The Steve Sarkisian era at Texas will officially kick off on Sept. 4 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Sarkisian’s squad will be tested right off the bat with a rising Louisiana team. The Rajin’ Cajuns concluded the 2020 season with a 10-1 overall record, including the defeat of one of Texas’ primary Big 12 opponents in Iowa State.
Louisiana has appeared in many way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2021 season, ESPN lists them as high as No. 16 overall. According to 247Sports, Texas and Louisiana will be one of the most intriguing games to watch throughout college football’s slate of Week 1 matchups.
Steve Sarkisian won’t start his Texas tenure with a loss to Louisiana, will he? One thing is for certain — the Longhorns won’t take the Ragin’ Cajuns lightly given what Billy Napier’s program has been able to accomplish over the past two seasons. An “upset” win over Texas would certainly make poll voters and the Playoff selection committee turns their heads toward the Group of 5 ranks and could go a long way in determining Louisiana’s New Year’s Six hopes.
Whether it’s the quality matchup in itself or the excitement surrounding the Sarkisian era in Austin, it will surely be an exciting atmosphere with no shortage of storylines.
Louisiana at Texas landed at No. 4 overall, while the top three matchups included Penn State at Wisconsin, Miami vs Alabama, and Georgia vs Clemson.
If the Longhorns hope to compete for a Big 12 title under a nearly entirely new coaching staff in year one, they cannot afford to lose any of their three nonconference games. On top of that, Texas will likely only be able to lose one conference game, at best, in order to stay atop the Big 12 rankings.
