Texas football vs. Alabama: Steve Sarkisian looking ahead to Week 2

On Saturday, Sep. 10, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Austin to take on Steve Sarkisian and Texas football. It will be the first time the two head coaches square off since Sarkisian left Tuscaloosa for Austin in January 2021.

Though they are two of the more storied programs in college football history, the 2022 expectations for the Horns and the Tide are vastly different.

In year two of the Sarkisian regime, Texas is looking to find some stability, mainly at the quarterback position. The Longhorns must improve on both the offensive and defensive line while having complete buy-in throughout the locker room. The 2022 offseason points to Sarkisian’s group trending in the right direction, but that can only be tested with live reps on the field.

On the other side, Saban and the Tide are manning the driver’s seat of the National Championship conversation. Alabama brings back their two most impactful players from last season’s national runner-up team, QB Bryce Young and OLB Will Anderson. Young and Anderson are arguably the two best players Saban has had at their respective positions during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.

Texas football HC Steve Sarkisian has full focus on facing Alabama in Week 2

On paper, the Sep. 10 matchup between Texas and Alabama looks like a rout in favor of the Tide. However, at Big 12 Media Days on Thursday Sarkisian acknowledged the effect Saban has had on his career and is excited to see how his team matches up in Week 2.

“Without Nick Saban, I wouldn’t be sitting here today in front of y’all. I owe a great deal to him. I owe so much to him, and I will never, ever forget that he and Ms. Terry have been tremendous in my life and my wife’s life and what they’ve done for us on and off the field,” Sarkisian told the media on Thursday.

“With that being said, I can’t wait to play them because I know what he puts into it. I know the work ethic, I know the discipline that he has personally. I know what he instills into his organization, into that team. I think ultimately that’s what you try to take when you leave Alabama, because you can’t try to be Nick Saban; there’s only one.”

Though the split between Sarkisian and Alabama was amicable, you can’t help but wonder if the coaches and players Sark brought with him to Austin will give the seven-time National Champion head coach a little extra fuel during his preparation.

After all, Saban does hold a career record of 25-1 against his former assistants.

The Longhorns will undoubtedly be facing an uphill battle on Sep. 10 inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium; however, it will be a good measuring stick for Coach Sarkisian and his team just 20 months after he took the Texas job.