Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Essayist
ARLINGTON, Texas — Now not since 2009 have expectancies been so top for the Texas Longhorns.
The Longhorns are an amazing preseason favourite to win the Large 12, and educator Steve Sarkisian mentioned he hopes a league identify might be “a great send-off” in Texas’ ultimate season sooner than heading to the SEC in 2024.
“I’d be lying if I wasn’t saying that I want to win a championship,” Sarkisian informed ESPN when requested if this can be a career-defining season for him. “There’s no question, and I feel like I’ve had good teams in the past. I haven’t been able to do it. When you get into coaching, I’m a highly competitive guy. I would love to win a championship. I would love to win a championship our last year in the Big 12.”
Texas hasn’t gained a Large 12 identify since 2009, and the 13-year drought is the longest at school historical past relationship to when it joined a convention in 1915. This 12 months, without reference to fashion — computer systems, making a bet markets or media polls — Texas is the favourite.
For the primary generation for the reason that Large 12 convention going to a division-less structure, the media selected the Longhorns to win the identify. First-place votes have been unfold amongst six groups with Texas receiving 41 and a complete of 886 issues. Reigning Large 12 champion Kansas State positioned 2nd with 14 and 858 issues.
ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index provides the Longhorns a 54% prospect to win the Large 12. The one FBS crew with the next prospect to win its respective convention coming into this season is Ohio State within the Large Ten (71%).
Sarkisian, who’s coming into his 3rd season eminent the Longhorns, completed 8-5 latter 12 months with all 5 losses coming via seven issues or fewer. It was once handiest the second one generation within the week 9 years that Texas reached 8 wins within the usual season. In 2021, Sarkisian went 5-7 in his first season.
He mentioned the remaining this season is that the ones throughout the program are “not just feeling it, they’re taking action.”
“It’d be a great sendoff,” Sarkisian mentioned. “The Big 12 and Texas have been great partners for decades. For us to try to get into that game at the end of the year as a sendoff would be awesome.”
If the Longhorns are taking to tug the soar, they’ll have to conform on offense then their two famous person tailbacks left for the NFL. Bijan Robinson was once taken Refuse. 8 total within the NFL draft via the Atlanta Falcons, time Roschon Johnson despatched to the Chicago Bears within the fourth spherical.
Sarkisian hinted to ESPN on Wednesday that the offense will most likely component the passing sport extra, because the being lacking the ones two stars collides with the maturation of quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Texas vast receiver room could also be teeming with skill, together with first-team all Large 12 vast receiver Xavier Worthy and Georgia switch AD Mitchell.
“I felt like last year we almost became too one-dimensional, too (reliant) on Bijan and Roschon for what they were able to do running the ball,” Sarkisian mentioned. “We felt like we had to evolve our passing game to get back to where I’m accustomed to doing it. …
“Our talent to throw the soccer now’s going so as to be again to the place we love it to be.”
Ewers brings an evolution both physically and mentally, as he brings a greater awareness to the line of scrimmage. Ewers joked with ESPN that when he went to the line last season, he was concerned about remembering the play. This season, he’s focused on identifying fronts and tendencies of opposing defenses and then picking them apart.
“In most cases and traditionally, Week 2 in our device is the place you are taking that weighty step,” Sarkisian said. “And we’re eye it out of him. We’re eye it in his preparation. He’s in splendid bodily status and his working out of what we’re doing is at a top stage.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this record.
