There's no hiding the fact that the Georgia Bulldogs have been Steve Sarkisian's kryptonite since he took over the Texas football program. While the two teams have only played twice since Sark was named as the Horns' head coach, he has been far from able to change the outcome.
Last year, the Longhorns and the Bulldogs faced each other twice; once in the regular season and once in the SEC Championship game. Georgia walked away victorious from both matchups.
This week, as Sarkisian and Texas prepare to face the Dawgs once again, he isn't hiding from the fact that this is a big-time game, both for the season and his coaching career.
Sark knows how challenging it is to win in Athens
This time around, the Longhorns have to face the Bulldogs on their own turf, after losing to them in Austin and Atlanta last year. When asked about the road trip in a mid-week press conference, Sarkisian acknowledged just how tough an environment Athens can be.
"I know they're 37-1 in their last 38 home games, so I'm sure it's tough, I'm sure it's hard," Sarkisian said. "I will say this about Georgia; I've got a chance to watch a few of their games... Kirby [Smart] said it, they're hard to kill."
Of course, that one loss at home came earlier this year when the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Georgia at home, also handing the Bulldogs their only loss so far this season.
"You're gonna have to play 60 minutes against them, wherever it is. Could be here, could be Athens, could be Atlanta," Sarkisian continued. "The mindset of their team is they're hard to kill."
That mentality could apply to almost any team in the conference, especially for Texas this year, with two overtime wins against the Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs, who rank as the 12th and 13th teams in the SEC.
Sarkisian even spoke about just how competitive his team's conference is, which has undeniably been a different type of monster than the Big 12.
"Literally anybody in our conference, it doesn't matter who they are, can beat anybody else in our conference on any given Saturday," Sarkisian said.