Two weeks ago, the Texas Longhorns were the No. 1 team in the nation. But after two straight losses to unranked teams, there's now talk that the tenure of UT coach Steve Sarkisian might not last until the end of the month.

Cole Thompson, who is one of the hosts of the popular SEC Unfiltered Podcast, thinks its possible Sarkisian will coach his final game at Texas this Saturday.

"I believe, personally, that after Texas loses its third game (Texas athletic director) Chris Del Conte has an honest conversation about the firing of Steve Sarkisian," Thompson said. "If you lose this game by double digits and its because of your offense, I think there is an honest world where we are seeing the final game of the Steve Sarkisian era in Austin."

"If you lose this game by double digits and it's because of your offense, I think there's a world where we are seeing the final game of the Steve Sarkisian era in Austin."@MrColeThompson with the BOLDEST of BOLD predictions 👀
Presented by @Kalshipic.twitter.com/5hQ3PWsh1R

— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) October 21, 2026

It might seem extreme, but it has happened before. One season after getting Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl, James Franklin was let go after six games. Brian Kelly was fired in October of last year by LSU after starting SEC play 2-3.

With the amount of capital on the line now in college football, programs are quicker to move on than at anytime in the past. Texas also has a ready-made interim coach in defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

But it would cost the University a lot to move on. Sarkisian got a new contract in 2025 that extended him through 2031 and raised his salary to one of the highest in college football. Sarkisian's contract is for six more years and just over $70 million.

Sark's buyout calls for him to be paid 85% of his remaining contract balance, which would mean Texas would owe the coach $50.15 million after the conclusion of the 2026 season. While not the biggest buyout in history, it would be in the top five.

It seems likely Sarkisian will finish the season as coach. But if the season ends up a complete disaster with the expensive roster assembled, the Longhorns boosters might bite the bullet.

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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Could Saturday be Steve Sarkisian's last game with Texas Longhorns?

Source: Yahoo Sports