Steve Sarkisian not surprised opponents are excited to face Texas

The Texas Longhorns are one of the top teams in the country, sitting at No. 3 in the AP poll. The Longhorns proved they were more than worthy of a top spot in the rankings following their win against Alabama on the road in Week 2.

As Texas gears up to start Big 12 play for the last time before they had to the SEC in 2024, the other teams in the conference are salivating at the opportunity to spoil Texas’ chances at securing a College Football Playoff bid. And the level of excitement from opponents eager to take down the Longhorns isn’t surprising to their head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“I’m not surprised, and I don’t think you should be surprised,” said Sarkisian. “I mean, I’ve referenced this all the way back to media days; everywhere we go this year, everyone’s going to try to take one more shot at Texas. So we can sit here and be a punching bag and just take it, or we can go attack people and make sure that they know we’re in a fight, too. And that’s our mentality going in this game. So I don’t think our players are going to be surprised by the environment, we’re not going to be surprised as coaches, our fans shouldn’t be surprised by it.

“I do think going to Tuscaloosa (was) beneficial because it showed to our guys what we’re capable of going and doing on the road in arguably the toughest place in the country to go play.”

As double-digit underdogs, Texas went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and defeated Alabama 34-24, shocking much of the college football world. And now, following a tough 31-10 victory over Wyoming in Week 3, the Longhorns are officially heading into conference play.

Texas will kick off Big 12 play on Saturday with a trip to Waco, home of the Baylor Bears. Since 2010, the Bears have been a viable contender in the conference, including giving the Longhorns fits along the way. And this season, their head coach, Dave Aranda, is looking to continue that trend on Saturday.

However, Baylor should not expect exas squad to just roll over and play dead. The Longhorns have national championship aspirations this season, and no amount of excitement from an opposing squad will stand in the way of them climbing to the top of the college football mountain once again.