Jeff Howe

@Blake Munroe has mentioned this throughout the week and Schloss mentioned it on Wednesday, but rest for the high-level pitchers on the roster is of the utmost importance this weekend. Schloss said that Ruger Riojas is dealing with shoulder tendonitis, so you're probably not going to see him this weekend. The same goes for the position players. Ethan Mendoza, for example, still isn't ready to play in the field and he isn't expected to this weekend.

Cody Howard (0-0, 7.45 ERA) will get the ball for Texas (40-12, 19-10 SEC) against Arkansas (37-19, 17-13 SEC) in the first of two SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Hoover, Ala. The winner of today's game will face the winner of the second quarterfinal between third-seeded Texas A&M and sixth-seeded Auburn, which is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start. As always during the postseason, keep an eye on the weather in case it changes the schedule. The game will be televised on SEC Network. UPDATE: The game will start at 4:30 p.m.

A blast from the past!

Can’t confirm or deny that it’s him…

In the 18 years I've had a full-time job that's involved moderating a Texas message board, I've only come close to truly hating one poster and it's not you.

Texas Tech fans will never admit it, but as much as they view Texas as a heated rival, the feeling will never be mutual. Texas Tech isn't Texas A&M and it sure isn't OU. It isn't even Arkansas. At best, for Texas fans, Tech is on the same level as Baylor and TCU, which is several notches below the Razorbacks on the ladder of rivalry importance.

Texas shouldn't be held responsible for Tech's garbage non-conference schedule. Regarding the conference schedule, the Hateful 8 suckled at the teat of Texas and Oklahoma for over a decade and did it while pissing and moaning. No more free lunches. The Longhorns' and Sooners' watch has ended. It's your job, Tech, to hold that Mickey Mouse league together with chicken wire and duct tape. Otherwise, go find a new home. It's not Texas' fault that the Red Raiders can't schedule anyone with a pulse in a non-conference game. You don't need Texas to schedule you. You need your athletic department to show some testicular fortitude instead of taking the easiest path to the CFP. That's what you're doing. We all know it. Just admit it. Tech fans can talk about Sark's record in the Big 12 or how Texas did from 2010-2022. It doesn't change the fact that if it wasn't for Texas and Oklahoma, the Red Raiders and the rest of the Big 12 would be holding hands with Oregon State and Washington State in no man's land right now. Hate Sark all you want, Tech folks. No matter how much you do it, you'll wake up tomorrow with reality still slapping you in the face. The truth hurts. Your non-conference schedule, while strategically smart, is a joke.

As much as it kills me to watch mediocre Big Ten football, so a lot.

FYI, I merged @JMarquette's thread with this one.

Here's the quote everybody is running with from the luncheon (not the press conference beforehand). Sark took a question from the crowd during the Q&A about the CFP putting more emphasis on strength of schedule. He even said something to the effect of wanting to be careful and understanding that some people in the room would understand what he was trying to say and some wouldn't, but here's his response: "There's a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I will argue that if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated. And they'll probably make the CFP this year. So, it's a problem. Scheduling strength is a problem."

Sark is done and I think we're done from Houston today.

A lot of the questions from the audience overlap. On non-conference scheduling, though, Sark said that there's a team in the state of Texas that plays a schedule Texas could probably play with its twos and threes, but the team playing that schedule has a good chance to make the CFP. That's what he's talking about regarding scheduling inequality.

Sark says he wants to retire a Longhorn after pointing out that his sixth season at Texas marks the longest time he's been at a job.

Sark on Texas drawing 9.2 million viewers for Citrus Bowl: "Either you love us or you hate us, you wish you were us and you want to watch us play."

You sign up to be at Texas to live up to, exceed and create a new standard.

Cohesion, connectivity and accountability will make the difference for Texas playing opponents like Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M on the road.

Sark: "This idea of being tough all day, it's got to be every day... every way we go."

Sark on last year's team: "We finally became the culture and the team that I wanted to be by about October."

Sark: "Our guys don't take basket weaving — in case anyone was wondering — and our guys go to class." Tongue firmly planted in cheek when delivering that line.

Turnover margin is the top statistic in football that determines wins and losses. "But you can't be No. 4 in turnover margin and No. 134 in penalties," he said.

Sark: "We need to reduce the dumbass penalties." A very loud ovation after that remark.

Sark: "Defensively, we need to create more havoc... That's why the addition of Will Muschamp was so huge, bringing him back as our defensive coordinator."

Sark: "We need to be a more explosive football team... So you've got to bring in explosive playmakers."

Sark, once again, applauds Arch for his grit and mental fortitude.

Sark loves the grit and determination last year's team showed, especially Arch, to bounce back from a 3-2 start and finish 7-1 to get back into the CFP conversation.