Texas Football: Five most important games of the season
For most first-year head coaches, the pressure is taken off with low expectations.
Attempting to rebuild college football programs is a long winded process and takes a lot of time. For Steve Sarkisian and Texas, there are no low expectations. Wins are wanted by fans, staff, and administration and they are wanted right away. Anything less than eight or nine wins would be viewed as a failure.
With the schedule back to normal, the Longhorns will be playing three nonconference and nine Big 12 games. Looking up and down the calendar, there are plenty of matchups to circle.
Despite what coaches will tell you on a week to week basis, some games are going to be viewed as more important than others. The wins will feel better than most, while the losses will be soul-crushing.
Here are the five most important games on Texas’ schedule this season:
Arkansas
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Let's go ahead and call this Texas' first SEC conference matchup. Or should we add it to the old Southwest Conference record? Either way, this has the feeling of an old-school rivalry matchup being restored before greater things are to come. Don't let Arkansas' 3-7 record from last season fool you, the Razorbacks made enormous progress under Sam Pittman in his first year. Three losses against Auburn, LSU, and Missouri came by a total of seven points. For a team considered the doormat of the SEC West for a few seasons, Arkansas seems to be on the rise. Winning in Fayetteville would put a signature win on Sarkisian's resume early in his tenure. Especially with the older generation, scraping to keep this rivalry alive.
Oklahoma State
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In what could be farewell to Oklahoma State, Texas will host Mike Gundy (RIP the mullet) after a dramatic overtime win last season. Bad news for Texas? The Pokes have dominated in Austin, winning five out of the last six. The narrative will be spun in one of two ways coming going into Oklahoma State weekend. No. 1: Keep the momentum going after an important win against Oklahoma. Or, No. 2: Get back on the right track after a loss against Oklahoma. Losing two in a row to Oklahoma schools is bad news. Both teams will be coming off a bye. Sarkisian needs to have his career record against Oklahoma State forever be 1-0.
Louisiana
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You, your buddy, and your favorite college football analyst all have Texas on upset alert against Louisiana on Sept. 4. After beating Iowa State to kickoff last season and becoming one of the top Group of Five teams in the country, Billy Napier's squad will be ready to go. No matter the opponent, Steve Sarkisian's first game was always going to be a big deal. Getting the first ranked vs. ranked season opener for Texas since 1984 makes it even bigger. Three out of the last five first-year coaches have started their tenures off with losses. Sarkisian knows starting on a good foot in front of the home crowd will go a long way.
TCU
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I think Gary Patterson lays awake at night, dreaming of playing Texas every single week. He simply has dominated the state's flagship school since joining the Big 12 in 2012. Seven of the nine contests have ended with TCU on top and by an average of nearly 20 points. After a bad loss last season at home, Texas will travel to Fort Worth for their second conference matchup of the season. Yes, in the past I have said this is the most important game on the schedule. A win here and Sarkisian will really get the ball rolling. In what should be a defensive showdown, quarterback play could decide this one.
Oklahoma
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Barring the SEC move and rekindling old feelings, Oklahoma will always be the most important game on Texas' schedule. Especially with how good of a ball club Lincoln Riley projects to have, getting a Red River Shootout win should be at the top of the priority list. Of course, losing in Dallas has not stopped the Sooners from winning the Big 12 and then making the College Football Playoff (2015, 2018). However, for Texas, a win against Oklahoma would put them on track for a Big 12 championship appearance, pending results against Texas Tech and TCU. Seeing Sarkisian start 1-0 at the Cotton Bowl would be enormous for the program.
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