Texas walked into SEC Media Days with Steve Sarkisian making the case as plainly as he could: if the Longhorns are going to take the next step, the road runs through Georgia.
"There's a lot of sayings and quotes in the sports world in particular," Sarkisian said. "But this one is probably the most fitting: 'If you want to be the champion, you've got to beat the champion.'
It's no more fitting for us. We've played Georgia three times.
They've beaten us. All the credit in the world to Kirby (Smart), their team.
They're tough. They're good.
If we want to be a champion, I'm guessing we'll probably have to beat the champion to make that happen."
The SEC media seemed to hear him loud and clear. In the league’s preseason poll released Friday morning, Georgia edged Texas for the No. 1 spot, with the Bulldogs collecting 2,519 points and the Longhorns right behind at 2,449.
Georgia took 88 first-place votes, while Texas got 57. Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Kentucky split the other 19 first-place votes.
The full order had Georgia first, then Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
That top-end race also fits the bigger picture for Texas. Georgia has won the last two SEC titles and three of the last four conference championships, including the 2024 championship game over the Longhorns. Texas, meanwhile, is staring at a brutal league schedule and a nonconference heavyweight right out of the gate, with Ohio State coming to Austin in Week 2.
The SEC slate doesn’t do Texas many favors either. The Longhorns avoid No.
1 Georgia in the regular season, but they will face No. 3 Ole Miss, No.
4 Texas A&M, No. 5 LSU, No.
7 Oklahoma and No. 8 Tennessee.
Of that group, only Ole Miss comes to Austin. Texas will travel to Texas A&M, LSU and Tennessee, and the Oklahoma game will be played in Dallas.
Texas also came away with major preseason recognition on the league’s all-conference teams, earning 12 selections - the same total as Georgia and Oklahoma, the most in the SEC.
The Longhorns’ preseason honorees were:
Arch Manning, second-team quarterback; Hollywood Smothers, third-team running back; Cam Coleman, first-team wide receiver; Ryan Wingo, third-team wide receiver; Trevor Goosby, first-team G/T; Brandon Baker, third-team G/T; Ryan Niblett, second-team all-purpose; Colin Simmons, first-team DL; Rasheem Biles, first-team LB; Jelani McDonald, third-team DB; Ryan Niblett, first-team return specialist; and Trey Dubac, second-team LS.
In Other News...
Former Texas Receiver Fires Back After Sarkisian's Latest Comments
DeAndre Moore Jr. has already become one of the more interesting Texas-to-Colorado storylines of the offseason, and not just because of what he can do on the field. After transferring to the Buffaloes on a significant NIL deal, the former Longhorn wideout landed in a spot where his next chapter was supposed to be about opportunity, not old business in Austin.
Steve Sarkisians recent comments brought that old business back into view, and Moore wasted no time letting the reaction play out on social media. Colorado fans picked up on it quickly, too, because Moore is expected to have a major role in Brennan Marions offense and could wind up being one of the players who helps define how dangerous that unit can be. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Herman's Latest Coaching Twist Is Already A Texas Punchline
Tom Hermans coaching path has taken another unusual turn, and it is already the kind of move that gets people around Texas talking. The former Longhorns head coach, who also spent time leading Florida Atlantic, is back on a college sideline in a support role that sounds far removed from the spotlight he once occupied in Austin.
The setup is part of what makes the latest chapter so eye-catching. Hermans new work is tied to game analysis on Florida States staff, a far cry from the pressure-packed job he once held at Texas, and the details around the arrangement have given the story an extra layer of intrigue. For Longhorns fans who remember his tenure well, it is the sort of coaching twist that lands as both a footnote and a punchline, even if the full significance of the move is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian Drew A Hard Line In The Texas A&M Rivalry
Rivalry games are supposed to carry a little extra heat, and Steve Sarkisian has never shied away from acknowledging that. But after Texas 2024 meeting with Texas A&M, the Longhorns coach made it clear there is a line between edge and excess, saying he respects the rivalry and the competition while still expecting better control of the moment.
Sarkisian pointed to the emotions that come with this matchup and tied his stance to the kind of scene he has already had to manage, including when Texas players tried to plant a flag at Kyle Field and he stepped in. For him, the point was less about dampening the rivalry than about keeping it from spilling into something he does not want representing his program. [Read more 🡒]