AUSTIN, Texas — When Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was seven months into his first year on the Forty Acres, the bombshell news that the program was moving to the SEC sent shockwaves through college football.
A little more than three years later, No. 1-ranked Texas finally opens SEC play by hosting the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday at Darell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The No. 1 ranking for the Longhorns, the school’s first since the poll released on Oct. 25, 2008, reflects the journey to build an SEC-level program that Sarkisian embarked upon after arriving in Austin as the team’s hard-earned swagger heading into that contest reflects their hard work, preparation, and culture.