Steve Sarkisian expects fully healthy roster for playoff game vs. Washington

Texas will be as healthy as possible for their battle in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Washington, head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed.

“I think everybody will be available for the ballgame,” Sarkisian revealed on Wednesday during his national signing day press conference. “We’re fortunate on that and we should be, having a month, right? We should be able to get everybody back.”

Defensive backs Austin Jordan and Ryan Watts, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy were all banged up during the Big 12 Championship win over Oklahoma State. All are expected to be full-go for the CFP thanks in part to the extended time off between the conference title game and the semifinal.

“I think those two weeks really helped us,” he said. “We got back into our groove here at the end of last weekend with a couple practices on Friday and Saturday, took a break on Sunday and now we’re really back to it, so I’m excited about the process that we’re in.

“I think the players are really dialed into the schedule that we have, which has been effective,” he added. “We’re in game-plan mode, which is good. It’s fun. I know the players like that aspect of it all, so that part has been really good.”

With the way the Longhorns have played throughout the season — they have certainly earned a couple of laid back weeks ahead of the program’s first College Football Playoff berth. Most would say it is more than deserved. At the same time, Sarkisian understands the importance of balancing family and football during the holiday season, and has been trying to accommodate his players as such while keeping them motivated for the upcoming CFP.

Still, the Longhorns aren’t exactly perfectly healthy right now. No team in the country is. But, they’re as healthy as they’re going to be and that’s how Sarkisian is going to create his game plan.

“Are they all quite 100 percent? I don’t know,” Sarkisian continued. “But I know that they looked fast, they were running around and that’s a real positive knowing we still have two weeks [until] the ballgame. I think everything is trending the right way on that front.”

Texas will play Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1. Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. ET and will be aired live on ESPN. The Longhorns are 4.5-point betting favorites heading into the matchup, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 63.5 points.