Texas Will Embrace The Hate In Final Big 12 Season, But Steve Sarkisian Needs To Leave The Conference With A Title | Trey Wallace

It's certainly not a secret that Texas will get the very best from each Big 12 opponent this season on its way out of the conference. Can the Longhorns take advantage of the bulletin board material and break the conference title losing streak?

This is the question that is currently on the minds of every fan who wears the burnt orange colors, along with those inside the conference offices. As you've noticed over the last few days, coaches, and Brett Yormark, have shared their thoughts on Texas in public settings.

Big 12 Coaches, Commissioner Giving Texas Enough Bulletin Board Material

As much as he loves his conference, and wants every team to be successful, I'm sure there's a small piece of Brett Yormark that wants to see Texas fail on its way to the SEC. Even if his comments to the Texas Tech crowd recently were made in good fun, you can feel the animosity around the Big 12.

“Candidly, we were able to get Texas and Oklahoma out of here early. That was a big deal for us and I think all of you,” Brett Yormark mentioned last week. “And Coach , I’m not going to put any pressure on you, but I’m gonna be in Austin for Thanksgiving, okay? And you’d better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock last year.”

Yorkmark didn't need the shot at Texas to spice up the Big 12 season but he still felt the need to garner a laugh from the Texas Tech crowd. To make matters worse, Steve Sarkisian said he received a letter the day before Yormark's comments about sportsmanship within the Big 12.

Talk About Bad Timing...

You can be the judge on that one, but comments made by Houston's Dana Holgorsen on Tuesday clearly show how big the bullseye is on the Longhorns back. There's obviously no love lost between Holgorsen and legendary members of the Big 12, which includes Texas.

“You can have that opinion about Texas and Texas A&M if you want to, but they are the reasons we weren’t in the Big 12,” Dana Holgorsen said. “Those two are the specific reasons why we haven’t been in the Big 12 the last 28 years. Screw them. They can go wherever they want. They don’t want us, and we don’t want them. So move on.”

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian chats with Alabama head coach Nick Saban before their 2022 matchup in Austin. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

If you wanted to stir up the Texas roster, consider it mission accomplished. While Steve Sarkisian is taking it, knowing the school brought this on itself by leaving early for the SEC, doesn't mean he's not taking notes for the season.

While taking questions for his Texas Longhorns radio show on Wednesday night, Sark answered an anonymous fan's question on whether he could beat Yormark in a fight. Yes, this was an actual question, with the Texas head coach taking his answer in a different direction.

"I understand where the commissioner was, he's in that setting," Sarkisian noted. "At the end of the day, I can go speak anywhere, you always assume there's phones on and that you're being recorded. We talked to our players about that. Our players saw that video too and inevitably, we all want an equal playing field."

If You Mess With The Bull (Texas) You Get The Horns (Maybe)

I hope some of these Texas opponents don't act blindsided. Trust me, as much as these Big 12 schools want to make the Longhorns suffer this season, Texas feels the same way about its soon to be former colleagues.

"It's not like these are the first comments Steve Sarkisian has heard about the upcoming season. The off-season meetings were pretty fun I've heard," one Big 12 assistant coach told OutKick. "It's only now that some folks are wanting to talk publicly. Steve has enough bulletin board material to make it through the entire season, and they haven't played a game yet.

"Do these other coaches understand how good Texas has a chance to be this season? The recruiting trail has been brutal in-terms of negative comments. Not only could they win the Big 12, they are good enough to make a playoff run. If they win the conference, they'll walk out the door with their horns up, along with a middle finger."

When it comes to talent on the field, the assistant coach isn't wrong. A backfield that has reloaded, along with a developed Quinn Ewers could lead to some impressive offensive states. Also, the defense should another step in the right direction after 2022. Don't forget that former Georgia wide receiver AD Mitchell is now catching balls from Ewers, with seventeen returning starters.

2023 Schedule Is Favorable For A Texas Playoff Run

The good thing about this 2023 season is that we'll find out pretty quick just how good this squad could be. A week two trip to Tuscaloosa has been circled on the college football calendar since last season's wild game in Austin. If the Longhorns are going to be a playoff contender this season, it won't take long to gauge their potential.

Speaking of the 2023 schedule, Texas will face Baylor, Houston, TCU and Iowa State on the road this season. While in Austin, the Longhorns will host Rice, Wyoming, Kansas, BYU, Kansas State, with Texas Tech as their last Big 12 home game.

It's a favorable schedule, with the traditional matchup with future SEC partner Oklahoma in Dallas.

In the meantime, I imagine Brett Yormark will continue to take a few jabs, along with opposing coaches in the Big 12 who don't care for the Longhorns exodus to the SEC.

But if Texas is as good as some people are predicting, they could leave the Big 12 with at least one trophy, maybe two.