For the second year in a row, Steve Sarkisian will look to beat his former employer at Alabama, head coach Nick Saban.
However, unlike last season where Texas felt like the frisky up-and-coming team looking to make a name for themselves, the Longhorns are viewed as having a legitimate chance at contending nationally in 2023. They will have an early test to prove just how good they are when they travel to Tuscaloosa for their Week 2 matchup against Alabama.
Last season they came up just short of an upset, despite Quinn Ewers being knocked out of the game in the first half. The Longhorns were one of many victims that ended up putting the ball in the hands of Bryce Young with too much time on the clock. However, while most people deny such things as morale victories we did learn how good Texas could be when they got up for a game.
In 2023, there is pressure on Sarkisian and Ewers both to finally get Texas over the hump of being mediocre. Something that fans of the program have been yearning for. What many people don’t realize is that Texas has been on the wrong end of their past few meetings against SEC teams early in the season.
Texas is 0-3 since 2019 against SEC teams in their Week 2 matchups as they lost to eventual champions LSU, Arkansas, and Alabama. However, their struggles against Power Five opponents early in the season doesn’t stop there. Dating back to 2012, when the Longhorns play a Power Five program in the first three weeks of the season they hold a 2-10 record. If you count meetings against independents BYU and Notre Dame, that record becomes even worse at 3-13.
When you see these numbers, it just goes to show that even despite scheduling tough opponents the Longhorns haven’t accomplished much in those meetings. This means when they head on over to Alabama for their Week 2 matchup that the pressure is at an all-time high to succeed. We saw it when Texas lost to LSU, they are prone to having their season’s derailed by an early loss against teams that they got up for.
Now obviously there is a newly found culture and toughness surrounding the program thanks to Sarkisian, but if the Longhorns fall early in the season they historically have not bounced back. This means that not only is it vital for the sake of momentum, but if Texas has any chance at being one of the top four teams in the country come December that they need to win.
Also, beating Alabama who has made the playoff nearly every season since its implementation in 2015, would effectively help eliminate another competitor for one of the four spots. It won’t be an easy task considering that the Crimson Tide rarely ever lose at home, but that would just build Texas’ confidence and boost their resume.
If the Longhorns can finally get over their early season struggles that they appear to have every season, maybe then the discussion of being “back” can begin to commence. Obviously they’ll need to win out, as the win over Alabama cannot be the highlight of the season but it can be the biggest momentum building win in years.