Steve Sarkisian addresses if it is an advantage to play Michigan early in the season
One of the biggest non-conference matchup of the college football season kicks off on Saturday when the Texas Longhorns visit the Michigan Wolverines in The Big House. Not only is it a game between two Top 10-ranked teams, but also represents two of the most iconic brands in college football history.
Sometimes timing is everything in college football, and with that in mind, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked if there’s any advantages to facing a team like Michigan early in the season.
“I don’t know,” Sarkisian admitted during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “There’s plenty of new faces and I think there’s one thing about Michigan, that what Coach [Jim] Harbaugh did and now what Coach [Sherrone] Moore is doing is. When you think about this program, it’s three consecutive years they’ve gone to the College Football Playoff. Naturally, that’s capped off last year with them being national champs.”
Sarkisian is more than familiar with Michigan’s recent success, making when they face off against the Wolverines not as important as some may think despite drawing the defending national champions in Week 2.
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“The amount of draft picks that they’ve had, 13 I believe last year. I think they’re 41-3 in their last 44 games, they’ve won 16 games in a row, they’ve won 23 straight games at home in The Big House. So this is a great program. As much as it is about this current team they have, it’s about the program, the development, and what they’ve done,” Sarkisian explained.
Early matchups with unfamiliar opponents does naturally present some hurdles for coaches and players as they prepare for such a game. Of course, it’s a two-way street where film against Fresno State for Texas and against Colorado State for Michigan serves as the lone and most relevant version of opponent scouting possible.
“And so the harder part for us isn’t about if they’re going to be a quality opponent, it’s about some of the new faces, and then naturally from a staff perspective, Wink Martindale is the defensive coordinator,” Sarkisian added. “We’ve only got a one game sample size of him as a defensive coordinator at Michigan, so some of those things can be a little bit more difficult.”
New players and coaches will definitely have a factor in Saturday’s game, but at the end of the day, the familiarity and cache of both programs at large makes this game at noon ET in Ann Arbor one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season.
“But at the end of the day, it’s a great opportunity. To go play Michigan in The Big House. First time ever, Collin, in the regular season that Texas is meeting Michigan. So when you two think about those two iconic programs coming together, and it’s pretty humbling from myself that I get to be on the sideline leading the Texas Longhorns,” Sarkisian concluded.