COVID-19 issues.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete compensation on Capitol Hill in Washington. And the sporting world hasn’t collapsed,” Emmert told AP. It recommended the creation of the National College Football Association, an independent body to oversee FBS. Major college football, the commission concluded, has created inequities across all NCAA sports and hinder the association's ability to govern equitably. Emmert called the recommendation “exactly the wrong thing to do.” He told AP he agrees football has "an outsized influence” over college sports.

Oklahoma State drove into Texas territory late in the first half with a 24-17 lead, but Ossai stripped him and Texas defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham recovered and returned the ball to the Oklahoma State 20. Sanders threw his fourth touchdown pass -- a 9-yard toss to a well-covered Wallace -- to give Oklahoma State a 31-20 lead. Oklahoma State got a final shot in regulation, getting the ball back with 1:13 remaining and no timeouts. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys dominated nearly every facet of the game and beat themselves with mistakes. Oklahoma State visits Kansas State on Saturday.

At the top of USA Today's most recent revenue rankings for college athletic departments are Texas and Texas A&M. Texas and Texas A&M have everything needed to put out a national championship-level football program. The Aggies and Longhorns refuse to play each other but combine to form an Axis of Underachievers in the Lone Star State. In three games against Alabama under Fisher, the Aggies are 0-3 by a combined 144-75. For now, though, Texas and Texas A&M continue to prove the adage that money can't buy happiness.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, left, talks with quarterback Kellen Mond (11) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech, Saturday Sept. 26, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mark Rogers)LUBBOCK, Texas – Sam Ehlinger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Moore in overtime, sending No. 8 Texas to a wild 63-56 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday that saw the Longhorns rally with two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of regulation. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders were on the brink of delivering second-year coach Matt Wells a signature win over a Top 10 team and big rival. The first two set up Texas touchdowns in the first half before the last one ended the game.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger (11) throws a pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. "Man, y'all see," Reagor said about Duggan, who wasn't available because coach Gary Patterson doesn't allow freshmen to talk to reporters. It was the fifth win in six tries against Texas for the Horned Frogs, which includes their first four-game winning streak in the series since the 1930s. With a team-high 72 yards rushing, Duggan helped the Horned Frogs (4-3, 2-2) bounce back from consecutive conference road losses. TCU: The Horned Frogs got exactly what they needed just as it looked like their season was getting away from them.