Sark Says Not Awkward for Texas in Final Year in the Big 12

ARLINGTON, Tx – It seems like just yesterday we were putting a bow on spring football and now we’re finished with the first day of the 2023 Big 12 Media Days in Jerry’s World. Crazy to think the season’s right around the corner.

What’s not crazy to think about is how the media has picked the Texas Longhorns to win the Big 12. I say that without any disagreement or malice whatsoever as the Texas coaching staff has routinely put together incredible recruiting classes and rosters ahead of just about every season. So, from the outside looking in, it would make sense to pick them at or towards the top.

And with this being the Longhorns’ final year in the Big 12, you know head coach Steve Sarkisian is just itching to go out on top.

“I expect our team to play aggressive, tough, fast, physical, and smart football every Saturday. If we do that every Saturday, we'll put ourselves in position to be competing for a championship,” Sark said at the first day of Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday.

The Longhorns finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record in 2022, a season in which they were picked preseason fourth. They had an incredibly close home loss to then-ranked No. 1 Alabama, 20-19, and dropped the Big 12 opener to Texas Tech, 37-34 in overtime in Lubbock. Things looked to turn around as they beat West Virginia, throttled Oklahoma 49-0 and followed that up with a 34-21 win over Iowa State.

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They lost to Oklahoma State in the Homecoming game in Stillwater, 41-34, which was followed by an impressive 34-27 road win over the eventual Big 12 champs, Kansas State.

Taking a step back and looking at things big-picture, I don’t believe this being the final season in the Big 12 is putting any pressure on the Longhorns or making it. I believe it’s the fact they’re preseason picked atop the conference, have one of the most-talented teams in the conference and seem to routinely underperform. And while he didn’t hit on the underperforming, he certainly agrees about the final season.

“It won't be awkward for us,” Sarkisian said. “I can’t speak for anybody else. It won't be awkward for us. We’ve got a roster full of players who quite frankly came to the University of Texas to try to win a Big 12 Championship, and we've got one more opportunity to do that, and I think our guys are focused on that. And so, it won't be awkward from our end.”