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Steve Sarkisian gives takes on potential NFL model coming to college football

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•08/27/22•

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(Warner/Getty Images)

The future of college football was a major talking point throughout the offseason. More conference realignment dominoes fell, the transfer portal became the “Wild, Wild West” and NIL took twists and turns as it enters its second year.

Talk of a potential NFL model is ongoing, as well, with the emergence of “super-conferences” across the game. The Big Ten and SEC are both preparing to expand to 16 teams, and they might not be done. Texas is one of the teams on the move, and Steve Sarkisian addressed the idea of an NFL model of two conferences.

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, the Longhorns headman acknowledged things are changing rapidly, but he doesn’t know just how drastic those changes will end up being.

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“It’s moving,” Sarkisian said. “How far and how much we shift? I don’t know. … There’s so much change that’s happening in college football right now, they all seem like the biggest issue. The transfer portal seems like a huge issue, NIL seems like a huge issue, conference realignment seems like a huge issue. How far is all this stuff going to go? The TV contracts that now are getting signed, just got signed by the Big Ten, what’s going to happen moving forward? These are massive issues going on.”

But, Sarkisian said, he has to make sure he keeps his team focused as the season gets underway. He said the staff has conversations with the players about keeping their eye on the ball and making sure they don’t concern themselves with things out of their control.

“We’ve been talking to our kids about we’ve got to focus on what’s going on in front of us right now,” Sarkisian said. “Control what we can control. The powers that be are going to make the necessary decisions and we’ve got to adapt to them. … In a couple years, we’ll be going to the SEC and what does that look like? I don’t know.

“What I do know is we’re playing in the Big 12 right now. What I do know is SC and UCLA are still in the Pac-12 right now. So we’ve got to focus on what we can control and that’s putting our best foot forward and our best team out there on the field this year.”