Steve Sarkisian has the biggest game of his career ahead of him but cannot keep his mind off of Los Angeles and the wildfires affecting the area. Ahead of a matchup with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, the Texas head football coach shed light on the natural disaster and requested prayers for those affected.

Sarkisian, who grew up in Los Angeles, said he has several connections to people affected by the wildfires. Before he addressed the Cotton Bowl, the 50-year-old also asked people to remember victims of the recent terrorist attack in New Orleans.

“What is happening in Los Angeles right now is unfathomable,” Sarkisian said at the Cotton Bowl press conference. “Being from Los Angeles, [I have] a lot of friends and family there that are affected. I just hope everybody out there can keep their thoughts and prayers with those, and obviously, those in New Orleans and some of the tragic events that have occurred.”

After graduating from West High School in Torrance, California, Sarkisian remained in Los Angeles and attended USC and El Camino Community College. He eventually transferred to BYU to complete his collegiate career before beginning his professional career and eventually turning to coaching.

As a coach, Sarkisian returned to Los Angeles with three separate stints at USC. He served as the Trojans' quarterbacks coach from 2001 to 2003 and 2005 to 2008. In 2014, he reunited with the school as its head coach but was fired after just two seasons.

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Steve Sarkisian, Texas' College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl matchup with Ohio State

Texas Longhons head coach Steve Sarkisian leads his team onto the field ahead of the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
© Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His tenure with the Trojans did not go well but Sarkisian has realized immense success as the head football coach at Texas. He has guided the Longhorns to their first College Football Playoff appearance in his fourth year with the team, where they face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Texas is the higher-seeded team entering the game but is considered the betting underdog by oddsmakers. Ohio State is closing as a five-point favorite after dismantling previously undefeated and top-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Sarkisian's defense will face arguably its biggest test of the season against Ryan Day and Chip Kelly's offense. The Buckeyes averaged the sixth-most points in the country during the regular season and have scored a combined 83 points in the playoffs thus far.