It has been five years since Steve Sarkisian took over the Texas football program, and during that time, the Longhorns have repeatedly fallen just short of the ultimate goal: a National Championship.
Between College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, kicking off the season as the No. 1 team in the nation, and hauling in top-tier recruiting class after top-tier recruiting class, the Texas Longhorns have seemingly had everything they've needed to win it all.
That much is even more true this season, despite the Horns earning the No. 5 spot in the preseason AP Top 25.
Sarkisian added the offensive weapons Arch Manning lacked last season, he tacked on even more elite defensive stars on the other side of the ball, and he brought in the staff members necessary to take that next step. Texas has everything it needs, and then some.
And now, because of all of those brilliant additions to the roster and coaching staff, the pressure and expectations are higher than ever for Sarkisian and the Longhorns.
It truly feels as though anyone and everyone who has a voice in the world of college football, myself included, is saying it is now or never for this team to bring home a National Championship.
"If there is a year to get it done, it's this one," College Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Aaron Taylor said on CBS Sports.
That isn't to say that Sarkisian will never win a title in his career or that the Horns would never win another if it doesn't happen this year, but man, it's really starting to feel like they will never do it together if they can't do it this season.
It could truly be National Championship or bust for Sarkisian's time at Texas
This by no means is to say that the Longhorns would fire Sarkisian if he doesn't clinch the natty this season, but even college football experts are saying that Texas fans are desperate for their team to secure another championship.
"It's time to win if you're a Texas Longhorn fan," CBS Sports' Rick Neuheisel said.
And, at the end of the day, the standard at the University of Texas is winning titles. At the very least, a conference title, if not the National Championship.
If Texas doesn't win it all this season, here are the two paths I think Sarkisian can lead the team down to, at the very least, tide the fanbase and the national critics over for another year or two (even though I agree that he really should win the National Championship with the roster he has at hand):
- Win the SEC Championship and make it back to the CFP semifinals
- Lose the SEC Championship but make it to the National Championship game
Sarkisian needs to prove himself in the big games, something he has repeatedly fallen short of doing over the last five years.
This is his sixth season with his program, and his third in the SEC. The bare minimum should be a conference title, and if he can do that, it might sustain fans for at least another season if the Longhorns don't also win the natty.
However, if he makes it to the SEC Championship game and loses, once again, then he must find a way to get over the CFP semifinal hump.
Both the 2023 and 2024 seasons ended with a loss in the semifinals for Texas, albeit both on an interception or a fumble by then-quarterback Quinn Ewers. However, there has been a clear hurdle for Sarkisian to push his team past that round of the playoffs.
If Sark can't coach the Longhorns to a conference championship, then he must prove that he can lead the Horns to a National Championship appearance, even if he doesn't win it. He has to win one (1) big-time postseason game!
The expectation this season should be, and pretty much is, that Texas will win the National Championship game, and if Sarkisian can't accomplish that, then it may be time for a reckoning on the 40 Acres.
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